Balloon back walnut chairs with serpentine splat. Louis XV style back is rounded and finger molded with no additional carving. Flaring upholstered seat-black horsehair-with serpentine front with beaded molding at bottom of skirt. Cabriole front legs, rounded, with slightly curved square back legs terminating on flat feet.
Artifacts mentioned by Ara Hatch in New York Dalily Times 11/10/1856. Person had visited Wheatland.
Height (cm)
87.15248
Height (ft)
2.8593333333
Height (in)
34.312
Width (cm)
45.72
Width (ft)
1.5
Width (in)
18
Depth (cm)
40.9575
Depth (ft)
1.34375
Depth (in)
16.125
Condition
Good
Condition Date
2022-04-20
Condition Notes
Reupolstered; James Buchanan Foundation records indicate the seats were originally covered in green morrocan leather.
Object ID
W.1936.001.015
Notes
The chair was presumed to belong to James Buchanan by the James Buchanan Foundation representatives in 1936 when they bought certain furnishings that were still in the mansion during the Willson-Rettew Estate sale.
Mentioned by Ara Hatch in the N.Y. Daily Times (visited Wheatland 10 November 1856.)
Balloon back walnut chairs with serpentine splat. Louis XV style back is rounded and finger molded with no additional carving. Flaring upholstered seat-black horsehair-with serpentine front with beaded molding at bottom of skirt. Cabriole front legs, rounded, with slightly curved square back legs terminating on flat feet.
Artifacts mentioned by Ara Hatch in New York Dalily Times 11/10/1856. Person had visited Wheatland.
Height (in)
34.312
Width (in)
18
Depth (in)
16.125
Condition
Excellent
Condition Date
2022-11-21
Condition Notes
Reupolstered; James Buchanan Foundation records indicate the seats were originally covered in green morrocan leather.
Object ID
W.1936.001.015.2
Notes
The chair was presumed to belong to James Buchanan by the James Buchanan Foundation representatives in 1936 when they bought certain furnishings that were still in the mansion during the Willson-Rettew Estate sale.
Mentioned by Ara Hatch in the N.Y. Daily Times (visited Wheatland 10 November 1856.)
Figure of a woman with brown hair wearing an ochre broad-rimmed hat, long-sleeved, full-skirted dress painted blue-green with ochre trim on bodice only, and unpainted pantaloons with black shoes. She is also holding a hankerchief in her right hand and flowers in her left hand. Square plinth with clipped corners is lightly dabbed with tannish-brown. Back side is inpainted.
Inscription inside base is pencilled "PRC".
Provenance
Collected by Harpo and Susan Marx in Pennsylvania during their visits back East from CA. Donation to the Heritage Center.
Moderate soiling and paint loss. Small chips throughout; large loss on back right corner of base. Mended break in the left skirt. Several paint splatters on skirt front.
Object ID
G.98.51.75
Place of Origin
Pennsylvania
Credit
Given in memory of Harpo by Susan Marx, Heritage Center Collection
Redware canning jar, ovoid shape with no handle. Pronounced foot ring and rounded flaring lip with recessed interior to receive a fitted lid (missing). Dark brown manganese decoration with some mottling, streaks and dark spatters. Lead glaze overall except for underside.
Very strong wear with losses. Lip has very large chip and one very small chip at outside edge. Strong losses of glaze at lip. Very strong abrasions at salient point of side, with considerable scattered scratches. Foot ring has three large chips and one very large chip. Soil on inside and underside.
Object ID
G.99.22.1
Place of Origin
Pennsylvania
Credit
Gift of Drs. Irwin and M. Susan Richman, Heritage Center Collection
$5.00 note on white paper, printed in red and black ink. Faded black ink signatures and numbers. Print of James Buchanan at top left. Pastoral scene: girl with calves, bottom right. 'The Monogahela Valley Bank Will Pay Bearer Five Dollars on Demand. McKe
Small copy of artifact 39.8. Shows Henry Clay addressing the US Senate. Clay is standing, facing the right, right hand is outstretched. Senators arranged behind him and in front with the President of the House seated under drapery. Eagle is pitched a-top
Crazy quilt made of velvet, silk, ribbon and floss. Eight-inch wide dark green lustrous border has mitered corners and embroidered morning glory vines on three sides (lavender, green, yellow). Center has a wide variety of crazy patches of silk, satin, velvet, ribbon, solids and prints.
Some patches are painted and some have embroidered motifs. Embroidered decoration includes snowflakes, vines, zig-zags, etc. Unusual that most decorative embroidery stitches run alongside seams and not on top. Quilt is decorated and secured with bows of dark purple ribbon ties. Many patches have been "repaired" with an overlay of fabric due to deterioraton.
Some fabrics shredding, one nearly bare showing white foundation fabric underneath. Multiple repairs to deteriorated patches by applying an overlay of additional fabric. Some staining on back.
Object ID
W.1961.015.001
Notes
Reportedly made by donor's grandmother or great-grandmother from swatches of ladies' gowns made to be worn at James Buchanan's 1857 inaugural ball. Card in file states: Donor's "grandmother or great grandmother was on her honeymoon at that time and a friend, the dressmaker who made many of the ball gowns, gave her the scraps of material for a quilt as a memory of the occasion coupled with her honeymoon." At the end of note are two names, Mrs. Michael D. Smyser (Magdalene) and Mrs. Howard Overmiller (Helen), of Spring Grove in York Co. Relationship is unexplained. Helen Menges Baer Overmiller lived 1898-1975. Magdalene Smyser was much older, 1847-1924.
