American Rococo Revival Walnut Sofa. The serpentine back centered by a rose and shell scrolled carved crest, the back joined to closed arms, with a serpentine apron and raised on cabriole legs terminating in casters, silk velvet upholstery.
Printed version of the will of James Buchanan directing that his body be interred in the Woodward Hill Cemetery; that all debts (“which are small”) be paid out of the estate; that the furnishings of the house be divided among Harriet L. Johnston, Edward Y. Buchanan and J. Buchanan Henry, with the provision that Esther Parker be given $200 worth of the articles; bequeaths his wearing apparel, gold watch, watch chain and seals to Edward Y. Buchanan; bequeaths $5000 to Esther Parker; bequeaths his two certificates of loan, Nos. 43 and 43 or the sum of $2,000 if the certificates have been disposed of “for the use of poor and indigent females of the city” to be added to the $4,000 already provided; bequeaths $1,000 to the Presbyterian church in Lancaster of which he is a member; directs that all the real estate he owns be sold; directs that the proceeds from the sale of real estate, rents, etc., be distributed as described to his relatives: Harriet Lane Johnston, Edward Y. Buchanan, J. Buchanan Henry, John B. Lane, James B. Lane, Elliott E. Lane; Mary E. Dunham, Maria B. Weaver, Jessie Magaw, James B. Weaver, John Bliss Weaver and Maria Magaw. Codicils bequeath sums of money to Martha J. Lane, William B. Reed (to write his biography), his wife, Mary L. Reed; domestics Peter Hillyer, Mary Smithgall, Lizzie Stoner; and finally, bequeaths the dwelling at Wheatland and all its land of 22 acres to Harriet Lane Johnston. Lancaster. Carbon copy of the will.
James Buchanan Papers, Penn State University Libraries,
https://libraries.psu.edu/findingaids/1458.htm
Related Item Notes
James Buchanan Family Papers
MG-96 James Buchanan Collection
Historical Society of Pennsylvania microfilm
Photograph collections
Curatorial collections
Wheatland Mansion
Notes
May 2020 PastPerfect Conversion
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Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Accession Number
JBMS1995.336
Other Number
JBFP Part 1, Series 2, Subseries 4, Folder 4
Description Level
Item
Custodial History
The James Buchanan Family Papers were collected by the James Buchanan Foundation for the Preservation of Wheatland. This collection was relocated from the Wheatland mansion to the LancasterHistory archives in the Spring of 2009. Digitization of the James Buchanan Family Papers was funded by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, PHMC Appl ID # 201808013051, 2019-2020.
Serpentine-back, enclosed arm sofa, Louis XV (Rococo Revival), has yellow upholstery, finger-molded exposed frame of rosewood or mahogany and a rounded back crested with central cartouche of high relief carved fruit and leafage. Outline of rounded back slopes down to rounded shoulders that descend and curve back in to arms that enclose the sitter. Low arm rests have upholstered arm pads. Cyma-curved arm supports extend to short cabriole legs at front. Square, curving legs at back. Serpentine seat front and serpentine lower outline of seat frame.
Serpentine-back, enclosed-arm sofa, Louis XV style (Rococo Revival), has yellow upholstery and a finger-molded exposed frame of rosewood. At top of central arch is a raised crest with high relief carved fruit and leafage, flanked by a volute on each side. Frame flows in a continuous line into arched shoulders that dramatically curve and drop to a low arm rest wrapped with upholstery, exposing a hand grip. The front arm support leads to the short cabriole leg; knee with carved shell. Seat front is serpentine and the exposed frame below has a swell at the bottom and is decorated with a thin raised carved strip. Was likely part of the new suite of furniture ordered by Sophie Plitt for retiring President James Buchanan and his niece, Harriet Lane, in 1861.
