Oval top empire-style table with side skirt. Skirt has beaded top and bottom. Table divides to accomodate four leaves. Four-sided reeded central pillar with two turned feet underneath and four c-scrolled supports. Solid base with four radial, long legs w
Undocumented stories claim that this table was ordered by William Jenkins in 1828, the year he had the Wheatland mansion built, and that it has conveyed to each subsequent owner with the deed. The table dates from the first quarter of the nineteenth century and might attributed to the Bachman cabinetmakers.
Open scroll work on rectangular music stand; elaborate lyre-shaped pedal support with two pedals. Three massive legs with ten-faceted tapered legs. Sides of keyboard area scrolled with foliate carving. Around bottom is rope-like molding.
Ames, Kenneth L [ed], 'Victorian Furniture: Essays from a Victorian Society Autumn Symposium', Victorian Society in America, 1982.
Height (in)
37.437
Length (in)
98.5
Width (in)
57
Condition
Good
Condition Date
2022-11-17
Condition Notes
adjusted' piano 5/16/1949
Last cleaning & tuning September 2006
Several strings are broken and the sound board no longer holds its tuning.
Object ID
W.1936.001.004
Notes
Jonas Chickering (1798-1853), whose firm made the piano, began his career as a cabinetmaker in Ipswich, New Hampshire. In 1818 at the age of twenty, he went to Boston and apprenticed himself in one of the town's cabinet shops.
American Empire style stool has an upholstered adjustable seat finished with green silk velvet. The serpentine apron and urn shaped pedestal surmounts a plinth base with four square legs each terminating on casters. The primary wood, pine, is veneered in walnut.
Rococo Revival writing desk. High relief carved arching crest with acanthus leaf motif flanked by matching finials. A cherub relief face with wings in a recessed arch is seen below the crest, surmounting a storage cabinet decorated with more highly carved foliate and scroll motifs along both rails. The cabinet door is decorated with inlaid woods that form a vase with flowers. The writing desk has a fold-down/pull-out writing surface and four drawers that surmount a central drawer and four highly carved foliate and scroll adorned cabriole legs that terminate on casters and are connected by supports to central finials.
Several broken finials and high relief carvings under central cabinet
Object ID
W.1936.008.001
Notes
From the account of Major Andre, who visited Wheatland in 1888, it can be surmised that the escritoire stood in the sitting room or study. This room was located to the left of the front door in the central section of the house.
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.)
Covered originally in red velvet with woven gold thread tape at edges. Four plain bracket feet. Flared cushion at bottom. Top of cushion worked in needlepoint- red and white trumpet flowers, leaves forming wreath around white cloth draped cross. Possibly Italian.
oil painting on canvas is of Harriet Lane & Henry Elliot Johnston's two sons who they lost to rheumatic fever. The artist captured the boys' images at the age of their deaths based on family photographs. The imagery of the afterlife abounds in this painting including the boys seated on the edge of a cliff of rock, the clouds gathering in the skies and the bright light on the horizon above the water. The painting is mounted in a gilt cove and scoop picture frame. Both boys are holding their favorite items. These objects and the styles of their garments are meant to be reflective of their personalities. The oldest, James Buchanan Johnston was 14 years-old; he is seated on the left holding a book and is wearing a black velvet fauntleroy jacket, vest and shorts with a white collar and blue bowtie. Henry Elliot Johnston, Jr. was 12 years-old; he is seated on the right holding a toy pistol and is wearing the Johnston Scottish tartan kilt with his feathered Glengarry bonnet, his sporran and Ghillie brogues.
Large rectangualr rosewood veneer box with hinged lid and pressed metal oval-shaped handle centered on lid. The underside of the lid has a mirror that is hinged with a top swinging catch that comes down to convert it to a writing surface. Several separate velvet-lined compartments of varying size comprise the inside of the box. There is cock-bead molding around lower edge of lid and the keyhole is centered just below the front lip of the lid; on the short end of the oblong chest is a 2 inch high wide drawer with a keyhole and lined with velvet.
Hepplewhite Pembrook Oval Table. Two drop leaves, when opened, are supported by pivoted shaped brackets. End skirts are straight with one containing a full-width drawer. The four slender tapering legs have satinwood inlay at the upper end.
Lithograph- Print of Prince Albert from Painting by F. Winterhalter; black ink, oval background. Prince Albert- body is 1/2 to his right, head is 1/4 to the right, looking forward. Wearing military dress with medals. Signed 'Albert'
F. Winterhalter painted the original. J. A. Vinter, engraver. Day & Son, lithographer.
Molded wax head, neck, shoulders, legs, feet. Hard resin arms-hands that are painted greyish-beige. Brown rooted hair, center part pinned into rolled style with faux flowers tucked in the hair by ears. Hair brows, brown glass eyes. Painted lips, small teeth showing. Seed pearl choker. Cream silk gown adorned with lace bertha across chest and lace gathers about hip area. Faux flowers adorn left chest, and throughout lace across hips.
Oval platter, slightly scalloped edge with coat of arms, white porcelain with double gold bands at border. Gold laurel leaves between coat-of-arms (raised arm with dagger) monogrammed in gold. Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, France. Designed by Jacquel.
Bookcase composed of two sections. Cabinet with glass doors at top and cabinet with wooden doors at bottom. Two glass doors have square mullions holding the panes. Doors give access to moveable shelves inside. Two doors at bottom of each have simple rectangular recessed panels.
Thomas Potter - 2nd owner of Wheatland
Sold to William Morris Meredith 3rd owner of Wheatland
Sold to James Buchanan 4th owner of Wheatland
Inherited by Harriet Lane Johnston 5th owner of Wheatland
Bequeathed to John Newton Lane, Harriet Lane Johnston's nephew
Bequeathed to Mrs. Patty Lane Fay daughter of John N. Lane
Bookcases sold to Meredith in 1845 by Potter then Meredith sold them to James Buchanan in 1848. Letter dated 9/27/1848 to Buchanan from Meredith: 'In addition to the $6750 which you mention, I paid Mr. Potter for the bookcases in the library, I think $75.00.'
Daguerreotype of Harriet Lane. Full bust length view, facing right. Her hair is coiled and pinned back. She is wearing a dark jacket over a white blouse, with a white lace collar. Broach at her neck and long earrings are prominent. Gold matting around image. Image mounted inside of book-type case of black leather and red velvet inner lining. Two hook clasps.
This daguerreotype represents the earliest known image of Harriet Lane, niece of President James Buchanan. This likeness might have been photographed ca. 1845, Harriet Lane would have been about fifteen years old.
Remains of green silk at both ends over linen. Backing appears to be natural color linen with an open weave wool decorated with needlepoint floral-design repeated about ten times down length. Red rose/lavender rose/blue violets, with green leaves also shadings of brown.
Sepia-tinted photo of Harriet Lane. Oval. Harriet facing 3/4 front, to her right. Hair rolled under with flowers. Decolletage dress with flowers at center and at shoulders. Light-colored dress, no jewelry. Shown from hips up. Frame: rounded front, plain,
One of 44 Parisian Pink dinner plates. White with gold laurel leaf border; inside wider band of pink bordered with gold; monogram 'HEJ' and coat of arms (armored upraised arm with dagger) in gold; scalloped edge.
Three-mold colorless glass pint decanter etched on one side with initials 'JB' and the other with a sheaf of wheat above the word 'Wheatland'. Elongated chamfered neck with applied handle and bullseye stopper. Teardrop-shaped body with flat front and back.
Photograph of Harriet Lane. Harriet Lane in studio photo facing 3/4 front to her right. Head turned front. Hands clasped at front, holding white handkerchief. Hair braided at sides, wrapped at back. Wearing silk gown, medium colored, with white collar. Mounted in an American 1850 scoop picture frame with a rustic tree branch motif.
Photograph on display in Wheatland is a digital reproduction. Original photgraph moved to archives for conservation purposes.
To be removed from frame and stored in archival safe folder.
Object ID
W.1989.082.001
Notes
Original photograph removed from frame on 27 July 2009 - placed in archival storage for conservation purposes. (East Attic, flat files). Photograph and frame both bear the number 89.82.
