Iron andirons with a cube and flame finial. Relatively rare. Information on the back of the photograph: "Fireplace - 2nd floor front, c. 1715, Letitia Street House. This is the only original mantel remaining in this house." Courtesy Philadelphia Museum of Art
Provenance
Photographs from the estate of Henry Kauffman. Do not reproduce without written permission. The following words must accompany any reproduction of this photograph. "PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART."
Firebacks were of cast iron, usually with a decorative motif on the front side. They stood against the back wall of the fireplace to prevent undue deterioration of the bricks. Original examples are very rare, and most of them seem to have gravitated to museums or restored houses. Courtesy of the Dey Mansion.
Dining room with small brick fireplace and mural of a ship painted on the wall. "Vermont House Dining Room" written on back. Courtesy Shelburne Museum.
The paneled room end in the Vermont House at Shelburne Museum came from an early 18th century house near Essex, Connecticut. An arched lintel is an uncommon feature of a New England house. The ball and steeple andirons are of the late 18th or early 19th century. Courtesy Shelburne Museum
Hope Lodge, near Philadelphia, was built in the first half of the 18th century. A bedroom fireplace is framed with tiles from Holland, as are several others. The use of two horizontal panels over the fireplace is a typical procedure of the period. Courtesy Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
