Monday, October 1, 2012

Chatillon-DeMenil Mansion


After the market, my friend and I visited the Chatillon-DeMenil Mansion in South St. Louis. A tour of the house introduced me to the French history of St. Louis.


This is a courting sofa--one side for the guy, one for the girl. Can you tell which is which? Hint: even the leg on the guy's side is thicker!


As someone who spends a lot of time in her bed, I think this little bed tray would be invaluable! In fact, I'm drinking tea in bed as I type. Sadly, sans tray.

Below: The beautiful floor, which had to do with eschewing disease, which, clearly, resides in the dirt on the floor.


 The museum included many examples of Victorian women's crafts, including taxidermy: 


Stenciling on velvet:


And artwork made out of hair (it's a mourning thing):


Our tour guide also explained that at the turn of the century, there was a vibrant cave culture in that part of St. Louis--there was a cave beer garden, opera hall, and museum, among other things. And the breweries were built in that area (and there are many, even now) in order to use the caves below for natural refrigeration.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Oh I love that wallpaper. And I hate that hair thing.