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Page 8 The Antique Shoppe April, 2020
keeper of the outside garments on the inside of the house. But the
COMMON SENSE limited number of hooks, usually six or so, arranged around the mirror
demonstrate that this was not an annex to the coat closet for long term
ANTIQUES storage. This was simply a stopping point for those outer garments in

transition.
The mirror was used extensively throughout better Victorian homes
By Fred Taylor and reflected the cultural fixation with personal appearance. It was

appropriately placed in the hall to insure a proper appearance for entry
to the inside. Some hall stands had one more feature, the shelf or table
SPECIALTY FURNITURE for gloves, books or a card receiver.
Hall stands reached their zenith in the Renaissance Revival style
Wait In The Hall of the 1870s. The importance of a good first impression translated

to size in a hall stand and the Renaissance period offered a very nice
The 19th century in the United States started out as period of major
political strife with little attention to the development of furniture. Sure, arrangement of size, convenience and opulence for the Victorian well
to do at the beginning of the fourth quarter of the century. Hall stands
there was the Federal period and the Empire period but those were more of the style, as well as other furniture of the period, made by Berkey
adaptations to style than innovation in form. & Gay of Grand Rapids can be seen in
There were other things to worry about. “Late 19th Century Furniture by Berkey
There was the War of 1812. Then there was & Gay”, published by Schiffer. By the
the Mexican War followed by the Civil War. late part of the century the “Golden Oak”
After the Civil War things settled down period was dawning and the elegance of
a bit and the population turned inward to the Renaissance, as well as the importance
social status and function. This was the high of the hall stand, were beginning to fade.
Victorian period and one of the primary By 1920 the hall stand was all but gone,
considerations in all subjects was the topic replaced by a common coat rack in the
of gender. The urbanization of much of corner by the front door.
the country no longer required primary But the hall had another function. In
emphasis on agricultural skills from many addition to being the transition area it
of the inhabitants and new role models and was also the waiting area. One had to be
social functions developed because of the invited into the interior of the house by a
shift. resident of appropriate rank. While it was
In proper Victorian society the world was important to be polite to anyone, regardless
divided into two parts, male and female of rank, there was a definite seating priority.
and each gender was assigned a space. The Persons of equal or greater social ranking
outside world belonged to the men. It was than the owner of the house were invited in
the place where commerce was conducted, immediately. Those of lower rank, especially
work was carried out and money was made delivery people and messengers, were not
and exchanged. The inside, the interior of invited in and waited in the hall. It was
the house, belonged to the women. This is incumbent on the owner to provide seating,
where food was prepared, children were but it was not required that the seating be
born, and reared and personal items were comfortable. They wouldn’t be there that
cared for and stored. With two such radically long. Thus, hall seating took on an especially
different areas of operation, the transition austere look with flat straight wooden chairs
from one domain to the next could surely or stools with no padding or the hard plank
be traumatic, almost to be considered an seat sometimes incorporated into the hall
intrusion by the principal of the area entered. stand.
That is where the concept of the foyer This elaborately carved Eastlake hall stand of the 1880s
For more information about quaint
or hall came into play in Victorian house provides six coat hooks, two umbrella stands, a storage Victorian customs regarding gender and
design. This was neutral territory. It didn’t drawer and an appropriately hard, uncomfortable seat. lifestyle look at “Death in the Dining Room
really belong in either gender’s domain or (Wooden Nickel Auction photo) and Other Tales of Victorian Culture”
was used to prepare for entry into the next by Kenneth Ames, published by Temple
area. Outdoor coats had to be removed University Press. Ames is Chief of Historical
or put on. Gloves came on or off as did and Anthropological Surveys of the New
overshoes, shawls and hats. But where to York State Museum and was formerly Chair of the of the Office of
put them? This storage problem prompted the first piece of furniture Advanced Studies at the Winterthur Museum.
specifically designed for the foyer, the hall stand or hall tree. It was a
purely 19th century contrivance with no precedent in form or function Send your comments, questions and pictures to me at PO Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423 or
other than just hooks on a wall. email them to me at info@furnituredetective.com
Early versions of the hall stand all had the same three components, Visit Fred’s website www.furnituredetective.com and check out the downloadable “Common
Sense Antiques” columns in .pdf format. His book “HOW TO BE A FURNITURE DETECTIVE” is now
coat hooks, a mirror and an umbrella stand. By this time, just after mid- available for $18.95 plus $3.00 shipping. Send check or money order for $21.95 to Fred Taylor, PO
century, the umbrella had become a common accessory for the middle Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423
class and the hall was the logical place for its storage since it was an Fred and Gail Taylor’s DVD, “IDENTIFICATION OF OLDER & ANTIQUE FURNITURE”, ($17.00 + $3.00
S&H) are also available at the same address. For more information call (800) 387-6377 (9AM-
“outside” thing but did need to come inside. The coat hooks reflected 4PM Eastern, M-F only), fax 352-563-2916, or e-mail info@furnituredetective.com.
the need for proper attire for both inside and outside and became the All items are also available directly from the website, www.furnituredetective.com