1921

ur sofa which graced the east end of the living room was extra long and was covered in black leather. We had a library table of the dark oak. It was a two inch slab of oak supported by strong legs three inch square. On each end of this table were bookshelves. There was a small settee in rattan. I don't know what such a piece of furniture was called. It was about three and a half feet long and had a rattan arm about twelve inches high at one end which curved around the back, tapering off to about six inches across the back. The other two sides were open. We had curtains at the windows and roll down cloth blinds to pull down for privacy. I don't remember any draperies in our home until I was much older.

  don't believe my mother's taste really included all the dark furniture, even though it might have been in vogue about 1913 when my parents were furnishing their home. I believe my parent's bedroom reflected hertaste more accurately. The graceful bed had both a high head board and a lower foot board. It had an enamel finish in a pale ivory color with accent grooves highlighted in a darker tone. There were graceful finials on both ends of the head and foot boards. The dressing table or vanity was finished the same way. A light blue hand-painted china vanity set was the finishing touch.

he brightest thing in a living room of that era would probably be on the floor. Floors were generally hard wood with a rug in the middle of the room, an area of a foot or so of wood showing on each side. our rug was what was called an Axminstercarpet. It had a stylized design such as we see in Persian rugs. It was machine loomed in strips three feet wide which were then sewed together. These seams were the first point of wear. our carpet had some blue, tan, and rose colors in it and probably other colors I don't remember. It was cleaned with a hand operated push and pull carpet sweeper up until about 1926 or 1927 when we got our first vacuum sweeper, an upright Eureka.

his sweeper was our first electrical appliance. Although other electric household appliances were available at this time, they were beyond our means. More affluent families were buying their first electrical refrigerators. My Great Aunt Sarah had one of the first Frigidaires: the one with the white coils on top. It was an impressive sight, sitting on the white ceramic tile floor of her kitchen. The tiles were small and hexagon shaped. They made a beautiful floor which was a far cry from our more plebian linoleum.

he small settee, which I mentioned earlier, came in handy when I was born. My parents told me they turned the open side to a wall and used it as my crib. Later I graduated to a white iron baby bed. This was an extra large baby bed, and I slept in it until I was seven, although they stopped putting up the side to protect me from falls some years before that. I think this bed must have been something of an antique when they bought it. The black sofa didn't stay with us long, and the rug wore out. The oak library table was kept. Some time in the 1950's, Van and I converted it into a coffee table by taking off the slab top and having the legs cut down. We removed the shelves and fastened the legs to the four corners of the slab, sanded off the old dark finish, and gave it a light finish. At this time it is in our family room in our basement. The wicker chairs and bedroom furniture were sold with their house when my parents' estate was closed in 1967.