Students, I am so happy to have shared the experience of the Woodruff-Fontaine mansion
with you last Saturday. Speaking solely for myself, I truly enjoyed this tour especially, as the docent
was far more animated and engaged with the group more eagerly than some docents on tours past. We also had a guest, my dear friend and colleague, Honors Coordinator, Renee Cole, and of course, the benefit of exquisite spring weather completed a day that could not have been more ideal.
Thank you to all of you who came out and joined us for this lovely day. I am eager to hear your impressions of Woodruff Fontaine--and if you recall, I asked you to envision for me the 'typical' Victorian family in Memphis. Who were they? What were they like? What were their dress and mannerisms?
Before you respond, I hope you will indulge me a moment: I made a little video to preserve our trip for posterity, and to show you all my gratitude for being such a great group!
From what I could see is that in the 1800 wealthy people lived noticeable opulent lifestyles. In a time where sewers where not believed to be essential yet people still wanted the appearance of cleanliness. It was certainly believed that a woman was not of much value other than to be displayed, like a very expensive vase of rare flowers. I imagine that a man’s view of their wife and children was that they were accessories decorated with expensive accessories. I don’t think that it is any different than now- other than the refined manner in which people carried themselves then- in how we still think that ‘the more we have, the wealthier we must be.’
ReplyDeleteYou are quite correct about the social roles of women in the 19th century. They were, by and large, 'window dressing.' Most Victorian males regarded women as sort of advanced children, retaining the intellect of a slightly more astute child. In fact, for most of the 19th century, women were passed, much like property, from their fathers to their husbands into arranged marriages. Further, as I mentioned in the comment to Sayeda, the 'gendered spaces' of the home reinforced the social roles that were forced onto women in that day. I was particularly struck with the 'morning porch' where women would go in the morning to have their tea/breakfast before dressing. They would not even meet the staff until they were fully coiffed.
DeleteThe house looks towering tall and skinny. Inside the house is filled with high class glass door decorations, a beautiful decorated ceiling, furniture, paintings, and a chandelier. The Fontaine family entertains and serves food in the dining room for the guests on the first floor of the house. On the second floor of the house, there are four bedrooms including the bedroom that belongs to Mollie Fontaine, her husband, and child. The second floor of the house is not equipped with a bathroom. Each bedroom is accessorized with bathroom necessities such as large basin, large water jug, and a small commode. It is mainly for women. The third floor of the house is the men's bedrooms, also, without a bathroom access. Adjacent to the men's bedroom is a designated work or study room. The Fontaine family serves meals with style using tableware that looks elegant. The tableware includes tiny cups, spoons forks, plates, and a bell on one corner of the table. The tour guide mentioned that food was served with a hundred percent pure vegetable, fresh meat, and fresh baked bread. When the family is receiving house guests, the wife should look presentable be well groomed and be well mannered. The houses compared to houses today in the 20th century are wide and short in height. Tableware like coffee cups, plates, and utensils that we use today are three times larger than the 18th century. The first floor of the house is equipped with one and a half bathrooms, but the Fontaine house has one bathroom located outside the house. Food today contains GMO, genetically modified food, but not in 18th century. The Woodruff-Fontaine House is decorated with style and elegance.
ReplyDeleteVery descriptive, Sayeda. I would encourage you to think too about the purpose and motivation behind all of these highly rigid social norms--from the construction and "gendered spaces" of the home to the grand way in which the table was set for a formal dinner, to the way the family (especially the women) dressed. It was to keep up with the image of social propriety. To remain current, respectable, and significant was the raison d'etre of the Victorian family. I would also point out that we are currently living in the 21st century, not the 20th; the Fontaines built their home in the 19th century. I point that out because a sense of historic context and timeline is crucial to understanding the way people lived as opposed to how we live now.
DeleteI went to visit the Woodruff-Fontaine house last Friday. I thought the architectural reasoning and the courting traditions were all unique and interesting. The first floor of the house is said to be the most lavish because that is where one woulf show off their wealth. You would have to be very good friends with the owners to be allowed on ny of the upper levels, which were not as nice. The ballroom on the first floor was the most interesting architecturally. The windows in the front came all the way down to the floor, and because of this, they used them as doors for guests to enter and exit during gatherings. In the winter, it was heated by two fire places about 10-15 feet apart. In the back, there was a room that they originally used for the music, because the windows worked as amplifiers. The tour guide said she could attest to this because they have had events in the ballroom and have used that very same music room for the entertainment. I also noticed a courting chair on the side of the room where it was two chairs side by side, but the backs were turned and they were connected. I asked why this was and she said that it was to prevent provoking frisky behavior. The stairs were designed so that the women could walk up and down them with ease so that they could look graceful while trudging along in their elaborate dresses. On the second floor, there was a living room where the children were allowed to be. They were not allowed into the dining room downstairs, which was strictly for entertaining. The third floor is where the servants lived. They also had their own staircase, separate from the family staircase so that they could move about the house without being seen. The tower at the very top of the house did not have much of a reason behind its construction other than appearances. There were other additions to the house that had similar reasoning. Victorian houses aimed to be symmetrical, so there were doors that opened up to just brick walls. They were put there simply because the was a door next to it. I love all of the different reasoning behind the house and the perplexing traditions that followed it.
ReplyDeleteThe typical Victorian family consisted of a father, mother and children, mainly many children. The men worked. The women were looked at as decorations. They were expected to wear corseted dresses all of the time, during parties and even around the home. They were not typical housewives; they were not expected to perform the "wifely duties", but rather plan the parties. They had parties often; one main reason was to show off their wealth. Some families were so wealthy that they had servants who would be the ones to perform the household duties. The children were really in their own world. This was my first time visiting the Woodruff-Fontaine House, and I have to say it was very interesting and the house was very beautiful. It was like a travel back in time for me, so it was definitely out of my comfort zone. I was expecting a haunted looking house, but instead I got a house full of culture, tradition, and style. From the ceilings to the chandeliers to the pieces of decoration; it was magnificent. The architectural design of the doors and the creaking of the hardwood floors was beautiful. Knowing that they did not have indoor plumbing or air conditioners made me feel really grateful that we have evolved to that now. Also learning about the history of how the house came to be and the families who lived there definitely set the tone.
ReplyDeleteA Victorian family in Memphis back then consisted of a husband, wife, kids, and sometimes even the in-laws lived with them for a bit. I enjoyed learning about this history of the Woodruff-Fontaine house. The wife back then was considered the extra "dressing". Back then is was mainly about the husband and the wealth that he had to offer. The wife had to always be dressed to the part even if she had to address the servants. I thought it was neat how the ceilings were painted to represent the wealth they had and how a lot of the china, crystal was imported from different countries. Also, I enjoyed learning about how the life style was for the men and women back then.
ReplyDeleteThe typical Victorian house consisted of a husband, wife, children and immigrant servants. The male in the household was viewed as the brain, backbone, breadwinner, leader, to shorten the list the man was viewed as the "EVERYTHING". While women were viewed as nothing more than centerpieces at dinners and vessels to produce children. A female child was only valued as a centerpiece in the making or possible leverage for a business deal with another family. Male children were held to a higher standard than women and girls, but still under men. The servants were to be seen only briefly and never heard.
ReplyDeleteMy experience with the home was quite interesting, prior to this excursion I did not know that this house existed. Let alone an entire block of mansions like the Woodruff-Fountaine house. It is hard to fathom that the city simply bulldozed an entire block of mansions. By doing this the city robbed itself of history, artwork, and culture dating back hundreds of years.
My emotions about the house varied, I thought the artwork and architecture of the home was gorgeous. However, as we went into the tour I realized the home was a house of death, as someone has passed away in just about every room in the home. Despite that I enjoyed the tour and all the new information I have obtained about the Woodruff-Fountaine house and Memphis during that period.
The Woodruff-Fontaine is insanely beautiful. I adore French Provincial architecture. I love the gold accents and ornateness of all of the furniture and decor. I loved seeing the women's dresses and jewelry on display. I noticed that aspects of the fashion are actually seen in current fashion.
ReplyDeleteThe family dynamic during this era placed a heavy emphasis on the importance of the males. Females were merely second class citizens, meant to produce and rear children. Our guide mentioned that a woman would not show herself to anyone before being dressed and primped for the day; she could not be seen until "presentable." I just thought how much that had to have sucked to not be able to go downstairs and have a cup of coffee bed-headed and sans makeup. It makes me think that the culture then, or people of this stature at least, were extremely superficial. I also can't help but empathize for the women who did not want to necessarily get married or have children but were coerced into doing so.
Also, though, while standing in Molly Woodruff's bedroom it hit me that we were in Memphis. Or, more so that the home was built over one hundred years ago was built in the place that we now call home and are familiar with.
I love your comments, Tessa, about how women were relegated to furnishings, basically. They _were_ exceedingly superficial in that day--at least the monied classes were. I may have told you all about the 'tongs' that were placed on a fainting couch in one of the bedrooms of the Mallory Neely home: they were there in case M'lady dropped her hanky, and to avoid her passing out if she were to dip down to fetch it. Yes, their lives revolved utterly around 'seeing and being seen,' and they left behind an impressive and beautiful footprint--that is not without its blemishes.
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