Designing historically-inspired lace curtains, ex post facto. Again, full disclosure on my part; I own a lace curtain company, and I select and sell historic lace curtains appropriate for the Victorian, Arts & Crafts and Art Deco periods. If this post appears to be self-promoting, I’m not going to deny it. But then again, I’m fulfilling a need… I’ve been selling lace curtains to old house owners (and tenants) for over seventeen years, ...

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A series of posts that address historic floor coverings in the late 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. Full disclosure: I consult on and provide carpets for historic houses, museums and state capitols. This article may appear self-serving, and while it is, my words will hopefully clear up some misconceptions about historic floor coverings. Carpet Patterns The invention of the Jacquard loom meant that carpet (or any textile) could now be ...

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In 1816, Baltimore, MD was the first US city to have gas lighting.  Using gas for lighting quickly spread to other cities and it was very common throughout the rest of the 19th century.  The gas was manufactured from the gasification of coal.  Late in the 19th century,  natural gas began to replace the “coal gas”. Gas lighting was installed in factories, apartment buildings and homes.  Gas lights along city streets ...

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