Vigo County Historical Society
Historical Treasure Article
May 8, 1988
By Susie Dewey
Vigo County Historical Society
Come into my parlor. Love seat scene of couples’ courting
In the Victorian parlor of the Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley is a love seat that must have been the pride and joy of a prosperous Victorian household. In a darkened corner where it would have been protected from daylight and bumps of passers-by, it asserted the material wealth and the conformity of the owner.
The love seat at the museum has, no doubt, been restored to its early finery. The ornately carved back has been upholstered with a tapestry showing a floral motif in a circle of vines. The turned spindles on the sides and back require careful individual dusting.
Some housewives covered such pieces with cloths so that they wouldn’t need daily dusting. Wooden casters shaped like wheels allowed the mahogany frame to be moved easily. These pieces were moved frequently so no marks marred the carpets or rugs in the parlor. The curved arms suggested more comfort than they afforded.
The love seat was actually a double chair or a very small settee. Earlier Victorians called such pieces courting chairs.
They were placed in the parlor for several reasons. At first they were simply two chairs joined to give the courters closer proximity. The double legs and arms in the middle made the piece larger than most sitting rooms could accommodate. Later models omitted the arms and legs to create a cozy spot for couples.
Since courting was a formal procedure and required some privacy, the parlor was the best place in the house. Victorian parlors were not used by the family as a gathering place. The second parlor or the sitting room was the family room.
Valued pieces of furniture and prized family possessions were kept in the parlor. Often the parlor was heated only for special occasions. Even though the parlor was infrequently used, Victorian housewives were admonished in the magazines of the day to be sure the parlor was dusted, waxed and swept daily. Sensible women probably only polished furniture and mirrors weekly, but with the furniture of the time that must have been a time-consuming chore.
Love seats were often upholstered in plain velvet, plush, satin or damask; but the favorite and traditional fabric was black horse-hair. This shiny fabric was so sleek that children were unable to keep their seats and sometimes slipped from the love seat. Even so, children were not often allowed in the parlor. On traditional occasions, when the children were permitted to join adults there, the children were in best clothing and on best behavior.
Much furniture from the period is in almost perfect condition. If courters used the love seat, they too were on good behavior.
Time may have faded the upholstery or a housewife later may have changed the fabric, but the original mahogany frames were not chipped and scarred. No food crossed the parlor threshold in a properly-run home.
At the museum, the love seat is properly placed in a dark corner. The parlor lights are dimmed as they would have been when the love seat was in use. It is dusted and waiting for an occasion when the parlor would be opened for family and friends. The housewife would be beaming with quiet pride in her possessions and housekeeping.
The courters, no doubt, would have slipped into the hall or stairwell for any romance.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.