Dutton House
Encyclopedia
The Dutton House is an exhibit building at Shelburne Museum
in Shelburne, Vermont
; it is also known as the Salmon Dutton House.
Dutton House constitutes the first dwelling brought to Museum property. In order to relocate the structure to Museum grounds, builders dismantled the house. Museum workers photographed the house prior to and while the house was being dismantled. Samples of each stenciled border were excised from the plaster walls. These samples were used as models for recreating the stenciled decoration of Dutton House’s interior. The sunburst stencil painted motif over a second floor fireplace mantle was also retained and installed in the re-erected house. Museum workers added dentil molding, copied from a house in Alburg, Vermont, to the structure’s cornice.
in 1781. Having emigrated from Massachusetts
, Dutton worked as a road surveyor (see Surveying
), a justice of the peace
, and the treasurer
of the town of Cavendish. Like many homes of the period, Dutton used his house as both a residence and place of business. Continuing his tradition, Dutton’s descendants, who occupied the house until 1900, operated Dutton House as a store, an inn, and a boarding house for local mill workers. Although Dutton originally constructed Dutton House in the indigenous Saltbox
style, as the building’s function changed over time, Dutton and his descendants expanded the structure. The many additions that extend from the Saltbox core reflect the tradition of “continuous” architecture common in New England in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
In the late 1940s Redfield Proctor, Jr.
, Dutton’s great-great-grandson, offered the house to the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, now Historic New England
. As part of considering the house, architect Frank Chouteau Brown
measured and delineated the house and its stencil painted walls for the Historic American Buildings Survey
in 1946. Ultimately, Proctor donated the house to the Vermont Historical Society
; however, in 1950 when the Vermont Highway Department’s planned road improvements threatened the structure, the Society offered it to Shelburne Museum.
Members of the upper class often imported French and English wallpaper to adorn formal rooms such as parlors, ballrooms, and dining rooms. These papers frequently represented scenic landscapes and possessed bright colors and bold patterning that could stand out even in weak candlelight.
Mural painting offered an equally decorative but less expensive mode of adornment for those who could not afford to import expensive papers. Jonathan Poor, and his partner, Paine, worked as limners. Traveling around Maine, they offered their services as decorative painters charging $10 for a completed room. Represented in the Museum’s collection is an ornamental over-mantel and chimney-surround that Poor and Paine created in about 1830. Designed as part of a painted chamber of landscape murals, these paintings, with their views of busy harbors, farms, and forests, are outstanding examples of a decorative technique that is frequently lost to demolition.
In the early nineteenth century, itinerant artists would stencil walls in exchange for room and board. These artists would cut patterns from thin wood or heavy paper and use them to decorate walls and furniture. Stencil House
’s parlor, dining room, and entrance hall exhibit a variety of stenciled patterns, including a grape leaf border, vases of flowers, and patriotic eagles. [3]
The stencil painting in the Dutton House can be found in the front four rooms and, by in large, is only found along the outer borders of the plaster walls, dating to about 1800. A sunburst is painted over the fireplace mantle in one of the second floor rooms, and is the only plaster replaced in the house after the move from Cavendish. Samples of each of the borders from the four rooms were removed and served as guides when the house was re-erected in Shelburne. Motifs used in the Dutton House borders are found in other houses in Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire. One of the motifs, a freehand decoration used in a first floor room, is also found in the Grimes House in Keene, New Hampshire
. The stencil painted decoration in that house has been attributed to either Jothan Stearns or Jedutham Bullin, thus one of them may have painted the Dutton House interiors.
Shelburne Museum
Shelburne Museum is a museum of art and Americana located in Shelburne, Vermont, United States. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the Museum grounds...
in Shelburne, Vermont
Shelburne, Vermont
Shelburne is a town in southwestern Chittenden County, Vermont, United States, along the shores of Lake Champlain. The population was 7,144 at the 2010 census.-History:...
; it is also known as the Salmon Dutton House.
Dutton House constitutes the first dwelling brought to Museum property. In order to relocate the structure to Museum grounds, builders dismantled the house. Museum workers photographed the house prior to and while the house was being dismantled. Samples of each stenciled border were excised from the plaster walls. These samples were used as models for recreating the stenciled decoration of Dutton House’s interior. The sunburst stencil painted motif over a second floor fireplace mantle was also retained and installed in the re-erected house. Museum workers added dentil molding, copied from a house in Alburg, Vermont, to the structure’s cornice.
History
Salmon Dutton built Dutton House in Cavendish, VermontCavendish, Vermont
Cavendish is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The town was named after William Cavendish, Duke of Devonshire. The population was 1,470 at the 2000 census...
in 1781. Having emigrated from Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, Dutton worked as a road surveyor (see Surveying
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
), a justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
, and the treasurer
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
of the town of Cavendish. Like many homes of the period, Dutton used his house as both a residence and place of business. Continuing his tradition, Dutton’s descendants, who occupied the house until 1900, operated Dutton House as a store, an inn, and a boarding house for local mill workers. Although Dutton originally constructed Dutton House in the indigenous Saltbox
Saltbox
A saltbox is a building with a long, pitched roof that slopes down to the back, generally a wooden frame house. A saltbox has just one story in the back and two stories in the front...
style, as the building’s function changed over time, Dutton and his descendants expanded the structure. The many additions that extend from the Saltbox core reflect the tradition of “continuous” architecture common in New England in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
In the late 1940s Redfield Proctor, Jr.
Redfield Proctor, Jr.
Redfield Proctor, Jr. was a U.S. politician who served as the 59th Governor of Vermont from 1923 to 1925.He was born and lived his entire life in Rutland County, Vermont. His father, Redfield Proctor, was a prominent politician.-External links:...
, Dutton’s great-great-grandson, offered the house to the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, now Historic New England
Historic New England
Historic New England, previously known as the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities , is a charitable, non-profit, historic preservation organization headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It is focused on New England and is the oldest and largest regional preservation...
. As part of considering the house, architect Frank Chouteau Brown
Frank Chouteau Brown
Frank Chouteau Brown was an American architect, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and educated at the Minneapolis School of Fine Arts, the Boston Art Club and in Europe. In 1902 he began practice in Boston and from 1907 to 1919 was editor of the Architectural Review periodical...
measured and delineated the house and its stencil painted walls for the Historic American Buildings Survey
Historic American Buildings Survey
The Historic American Buildings Survey , Historic American Engineering Record , and Historic American Landscapes Survey are programs of the National Park Service established for the purpose of documenting historic places. Records consists of measured drawings, archival photographs, and written...
in 1946. Ultimately, Proctor donated the house to the Vermont Historical Society
Vermont Historical Society
The Vermont Historical Society was founded in 1838 to preserve and record the cultural history of the US state of Vermont. Headquartered in the old Spaulding School Building in Barre, the Vermont History Center is home to the Vermont Historical Society's administrative offices, the Leahy Library...
; however, in 1950 when the Vermont Highway Department’s planned road improvements threatened the structure, the Society offered it to Shelburne Museum.
Wall Treatments Collection
Nineteenth-century American homeowners employed many methods in ornamenting their interiors. Rich paint colors and wallpaper were widely available in America as early as 1725 and by 1830 thousands of trade painters offered wallpapering, mural painting, and stenciling among their marketable talents. Shelburne Museum’s collection includes examples of all three types of wall treatments.Members of the upper class often imported French and English wallpaper to adorn formal rooms such as parlors, ballrooms, and dining rooms. These papers frequently represented scenic landscapes and possessed bright colors and bold patterning that could stand out even in weak candlelight.
Mural painting offered an equally decorative but less expensive mode of adornment for those who could not afford to import expensive papers. Jonathan Poor, and his partner, Paine, worked as limners. Traveling around Maine, they offered their services as decorative painters charging $10 for a completed room. Represented in the Museum’s collection is an ornamental over-mantel and chimney-surround that Poor and Paine created in about 1830. Designed as part of a painted chamber of landscape murals, these paintings, with their views of busy harbors, farms, and forests, are outstanding examples of a decorative technique that is frequently lost to demolition.
In the early nineteenth century, itinerant artists would stencil walls in exchange for room and board. These artists would cut patterns from thin wood or heavy paper and use them to decorate walls and furniture. Stencil House
Stencil House
Stencil House, built in 1804 on one hundred-acre farm in Columbus, New York, was modeled after a Capen house, a small, side-gabled structure prevalent throughout the colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries...
’s parlor, dining room, and entrance hall exhibit a variety of stenciled patterns, including a grape leaf border, vases of flowers, and patriotic eagles. [3]
The stencil painting in the Dutton House can be found in the front four rooms and, by in large, is only found along the outer borders of the plaster walls, dating to about 1800. A sunburst is painted over the fireplace mantle in one of the second floor rooms, and is the only plaster replaced in the house after the move from Cavendish. Samples of each of the borders from the four rooms were removed and served as guides when the house was re-erected in Shelburne. Motifs used in the Dutton House borders are found in other houses in Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire. One of the motifs, a freehand decoration used in a first floor room, is also found in the Grimes House in Keene, New Hampshire
Keene, New Hampshire
Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,409 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cheshire County.Keene is home to Keene State College and Antioch University New England, and hosts the annual Pumpkin Fest...
. The stencil painted decoration in that house has been attributed to either Jothan Stearns or Jedutham Bullin, thus one of them may have painted the Dutton House interiors.
See also
- Shelburne MuseumShelburne MuseumShelburne Museum is a museum of art and Americana located in Shelburne, Vermont, United States. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the Museum grounds...
- Electra Havemeyer WebbElectra Havemeyer WebbElectra Havemeyer Webb was a collector of American antiques and founder of the Shelburne Museum.-Biography:Electra Havemeyer was born on August 16, 1888 to Henry O. Havemeyer and Louisine Elder, their youngest child...
- Redfield ProctorRedfield ProctorRedfield Proctor was a U.S. politician of the Republican Party. He served as the 37th Governor of Vermont from 1878 to 1880, as Secretary of War from 1889 to 1891, and as a United States Senator for Vermont from 1891 to 1908....
- Vermont Historical SocietyVermont Historical SocietyThe Vermont Historical Society was founded in 1838 to preserve and record the cultural history of the US state of Vermont. Headquartered in the old Spaulding School Building in Barre, the Vermont History Center is home to the Vermont Historical Society's administrative offices, the Leahy Library...
- Historic American Building Survey
- Stencil HouseStencil HouseStencil House, built in 1804 on one hundred-acre farm in Columbus, New York, was modeled after a Capen house, a small, side-gabled structure prevalent throughout the colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries...