JOURNAL ARTICLE

Reading the Room.

  • Published In: Magazine Antiques, 2025, v. 192, n. 3. P. 26 1 of 3

  • Database: Art Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Archer, Sarah 3 of 3

Abstract

Period rooms are designed to transport visitors to another time and place, but whose stories are being told in these recreated settings? The recent reinstallation of the American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art emphasizes the social dimension of period rooms, shedding light on the lives of those who were often voiceless in history, such as enslaved individuals and women. The Richmond Room at the museum, recreated from a house built in 1810-1811, showcases the Federal style and the use of mahogany, a material that symbolizes the wealth built on enslaved labor and the Atlantic slave trade. Through new scholarship and interpretation, visitors can now learn more about the diverse individuals who inhabited these spaces. [Extracted from the article]

Additional Information

  • Source:Magazine Antiques. 2025/05, Vol. 192, Issue 3, p26
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:History
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:0161-9284
  • Accession Number:184463289
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