As the summer heat seeped through the walls of Lee-Fendall, Museum Director Jenny Waters and Collections Volunteer Nick Pernot moved from one period room to the next, seeking to elevate the spaces by reintroducing collection pieces that sat in storage. From settees to locks of hair, the team of two provided refreshing updates to the historic spaces.
One of Jenny and Nick’s main goals was to restore the original intentions of the first floor period rooms. This included the creation of more open space in the South Parlor, while adding more seating to the North Parlor. Historically, the South Parlor was a multi-purpose room, serving as Lee-Fendall’s original dining room, with the majority of furniture being on wheels in order to reconfigure the space when necessary. With the relocation of some collection pieces, the South Parlor is now more open and versatile, reflective of its Federalist period.
While the South Parlor entertained formal dinners and meetings, the North Parlor would have been a space for socialization: games, music, chit-chat, etc. As a result, the room would be filled with more sedentary, lounging furniture. One of the major moves Jenny and Nick did was transport the velvet settee from the South to North room. Not only did this create more open space in the former, it conveyed a more traditional usage of the piece in the latter. As the North Parlor is interpreted in a Victorian style, a settee of this nature would have been used for social seating rather than comfort.
Victorian Settee (mid-19th century), Collection of the Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden, acc. no. 1987.005.
Alongside major pieces being moved around, accents and details were incorporated into the period room collection refreshment as well. In the South Parlor, a nut dish now rests atop the sideboard. Adorning the dish is a squirrel, a common motif throughout Lee-Fendall as the animal is part of the Lee family crest. Stamped into the bottom is the acronym ENPS, which stands for Electro-Plated Nickel Silver. While this technology dates to the Victorian era, the usage of the nut dish itself was best suited in the South Parlor.
Incorporated into the North Parlor were a few small collection pieces that reflect the period’s decorative trends. The Victorian era is particularly associated with the rise in popularity of knick-knacks, also referred to as “bric-à-brac.” Objects that represented close connections to culture were valued, as proximity to culture indicated sophistication, stability, and wealth. Music was highly esteemed during this era, so instruments and birds became popular adornments in parlor spaces. In the Cazenove inventory of 1852, both a bird and cage are listed – interpreted by the bird cage recently added back to the space during the collection refreshment.
Another trend of early American celebrity culture included the collection and display of hair. Hair allowed members of Victorian society to prove their proximity to people of importance. Whether it was a politician or an artist, a distinguished trait such as hair served as physical representations of these figures in private homes and public spaces. Lee-Fendall’s collection includes a lock of hair from Henry Clay – its origins remain unknown. A prominent Congressman of the 19th century, Henry Clay was influential in brokering the financial policy and regional tensions of Antebellum America.
Memento of Henry Clay's Hair (1846), Collection of the Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden, acc. no. 1986.239.
Alongside physical collection pieces, the mid-summer refreshment included the introduction of photographs into the two most modern period rooms. Photography was not widely accessible until the mid-19th century, meaning most of the home’s photographs come from the second half of its extensive history.
In the Downham bedroom, a photograph of the family in the Lee-Fendall garden has since been added above the mantle; the picture is dated to 7/7/1903. To the side of that image is a photo from DC’s Preparedness Parade in June of 1916, where President Woodrow Wilson is said to have led close to 60,000 citizens through the streets of DC in order to bolster patriotism due to the impending possibility of the country’s involvement in World War I. In this particular image, the procession can be seen passing the “Heurich Home Brew,” a late 19th century brewing company that continues to operate as a Historic House Museum and Beer Garden today.
Photographic Print of the 1916 Preparedness Parade, Collection of the Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden, acc. no. 1986.225.
Lastly, the Lewis Library was further interpreted with the addition of Lewis family photos, specifically, images of John L. Lewis’ four brothers: Raymond, Dennis, Howard, and Thomas. All five Lewis sons were heavily involved in the labor movement throughout their lives and careers. As John Lewis had a multitude of physical traits that distinguished him in public, it is fascinating to see the resemblance between his brothers and himself.
No matter how many programs or tours you participate in, you will see and learn something new every time you step foot onto the property. Just as the home was throughout its centuries of residencies, Lee-Fendall remains a dynamic, ever-changing site of historic interpretation, education, and community.
Headline Photograph: The Lewis Library period room within the Lee-Fendall House Museum - one of five period rooms to be refreshed during the mid-year collections refreshment in July 2026.