The Early American Kitchen, Scrapbooking Inspiration

The Scrapbook is an interesting addition to the Dollhouse because it gives us further insight into the intention and thought that went into each room's development and addition to the larger structure. As underscored, the rooms are so well-crafted that they grant a snapshot into the particular interior design shifts occurring, public interest, and identity development. 

There are many articles that look into how the homemaking and cultural traditions of the period worked. These influences can be seen shaping the creation of one of Fisher’s final rooms: The Early American Kitchen. 

Inspired by the domestic interiors of the 17th and 18th centuries, her miniature room caputres not just the style of the period, but its soul: a deep connection to home and heart, similar to the Pennsylvania Dutch Kitchen.

It is easy to see the touches of homemaking and simple living that is spoken of in the many articles comprising the scrap books. With the hearth at the back wall comprising the larger portion of the room, it easily becomes a focal point of meal times and lounging in a cosy living room. The warm wooden tones choosen for the room, both in furniture and walls, create a cozy feel that is matched by the touches added by the braided rugs.

One newspaper clipping Mrs. Fisher captured explains the reminisicent and nostaglic feel of pilgrim living in the room:

The hand-hewn hutch cupboard, its shelves neatly lined with those pewter cutlery and wooden bowls, act as a nod to the limited but attended household goods of the period. 

Pewter, as the newspaper is quick to note, is a staple inclusion for the style, as it was popular during English 18th century society for its durability and affordability compared with other metals, like silver. It was also better melted down when the pieces were spent and recast into new tableware. 

Yet, that would shift in the colonies, as Gregory Lefever, a writer of historical fiction, would address in his article in Early American Life:

"The guild forbade immigrant pewterers from creating new pewter pieces on American soil. Instead they were relegated to repairing broken items and melting down old pewter to recast it."

Perhaps that is why only the silverware is pewter within the room, while the remainder appear to be earthen wares and wood. 

Lefever mentions that pewter would be used as a symbol statement in the colonies:

"It demonstrated that the owner could afford better than wooden tableware at a time when a single pewter plate might cost what a skilled craftsman earned in a day."

These attentions highlight the history unfolding during the period while the warmer aspects---the beamed ceiling, warm pine paneling, and meticulous details of early American domesticity, this miniature room does more than depict a burgeoning style---it invites us to reflect on the daily rhythms and quiet resilience of the early settlers. 

It is a tribute to the power of small things. Not just the scale of them, but the stories she created with them!