Victorian Room, History
Deriving its name from the French word, parler—meaning to speak—this room gained its notoriety during the American Industrial Revolution.
Drawing of an interior Victorian Parlor Room, by C. C. Hunt.
A drawing of a mother and child in a Victorian parlor room, by Frederick George Stephens.
Advancements made in steel, coal, and transportation saw a boom in the economy, and with greater financial gains, American society saw a renewed desire to demonstrate that success: by building larger houses that could be used to showcase the family’s social standing, taste, and morals, while also expanding the home to afford more entertaining spaces.
Parlor, Music room, Library / G.G. Rockwood, 839 B'Way, N.Y.
Rockwood, George Gardner, 1832-1911
Library of Congress; ACD December 2024
The Red Room, private parlor and reception room of the ladies of the White House, Washington, U.S.A.
Library of Congress; ACD December 2024
These rooms would be positioned at the front of the house, designated as a receiving room for guests of note. This space would also cover chaperoned courtships and a place of mourning the dead.
A lecturer at Rice University in English and Humanities, Thad Logan, explains the evolution of the “parlor”:
“Originally, the parlour was an apartment in a monastery or convent set aside for conversation, either with outsiders or with members of the order. Thus, from the earliest recorded use of the term in the thirteenth century the parlour was a space removed from daily work and reserved for social interaction.”
Decor in these spaces often spared no detail or expense, largely coming to be known under the title of Victorian excess. These rooms were filled with upholstered furniture, decorative wallpaper, musical instruments–often a piano or harmonium—and baubles that often signified the family’s travels or cultural sophistication.
This is supported by Mrs. James Ward Thorne's 1941 text, American Rooms in Miniature, where she writes:
A paragraph detailing the decor style and meaning of choices during the Victorian drawing room period. This text was found in Mrs. James Ward Thorne’s book, American Rooms in Miniature, published in 1941, page 22.