Shoe-footed chests and hutch tables which convert into straight-backed chairs derive from Dutch designs. The tables reflect the multi-purpose furniture of the 17th and 18th centuries, when large families lived on the first floor of their houses, storing grain and other items in the upstairs loft. Windsor chairs (in some cases, hand-signed), ladderback chairs — Levy has some with flat arms, identical to those at Historic Huguenot Street — and black banister-backed chairs also evoke 18th-century interiors.
And every home had blanket chests, whose value depends on the condition and color. One rather plain-looking box in Levy’s possession opens up to reveal a folk painting on the inside lid — a handmade touch eagerly sought after by collectors. Other items in his shop that evoke a more English version of Hudson Valley style: a cherry Hepplewhite table with slender legs from 1810, a Chippendale chair with claw feet, and Queen Anne chairs which have a yoke-shaped back and pad feet. Such styles, derived from England — Sheraton is another classical style from the period — became simpler and more restrained in the hands of American craftsmen, Levy said.
Manufactured goods didn’t come into the play into the 1850s. If you prefer a heavier look but still want to stick with the hand-crafted, the darker mahogany furniture made by the firm of Duncan Phyfe, a Scottish immigrant who produced his furniture in New York City, might be just the thing. An early 19th-century gilt-and-gesso looking glass, which also was made in New York, is another nice way to brighten and dignify an old house.
Porcelain in early Hudson Valley homes was imported. Levy points out a blue-and-white Delft tankard from 1816, with a pewter top, that was imported from Holland. He has Chinese export ware, including blue-and-white Canton ware, which was relatively inexpensive and sturdy; in the 1850s, the china was packed in straw and served as ballast for ships sailing to America. By 1812, porcelain was being made and imported from England. One such item in Levy’s shop is a delightful plate based on an etching depicting the view from Ruggles, an estate near Newburgh.
The everyday stuff — the stoneware and blown-glass “refillables,” including enormous, pumpkin-shaped “demijohns” — were locally made. Levy said many of these items were manufactured in Poughkeepsie and Ellenville. The stoneware crocks and jugs have simple blue decorations (one in Levy’s collection simply is inscribed with “one” in script, as if it were a conceptual art piece), and some are stamped with the place of business. The larger, chestnut-shaped glass demijohns can run in the thousands of dollars. Ash-splint baskets with swing wood handles made in the Taconics are another valuable collectible.
No kitchen hearth in a stone house is complete without an iron crane, hung with native copperware and imported brass pots. An assortment of hardware — waffle irons, dippers, peels, shovels, trammels, which hung from a metal or wood rod — and a pair of forged iron or brass andirons complete the outfitting. The hearth in the Oseas’ kitchen includes a toaster you could turn with your toe; convenience mattered as much then as it does now.
The Dutch didn’t hang curtains. Light was too valuable a commodity and fabric too expensive. The settlers also didn’t hang art on the walls. Appropriate decorative touches, for the walls of your home or on the beds, are quilts or patterned coverlets, which were woven by Irish and Scottish immigrants on huge looms. Levy shows examples of the latter in which the owner had his name woven into the border. Framed, hand-embroidered samplers also lend authenticity. Oseas’ collection includes two made in Hurley, along with a sampler by a Van Deusen relative.
Here are some tips on how to get started on decorating your house in authentic Hudson Valley style:
Educate yourself. The best way to learn about authentic Hudson Valley style is to visit historic sites, such as Historic Huguenot Street, Philipsburg Manor, and the Van Cortland Manor, and observe the forms, colors, and decorative items in the homes, said Oseas. “Go to museums and look at what they have,” she said. Knowledge is power, which can sometimes land you a deal. Oseas shows me a hand-painted, 1840s tin box her husband just bought at a yard sale for 50 cents, an item “I’d happily have paid $20 for,” he said.
