Collections

Elle October 2015

This room reminds me of a very modern Glessner House library. The Glessner House (1887) is one of the older homes in Chicago, and it is furnished with most of the original furniture and home accessories that the Glessners owned. The Glessners' son was an amateur photographer and took many interior pictures of the house, so the set-up isn't very different than at the turn of the 20th Century.

The Glessner House Library

My favorite room is the library. The centerpiece of the room is the double desk that the mister and mistress of the house would sit to conduct their particular business. On the desk is one of the original bronze casts of Abraham Lincoln's hands. The cast shows one hand larger than the other as it was created after his election. Apparently, he shook a lot of hands. On the shelves up high is a lovely collection of arts and crafts vases. They are hard to see in the postcard, but definitely worth the visit.

The vases are the point of comparison to this modern room above. A collection, not only of books, is beautifully on display. I love collections and I am a collector of collections. None of my collections are very large. I search for different things at different time and once I get to ten, more or less, I move on to another fascination. I find it is a good thing to always have something to be on the look out for when antique/junk shopping. My collections include, although are not limited to, crystal baskets, compacts, tin boxes, and teapots. I just bought a beautiful vase at an antique store out in the country. It is not a valuable piece, but it fits right into my aesthetic. I would like to collect vases such as those shown above or at the Glessner House, but I could not afford the art that is either of these homes. Not to worry, I can still find treasures.

Of the two rooms, I prefer the Glessner's library. It is much warmer ... cozy. I wonder how anyone buys something that is white. Is it really meant to be lived in? Plus, at the Glessners, they have windows in the room that look out onto Prairie street. It would be wonderful to have a fire going, a partner in work, and the sound of drizzle from the street. Heaven.