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RESTORATION
STORIES
Pictured: The Ell Restoration, 1965
The Yellow Chamber
Bed chamber, drawing room, salon – the space where the hostess entertained her female guests. In the Yellow Chamber at the top of the stairs, Catherine Moffatt and her friends shared quiet conversation and pleasant refreshments. But the room also witnessed some of life’s more private events. Births, deaths and diseases occurred within these walls.
Today, thanks to family records, inventories, and the consultation of experts, the historic Moffatt-Ladd House presents an authentic representation of Catherine and Samuel Moffatt’s Yellow Chamber. The NH Dames welcome guests to visit this once private space on the right, at the top of the Grand Hall staircase.
The Parlor
The parlor was restored to its 18th century appearance in 2022. Its beautiful 18th century flocked wallpaper was reproduced by Adelphi Paperhangings of Sharon Springs, NY, in partnership with the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion. This pattern appears in the billiards room of the mansion and while it’s not what the Moffatts had originally, it closely matches the pattern and colors of the fragment we found in the parlor closet, which is what we believe Samuel and Sarah Catherine chose for this room in the 1760s.
Kate Shattuck of Kate Shattuck Wallcoverings & Fine Painting did the restoration of the woodwork and the installation of the wallpaper. She also restored the floor back to its original finish–bare wood. Richard and Jane Nylander provided the guidance and knowledge for the wallpaper and textiles, and our former director/curator Barbara Ward and her husband, Gerald Ward, formerly of the MFA Boston provided the expertise of decorative arts. Our committee members have painstakingly researched what should be in this room, comparing our four 18th century inventories from the Moffatts and Whipples with what is known to be historically accurate. The fabric for the cushions on our Chinese Chippendale suite of furniture was woven by Kate Smith of Eaton Hill Textiles and constructed and installed by Natalie Larson of Historic Textiles.