Internship Day At "The Hermitage" 4/3/13

Inside The Mansion

What I did today: Today I got to go inside the plexiglassed "Rose Room" where I learned how to vacuum the linen.
As one person told me, "That doesn't sound fun".

My reply, "So! I get to go inside the room and be with the artifacts!"

This was the first time that I have ever vacuumed drapery. I warned my supervisor of the day, the Assistant to the Assistant Curator, Shirley. Don't let the title fool you. She is very knowledgeable  Not only does she know about how to do this job, she knows a lot about the Jackson family, as well as the artifacts within the house. Let me also say that she knows a lot about the house and grounds too. Shirley has been at "The Hermitage" for over thirty years. Wow!

So, I learned how to hold the drape as I vacuum... top and underneath. What to look for, for damage, and how to reset them. It is not as easy as you think. I was so worried about getting it wrong, that apparently I took too long. No worries, though. Shirley was patient and demonstrated easier ways to do the job so that next time (maybe next week) I can do it quicker.  Thank you Ms. Shirley!!!!

Painting of Rachel Jackson at "The Hermitage"

What I learned about the "Rose Room": The wallpaper is original to the house. It is placed right on top of blocks (concrete? or brick?), not sheet-rock. Also, the wallpaper is in small-ish rectangles - nothing like the long sheets that we have today. The matching of paper-to-paper was impeccable, I couldn't see any mistakes, or miss-matches at all.

Another very important thing that I learned is that the two amazing beds within this room were original to the house. Rachel Jackson bought them after the house fire that destroyed all of the other furniture. And, the commode in the room was also an original Jackson piece of furniture.

Even with my elevated position of entering the mansion, I am still not able to take any pictures. So, you'll just have to come and visit me to see what I'm talking about. :D

Photo Credits: Both photos are from "The Hermitage" Facebook page Here