We now use this room for rotating exhibit space, but it remains virtually unchanged from when the Van Orden’s lived here and used it to store linens, blankets, towels and other cloth items. Original features include the cabinets, the light fixture, and the flat mud-brown paint on the walls.
This mud brown shade of paint was used in all areas where the servants worked, like the back stairway, the kitchen, and the first floor hall. However, dark, earthy colors dominated the color scheme of the entire home. Also evident are dark hues in the wallpaper, paint, and carpeting. Now imagine the house lit by 15 – 25 watt light bulbs! Electricity was still in its infancy at the turn of the century, and only small wattage bulbs were used. If you visited this home in 1903, you would consider it elaborate and ornate, but dimly lit.
