The Master Bedroom

The Master Bedroom

A surprisingly public space, the master bedroom of the Wylie House could have been used as another room for entertainment. The double doors would be opened and furniture pushed to the side, allowing for larger events to spill into this room. Again, this public use of supposedly private space exemplifies the contradictions of the domestic, woman’s sphere. Family letters indicate that this room may have also been Louisa’s room in 1881, where she stayed with her children while her husband, Hermann, lived away from the family, teaching in Williamstown, Massachusetts. But for the exhibit, the master bedroom has been transformed into a birthing room, a site of anticipation, fear, excitement, and womanhood.

For more information contact the Wylie House Museum and for more information about the collections at the museum visit Wylie House Museum: Collections Overview.

Wylie House Museum