The Philosophy of Furniture
Encyclopedia
"The Philosophy of Furniture" is an essay
written by American author Edgar Allan Poe
published in 1840. An unusual work by Poe, whose more typical works include horror tales like "The Tell-Tale Heart
," the essay is essentially Poe's theories on interior decorating.
by blood, having instead "an aristocracy of dollars." Because of that, decoration in America has become a "mere parade of costly appurtenances" to create an "impression of the beautiful." He contrasts this with England, where wealth is not the loftiest ambition to constitute "nobility."
As a result, Poe says, "there could be nothing more directly offensive to the eye of an artist than the interior of what is termed the United States... a well-furnished apartment." Because decorating rooms is a form of art, it should be judged similarly to any other work of art. The elements of a room should work well together, just as in a painting.
Poe begins giving his advice, starting with curtains. Excessive drapery, he says, is "irreconcilable with good taste." Curtains should be chosen based on the general character of the room. He puts strong emphasis on carpets, which he calls "the soul of the apartment." From the carpet, the colors and forms of the rest of the room can be determined. He recommends patterns "of no meaning," as "the abomination of flower
s or representations of well-known objects of any kind should not be endured." Carpets, curtains, tapestry, or even ottoman
coverings and upholstery
of any kind should be "rigidly Arabesque
." Gaudy patterns "glorious with all hues" are a cloth version of a kaleidoscope
and only serve worshipers of Mammon
.
Gas lighting
is "inadmissible," Poe says, because it is harsh and unsteady. "No one having both brains and eyes
will use it," he says. He also dismisses large chandelier
s as "the quintessence of all that is false in taste or preposterous in folly."
" with gold-colored ropes tying them open. Those tints of crimson and gold, he says, should be echoed throughout the room to determine its "character." The carpet in particular should match these tones.
The walls should be papered
in a silver gray with small, crimson Arabesque designs. On the walls should hang relatively large paintings, "chiefly landscapes
," and three or four portraits of women with "ethereal beauty," painted in the manner of Thomas Sully
and hung flat on the walls, not with cords. Only one mirror should be included in the room and it should be circular and hung "so that a reflection of the person can be obtained from it in none of the ordinary sitting-places of the room."
He also calls for two large sofas
with crimson silk decorated with a modest gold flower pattern with matching "conversation chairs." A rose-wood pianoforte
should be left with keys visible. The room should also have an octagonal marble
table, left uncovered. He also recommends "two or three hundred magnificently bound books."
. It was later republished in the Broadway Journal
on May 3, 1845 as "House of Furniture."
The Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
has recreated a room based on "The Philosophy of Furniture." It is the only furnished room at the site. Referred to as the "Reading Room," it also contains Poe's collected works (some works in other languages) and audio inspired by Poe
. The room includes a reproduction of a painting by Sully and an eight-sided table, as Poe recommends.
Roberto Bolaño's 1996 work Nazi Literature in the Americas
cites Poe's "The Philosophy of Furniture" in its entry on the work of fictional Argentine poet Edelmira Thompson de Mendiluce. The entry describes her creation of a book entitled Poe's Room. This piece takes Poe's essay as its point of departure, leading to Mendiluce's creation of an imperfect replica of the room at her Azul ranch. The original essay, as well as her subsequent process of interpretation of its guidelines and the final, somewhat altered result, are dealt with therein.
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
written by American author Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
published in 1840. An unusual work by Poe, whose more typical works include horror tales like "The Tell-Tale Heart
The Tell-Tale Heart
"The Tell-Tale Heart" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe first published in 1843. It follows an unnamed narrator who insists on his sanity after murdering an old man with a "vulture eye". The murder is carefully calculated, and the murderer hides the body by dismembering it and hiding it under the...
," the essay is essentially Poe's theories on interior decorating.
Overview
Poe begins by suggesting that the English are the "supreme" examples of internal decoration, above the Italians, French, Chinese, Scotch, Dutch, Spanish and Russians. "Yankees," he says, "are preposterous." He blames this American failing on a lack of aristocracyAristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
by blood, having instead "an aristocracy of dollars." Because of that, decoration in America has become a "mere parade of costly appurtenances" to create an "impression of the beautiful." He contrasts this with England, where wealth is not the loftiest ambition to constitute "nobility."
As a result, Poe says, "there could be nothing more directly offensive to the eye of an artist than the interior of what is termed the United States... a well-furnished apartment." Because decorating rooms is a form of art, it should be judged similarly to any other work of art. The elements of a room should work well together, just as in a painting.
Poe begins giving his advice, starting with curtains. Excessive drapery, he says, is "irreconcilable with good taste." Curtains should be chosen based on the general character of the room. He puts strong emphasis on carpets, which he calls "the soul of the apartment." From the carpet, the colors and forms of the rest of the room can be determined. He recommends patterns "of no meaning," as "the abomination of flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s or representations of well-known objects of any kind should not be endured." Carpets, curtains, tapestry, or even ottoman
Ottoman (furniture)
An ottoman is a piece of furniture consisting of a padded, upholstered seat or bench having neither back nor arms, often used as a stool or footstool, or in some cases as an improvised coffee table. Ottomans are often sold as coordinating furniture with armchairs or gliders.An ottoman can also be...
coverings and upholstery
Upholstery
Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word upholstery comes from the Middle English word upholder, which referred to a tradesman who held up his goods. The term is equally applicable to domestic,...
of any kind should be "rigidly Arabesque
Arabesque
The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements...
." Gaudy patterns "glorious with all hues" are a cloth version of a kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscope
A kaleidoscope is a circle of mirrors containing loose, colored objects such as beads or pebbles and bits of glass. As the viewer looks into one end, light entering the other end creates a colorful pattern, due to the reflection off the mirrors...
and only serve worshipers of Mammon
Mammon
Mammon is a term, derived from the Christian Bible, used to describe material wealth or greed, most often personified as a deity, and sometimes included in the seven princes of Hell.-Etymology:...
.
Gas lighting
Gas lighting
Gas lighting is production of artificial light from combustion of a gaseous fuel, including hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, or natural gas. Before electricity became sufficiently widespread and economical to allow for general public use, gas was the most...
is "inadmissible," Poe says, because it is harsh and unsteady. "No one having both brains and eyes
Human eye
The human eye is an organ which reacts to light for several purposes. As a conscious sense organ, the eye allows vision. Rod and cone cells in the retina allow conscious light perception and vision including color differentiation and the perception of depth...
will use it," he says. He also dismisses large chandelier
Chandelier
A chandelier is a branched decorative ceiling-mounted light fixture with two or more arms bearing lights. Chandeliers are often ornate, containing dozens of lamps and complex arrays of glass or crystal prisms to illuminate a room with refracted light...
s as "the quintessence of all that is false in taste or preposterous in folly."
Poe's ideal room
Poe's ideal room, he says, is oblong, about thirty feet long and twenty-five feet wide. It should have only one door, not too wide, with two windows on another side. The windows should be large, to the floor, and open into a veranda, with rose wood frames, "more massive than usual." A double-layer of silver and "exceedingly rich crimson silkSilk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
" with gold-colored ropes tying them open. Those tints of crimson and gold, he says, should be echoed throughout the room to determine its "character." The carpet in particular should match these tones.
The walls should be papered
Wallpaper
Wallpaper is a kind of material used to cover and decorate the interior walls of homes, offices, and other buildings; it is one aspect of interior decoration. It is usually sold in rolls and is put onto a wall using wallpaper paste...
in a silver gray with small, crimson Arabesque designs. On the walls should hang relatively large paintings, "chiefly landscapes
Landscape art
Landscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
," and three or four portraits of women with "ethereal beauty," painted in the manner of Thomas Sully
Thomas Sully
Thomas Sully was an American painter, mostly of portraits.-Early life:Sully was born in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England, to the actors Matthew and Sarah Sully. In March 1792 the Sullys and their nine children immigrated to Richmond, Virginia, where Thomas’s uncle managed a theater...
and hung flat on the walls, not with cords. Only one mirror should be included in the room and it should be circular and hung "so that a reflection of the person can be obtained from it in none of the ordinary sitting-places of the room."
He also calls for two large sofas
Couch
A couch, also called a sofa, is an item of furniture designed to seat more than one person, and providing support for the back and arms. Typically, it will have an armrest on either side. In homes couches are normally found in the family room, living room, den or the lounge...
with crimson silk decorated with a modest gold flower pattern with matching "conversation chairs." A rose-wood pianoforte
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
should be left with keys visible. The room should also have an octagonal marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
table, left uncovered. He also recommends "two or three hundred magnificently bound books."
Publication history
"The Philosophy of Furniture" was first published in the May 1840 issue of Burton's Gentleman's MagazineBurton's Gentleman's Magazine
Burton's Gentleman's Magazine or, more simply, Burton's Magazine, was a literary publication published in Philadelphia in 1837-1841. Its founder was William Evans Burton, an English-born immigrant to the United States who also managed a theatre and was a minor actor.-Overview:The magazine included...
. It was later republished in the Broadway Journal
Broadway Journal
The Broadway Journal was a short-lived New York City-based periodical founded by Charles Frederick Briggs and John Bisco in 1844. A year later, the publication was bought by Edgar Allan Poe, becoming the only magazine he ever owned, though it failed after only a few months under his...
on May 3, 1845 as "House of Furniture."
In popular culture
Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site
The Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site is a preserved home once rented by American author Edgar Allan Poe, located in the Spring Garden neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
has recreated a room based on "The Philosophy of Furniture." It is the only furnished room at the site. Referred to as the "Reading Room," it also contains Poe's collected works (some works in other languages) and audio inspired by Poe
Edgar Allan Poe and music
The influence of Edgar Allan Poe on the art of music has been considerable and long-standing, with the works, life and image of the horror fiction writer and poet inspiring composers and musicians from diverse genres for more than a century.-Classical music:...
. The room includes a reproduction of a painting by Sully and an eight-sided table, as Poe recommends.
Roberto Bolaño's 1996 work Nazi Literature in the Americas
Nazi Literature in the Americas
Nazi Literature in the Americas is a work of fiction by the Chilean author Roberto Bolaño. It was published in 1996. Chris Andrews’ English translation was published in 2008 by New Directions which was shortlisted for the 2008 Best Translated Book Award....
cites Poe's "The Philosophy of Furniture" in its entry on the work of fictional Argentine poet Edelmira Thompson de Mendiluce. The entry describes her creation of a book entitled Poe's Room. This piece takes Poe's essay as its point of departure, leading to Mendiluce's creation of an imperfect replica of the room at her Azul ranch. The original essay, as well as her subsequent process of interpretation of its guidelines and the final, somewhat altered result, are dealt with therein.