Anne Castro dale Golovin 

BRIDGEPORT'S GOTHIC ORNAMENT i he H.curat~ Wheeler tic 

Smithsonian 
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LC Cataloging-in-Publication information on last page. 
BRIDGEPORT'S GOTHIC ORNAMENT 

/ he tiarral= Wheeler House 

SMITHSONIA N STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOG Y J NUMBER 18 

BRIDGEPORT'S GOTHIC ORNAMENT 

/ he Harral= Wheeler Hi ouse 

Anne Castrodale Golovin 

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION PRESS { CITY OF WASHINGTON \ 1972 
Figure i. An 1850 map of Bridgeport, Connecticut, illustrating in vignettes at the top right and left corners the Harral House 

and P. T. Barnum's "Oranistan." Arrow in center shows location of Harral House. (Courtesy of the Library of Congress.) 

Ems^m^wmy^' B m 13 ^»MMaM««^f c mwrtkimmM 
L MPOSING DWELLINGS in the Gothic Revival style were among the 

most dramatic symbols of affluence in mid-nineteenth-century America. With 

the rise of industrialization in this periods an increasing number of men 

from humble beginnings attained wealth and prominence. It was important to them as well as to gentlemen of established means that their dwellings reflect an elevated social standing. The Harral-Wheeler residence in 

Bridgeport, Connecticut, was an eloquent proclamation of the success of its 

owners and the excellence of the architect Alexander Jackson Davis. Although the house no longer stands, one room, a selection of furniture, original architectural designs, architectural fragments, and other supporting 

drawings and photographs are now in the collections of the Smithsonian 

Institution. These remnants of Bridgeport's Gothic "ornament" serve as the 

basis for this study. AUTHOR.—Anne Castrodale Golovin is an associate curator in the Department of Cultural History in the Smithsonian 

Institution's National Museum of History and Technology. 

B>RIDGEPORT , , CONNECTICUT, was fast becoming a center of industry by the middle of the 

nineteenth century; carriages, leather goods, and 

metal wares were among the products for which it 

was known. As was characteristic of developing 

industrial towns of this era, there was a considerable amount of building activity resulting from the 

rapidly increasing population. The Bridgeport 

Republican Standard noted in 1846 that ". . . an 

unusual number of dwelling-houses are going up, 

and there is a loud call for carpenters, masons, &c."

 1 

Local newspapers commented on current construction projects with wonder and pride. By November of 1847 it was observed that 

. . . a great improvement in the manner of building is perceptable here and hereabouts. Not to 

speak of the Eastern glories of Iranistan, we have 

and are to have in this vicinity, many dwellinghouses worthy of particular notice as specimens of 

architecture. So say strangers who pass through 

Fairfield, or over our Golden Hill. The edifices 

recently erected, and those now in progress, add 

and will add greatly to the attractions of the latter locality.2 

Aside from "Iranistan," P. T. Barnum's "magnificent Oriental Villa" in Bridgeport which was completed in 1847,3 tn e

 house begun in that year on 

Golden Hill for Henry Kollock Harral most intrigued the mid-century inhabitants of the city. A 

writer for The Evening Star of June 30, 1847, obviously pleased by what he saw, described an unnamed site but doubtless that of Harral. 
SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

', rUH. M.X-MAggAf.r.. r.3ft ,BY rA^i.XJAYt $ ^AXLCl!Ci...XJjFigure 2. As an "architectural composer," Davis used details from actual Gothic buildings illustrated in books on architecture, 

arranging them in an original and picturesque manner. The departure from complete medieval models of construction was 

characteristic of the Gothic Revival style in mid-nineteenth-century America. A comparison of the Harral House with 

another Davis-designed residence reveals a close relationship between its front facade and that of the Waddell House in New 

York City (Figure 3) dating from 1844. Davis reversed his design for the Waddell dwelling, added a first-story window on 

one side and a veranda. By making these major changes—and some more subtle—Davis achieved a more pleasing balance 

in the front of the Harral House. (Smithsonian negative 61190.) 

There are workmen busy upon this estate. They 

are behind that grove of trees and they are engaged 

in rearing an edifice, which all know will add great 

interest to our lovely town. I cannot inform you 

what is to be the general style of the main building—but see those finished small ones. Everybody 

takes that pretty stable for a cottage of itself, and 

I do not wonder; I have always coveted it for my 

horse. 

Long before the house was finished, it was recognized that it would be an architectural attraction 

in Bridgeport. 

The man for whom this house was being built 

was a newcomer to the city who "began the world 

poor."4 Henry Harral, born in 1808 in Savannah, Georgia, had learned the saddle and harnessmaking trade, probably in Newark, New Jersey. His 
NUMBER l 8 

<- i r n I 

Figure 3. The Waddell House which was erected at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 37th Street, New York City. (Courtesy of 

I. N. Phelps Stokes Collection, Prints Division, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations.) 

business ability had been proven both in Charleston, 

South Carolina, and in New York before he went 

to Bridgeport in about 1836. In Bridgeport, he 

became associated with Philo C. Calhoun, and together they established a firm for the manufacture 

of saddles and harnesses. Although he had been a 

resident of Bridgeport for less than a decade, Henry 

Harral was elected mayor of the city in 1845 and 

subsequently served several one-year terms in this 

office. He was also a senator in the state legislature 

for one year.5 His quickly gained prominence in 

city affairs, as well as his financial success, warranted an elaborate dwelling. By 1846, Harral 

resolved to build a new home on his Golden Hill 

property overlooking Long Island Sound.6 

At a time when builders more frequently than 

architects were responsible for the plan and appearance of houses, Harral employed an architect 

to provide him with designs for a villa and the 

necessary outbuildings. His choice may have been 

influenced by having seen the splendid William 

Waddell residence in New York City

 7 (Figure 3), 

or possibly by architectural illustrations included 

in Andrew Jackson Downing's books A Treatise 

on the Theory and Practise of Landscape Gardening . . . with Remarks on Rural Architecture and 
SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

Cottage Residences.8 Whatever the reason, he selected Alexander Jackson Davis (1803-1892) of 

New York, and directed that his house be designed 

in the "Gothic order." Although Davis was competent in the Greek Revival and the Italianate 

styles, he was an undisputed master of the neoGothic style. Davis had gained invaluable experience during his partnership with the well-known 

architect and originator of the lattice truss, Ithiel 

Town, between 1829

 anc* 1835 an(^ later in 1842 

and 1843. This alliance allowed Davis access to 

Town's superb collection of architectural bookssaid to have been the best in the United States— 

which provided a basis for the formation of his 

Gothic vocabulary.9 

Emerging for the first time from a tradition in 

which possibilities for whimsy and variety in architecture were limited, a taste for the picturesque was 

developing in America by the 1840s. Contemporary 

books of designs for domestic architecture published in the United States followed English prototypes.10

 They contained plans for modest as well 

as elaborate dwellings in various styles—Gothic, 

Italian, Elizabethan, and Swiss, to name a few. 

These widely consulted volumes were more than 

builders' guides; accompanying the illustrations and 

descriptions of houses, there were often statements 

of the author's philosophy of architecture, a declaration of the moral effects of buildings, and recommendations for interior finishing and furnishing. 

Building a home was an acknowledged means of 

proclaiming one's individuality. A. J. Downing, the 

most influential American advisor on the subject 

of domestic architecture during the decades bordering 1850, made this explicit. 

We believe not only that a house may have an 

absolute beauty of its own, growing out of its 

architecture, but that it may have a relative beauty 

no less interesting, which arises from its expressing 

the life and occupation of those who build or inhabit it. In other words, we think the home of 

every family, possessed of character may be made 

to express that character, and will be most beautiful (supposing the character good), when in 

addition to architectural beauty it unites this significance or individuality.11 

After stating that a villa 1 2 "should, above all 

things manifest individuality," Downing specified 

the styles and temperaments he considered compatible, concluding: 

. . . there are the men of imagination—men whose 

aspirations never leave them at rest—men whose 

ambition and energy will give them no peace within the mere bounds of rationality. These are the 

men for picturesque villas—country houses with 

high roofs, steep gables, unsymmetrical and capricious forms. It is for such that the architect may 

safely introduce the tower and the campanile—any 

and every feature that indicates originality, boldness, energy, and variety of character.13 

T h e residence designed for Henry Harral suited 

him well since he was 

. . . a man of great activity and energy, and in 

business matters had very few equals. . . . In every 

situation, public and private, he discharged his 

duties promptly and faithfully. He was always frank, 

open-hearted and liberal. He began the world poor, 

and though only in the forty-sixth year of his age, 

he died possessed of a handsome fortune. . . ."14 

T h e picturesque Gothic Revival style was indeed 

appropriate for a man of imagination in the 1840s. 

A house bristling with pinnacles, towers, battlements, and other irregularities in decoration as well 

as in conformation was a radical departure from 

the symmetrical designs which had dominated 

American architecture. Th e character of such midcentury dwellings was largely dictated by Downing and Davis. Of the "Gothic" houses erected in 

this country, Harral's was one of the finest.15 

Davis began working on the Harral commission 

in mid-February of 1846, first producing designs 

for the coach house and stable and "Studies upon 

a plan for dwelling." He completed the coach house 

and stable designs on March 7. Five days later, a 

total of eleven drawings—plans and elevations for 

the house—was sent to Harral (Figures 2 and 11). 

By the end of that month, Davis had completed 

twenty drawings of such details as cornices, windows, ceilings, and finials, signifying Harral's 

acceptance of the proposed villa.16 At Harral's 

request, Davis provided designs for a gate and an 

adjoining fence in June. Th e architect received 

two-hundred and sixty-five dollars from Harral for 

his services.17 Two years later, Harral owed Davis 

an additional eighty-six dollars for drawings and 

visits to the site.18 These are the only charges Davis 
NUMBER l 8 

Figure 4. The brick walls of the house were stuccoed and scored to simulate stonework. The Bridgeport Republican Standard 

of August 1, 1848, reported that another house nearby was being stuccoed; this was done under the direction of a Mr. 

Gill from New Haven ". . . who has a high reputation in the stucco line. The finish and durability of his work have 

tended very much to change the opinion of the public in reference to the value of this material for building purposes. 

It is now preferred by competent judges, for the most expensive edifices." (Smithsonian negative 68114.) 

is known to have made for his role in the execution 

of Harral's house. 

Before the building was completed, Davis made 

at least five trips from New York City to Bridgeport—a three-to-five-hour steamboat ride. Since he 

sometimes stayed for several days, Harral provided 

diversions for Davis, including dinners in his home, 

walks, chess games, and carriage rides to the nearby 

idyllic town of Fairfield or to Barnum's opulent residence.19

 Th e first of these excursions to Connecticut was in September 1846.20

 Not until July 1847 

did he return to the site.21 Th e house was then 

in the early stages of construction. One month 

later, the Republican Standard explained to interested citizens the activity on the Harral property: 

Mayor Harral is building an extensive Castle on 

the lot attached to his present residence on Golden 

Hill—It will be of the Gothic order, fronting about 

j6 feet and extending back about 100 feet, and 

there are to be towers and what nots. The main 

tower will be some 60 feet in height.—The building, which is to be brick with stucco, will be completed by another summer. It will make a very 

handsome appearance.

22 

By November, sufficient progress had been made to 

allow comment on the "magnificent view" from the 

tower: 

As the Tower is some 75 feet in height and on elevated ground, the view is a very extensive one, and 

the effect of the stained glass is to array the landscape in all manner of colors, at the pleasure of 

the beholder.23 

The Republican Standard noted on August i, 

1848: 

The large and handsome edifice erected by ExMayor HARRAL is nearly completed, and the 

building now standing upon the lot is soon to be 

removed. There are few edifices in this part of the 
SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

Figure 5. Accompanying this ink and wash drawing is a separate hand-lettered label bearing the following information: "English Collegiate Gothic Mansion of Mrs. Harral at Bridgeport, Ct. Alexr

. J. Davis, Architect." It is probable that this is the 

representation of the Harral House which Davis exhibited at the New York World's Fair in 1853 and at the National 

Academy of Design in 1865. (Courtesy of The Avery Architectural Library, Columbia University.) 

world to be compared with the new CASTLE. It 

has been built in the very best manner, under the 

direction of Mr. BEERS,2i and when the lot is 

cleared and the grounds arranged it will add greatly 

to the attractions of our GOLDEN HILL. 

T h e house (Figure 4), when finished, was proclaimed by Downing to be a "very complete villa." '25 

In Davis's words, it was "well executed," an expression of approval unusual for the architect.26 

He exhibited a drawing of the Harral residence 

at the 1853 World's Fair in New York City (Figure 5)

 21 Probably it was the same drawing of "Mrs. 

Harrall's house" which as late as 1865 was exhibited 

at the National Academy of Design.28 Davis's 

pride in the "English Pointed Style" dwelling is 

unquestionable. 

Harral's satisfaction with his "castle" is evident 

from the fact that he again consulted Davis in 

1852 when he decided to add an office and library 

to the house.29 Designs, produced at a cost of fifty 

dollars, were finished in September of 1853

 30

 and 

presumably construction was to begin the following 

year (Figure 6). Early in 1854, however, Henry 

Harral died of tuberculosis. Thus, Davis's design 

for a monument to Harral in Mountain Grove 

Cemetery was constructed rather than the library 

and office addition to the house.31 
NUMBER l 8 

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m 

m 

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! 

• 

<2/a^'Z.C *A**sfes. 

Figure 6. Davis designed a library addition for the Harral House in 1853 which would have complemented the existing structure. (24.66.i405[g2]. Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1924.) 

H.ENR , Y HARRAL'S WIDOW occupied the 

house until it was acquired in 1866 by Nathaniel 

Wheeler32 who, in terms of prominence and business acumen, was an appropriate successor to ownership. Wheeler had learned his father's trade of 

carriage-making in Watertown, Connecticut, where 

he was born in 1820. At about the age of twentyfive, he recognized the economic potential in the 

manufacture of small metal items. Wheeler entered 

this business and soon introduced machine methods to facilitate production. Allen B. Wilson's 

recently developed sewing machine came to his 

attention in 1850, and Wheeler boldly contracted 

to produce 500 machines in his Watertown shop. 

During the following year, the firm Wheeler, Wilson & Company was established. Larger facilities 

for making sewing machines were required by 1856, 

and the business moved to Bridgeport. Wheeler be-
SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

Figure 7. A topographical drawing in ink and watercolor of the Wheeler estate made by Abner C. Thomas in September of 

1866 delineates the placement of buildings at the time Wheeler acquired it. Changes to the property-possibly proposed by 

the architects Lambert and Bunnell—were roughly sketched in pencil. 

Thomas, a civil engineer, made a similar drawing of Seaside Park in Bridgeport the following year which is in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution's Department of Cultural History in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum 

of History and Technology. This bears, in addition to his signature, the stamp of Olmstead, Vaux and Company. Frederick 

Olmstead and Calvert Vaux were the noted landscape architects responsible for New York's Central Park. According to the 

Bridgeport Daily Standard of January 15, 1867, the drawing of Seaside Park was ". . . obtained and presented to the Park 

Commissioners by Mr. Nathaniel Wheeler at considerable expense, and is an example of public spirit worthy of special mention" and could be seen in the office of Lambert and Bunnell. (Smithsonian negative 71342.) 

came one of the city's most affluent and respected 

citizens. Like Harral, he took great interest in improving Bridgeport and contributed time and 

money to municipal projects. He was also involved 

in state politics, serving as a representative from 

Bridgeport to the state legislature for six sessions.33 
NUMBER l 8 

Figure 8. Compared with Davis's plan for an addition to the Harral residence, the library built in 1866—seen in this photograph as the projecting bay at the back of the house—was undistinguished. Fortunately, however, it was compatible with the 

established architectural style. (Smithsonian negative 68115.) 

T h e Gothic villa was as proper a setting for 

Nathaniel Wheeler as it had been for Henry 

Harral. 

A topographical drawing made by Abner C. 

Thomas in September 1866 indicates the arrangement of buildings on the property at the time 

Wheeler purchased it (Figure 7). Th e name of 

the estate as noted by Thomas was "Walnut 

Wood," while an undated pencil sketch of the house 

by Davis is captioned "Harral's Walnut Grove" 

suggesting that this was the designation used by 

Harral.34 Perhaps Wheeler chose to modify the 

name to reflect his ownership of the residence 

long associated with the Harral family. Since walnut trees were a distinctive feature of the site, 

either title was appropriate. 

T he idea of adding a library to the house, originally proposed by Harral, was carried out by 

Wheeler in 1866. Should Wheeler have been aware 

of Davis's drawings for a library addition, he chose 

to ignore them. There is little doubt that he employed the local architects, Edward R. Lambert 

and Rufus W. Bunnell, known to have been working for him at this time, to design "A library two 

stories high, with a room 22 by 29 feet, with a 

handsome bay window on the east side . . ."

 S5

 in 

a style compatible with the existing building (Figure 8). Lambert and Bunnell were responsible for 
1 o SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

Figure p. Davis's coach house and stable was replaced soon after Nathaniel Wheeler acquired "Walnut Wood." The Bridgeport 

Evening Standard of October 24, 1866 commented "We notice that Mr. N. Wheeler, has commenced to excavate for a new 

barn, for the Harral Place on Golden Hill. The barn is to be a splendid one, and was designed by those excellent Architects, 

Messrs. Lambert & Bunnell. The building is to be of pressed brick, with 50 feet front. The main part will be 54 feet on 

the side, with a wing 22 by 33 feet. The wing is to have 8 nice stalls. The carriage room will be 38 by 34 feet, and the harness room 10 by 14. The loft extends over the whole building." (Smithsonian negative 68112.) 

planning Wheeler's new coach house and stable 

(Figure 9), which was started in October 1866, 

as well as a "plant house" and gardener's cottage 

on another of his properties.36 No other major 

changes are known to have been made to the 

external appearance of the Wheeler estate. Four 

years after Nathaniel Wheeler's death in 1893,

 a 

history of Bridgeport was published containing the 

following comment on his role in the decorating 

of "Walnut Wood." 

The beautiful residence on Golden Hill, in which he 

[Nathaniel Wheeler] lived for so many years, and 

where he breathed his last, is now occupied by 

Mrs. Wheeler and her sons. The artistic taste of 

Mr. Wheeler is displayed in the interior appointments of the spacious dwelling, and in the treatment of the surrounding grounds. It is to be hoped 

that the homestead may long remain as it now is— 

an ornament to the city he loved so well.31 

Wheeler's twin sons, William and Archer, lived in 

the house until their deaths in 1920 and 1956, 

respectively.38 Approximately two years after 

Archer Wheeler died, Bridgeport's "ornament" was 

demolished.39 
NIUMEROU , S ARCHITECTURA L HISTORIANS have acknowledged the importance of this 

house in the context of the American Gothic Revival style, but few have commented on its interior. 

Therefore, little attention has been given to the 

fact that major alterations were made to the original treatment of the interior. Rooms known to 

the Harral family were significantly different from 

those occupied by the Wheelers.40 Since the edifice 

no longer exists, an investigation of the subject is 

fraught with difficulties. A thorough analysis of the 

interior decoration as well as the structure itself 

can only be made by an architectural historian 

familiar with the house and present at the time it 

was razed and valuable information was uncovered. 

T he sole surviving room from the house (hereafter referred to as the Harral-Wheeler Bedroom) 

is installed in the Smithsonian Institution's NaFigure 10. The Harral-Wheeler Bedroom, now part of an exhibit "The Growth of the United States" in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of History and Technology, is the only surviving room from "Walnut Wood." On March 30, 

1850, Davis noted in his journal that he had spent an evening at the Harral residence and "made suggestions in relation to 

H's painting interior walls. . ." The specifics of his advice are not known. In the absence of any information about the 

wall color first used in this room, a tint of fawn was selected for the reconstructed walls. The color fawn was repeatedly 

recommended by A. J. Downing. It was necessary to repaint the flat planes of the ceiling after the room installation was 

completed; the same ivory color was used as was present in two layers covering the plaster. The raised plaster ceiling ornament retains its original ivory-colored paint and gilding. The woodwork was repainted to simulate oak grain, its original 

treatment. The room has been photographed with a wide-angle lens through the curved viewing glass. (Smithsonian 

negative 72-3207.) 
1 2 SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

' i SECOND STOR Y I I I 

,,.,......., < 

'•• -

.... 

Figure n. The original location of the Harral-Wheeler Bedroom in this plan of the second story of the house is shown in a 

darker tone. The other drawings by Davis for the house in the Smithsonian Institution's collections include plans for the 

cellar, principal story, attic and roof, as well as elevations for the east and west sides and a longitudinal section. (Smithsonian negative 64485.) 
NUMBER l 8 

'3 

- u 

:' 

\r \ , 

Figure i2. Davis's design for the window frame of the Harral-Wheeler Bedroom. (24.66.650. Courtesy of The Metropolitan 

Museum of Art, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1924.) 

tional Museum of History and Technology (Figure 

10). It was the east central bedroom on the second 

floor. A study of this room is aided by architectural 

fragments, photographs, manuscripts and drawings,41

 and by contemporary Bridgeport newspaper 

accounts. 

While admittedly not the most elaborate of the 

rooms designed for Harral, this bedroom illustrates 

the degree of finesse and originality with which 

the interior was executed. The lack of repetitiveness characteristic of the exterior was also apparent 

inside the house. No two rooms were alike; their 

shapes, sizes, and ceiling conformations differed 

for the sake of novelty. The Harral-Wheeler Bedroom was interestingly contrived. Its tent ceiling 

does not follow the structural framework, and the 

curved fireplace wall is superimposed on a square 

room leaving one corner to accommodate a stairway to the attic and the other to serve as a closet. 

Contemporary architects and advisors about interior decoration had recommended that the house's 

interior should be finished in a style consistent with 

the exterior.42 Davis's designs for the doors, windows, fireplaces, and "timber open work" ceilings 

of "Walnut Wood" were compatible with this point 

of view. Downing, whose ideas about architecture 

were allied with those of Davis, advocated the use 

of exposed beams in Gothic residences, and, indeed, 

they appeared in most of Harral's rooms. If the 

beams were not made of oak, then Downing ad-
•4 SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

vised that they be painted in imitation of oak or 

some other native wood. Oak graining was used in 

the bedroom during the Harral occupancy; the 

painted grain was found on the woodwork under 

layers of pink and of ivory-colored paint. No trace 

of graining remains on the ridge piece, but it would 

be logical to assume that it was intended to appear 

as a wooden support and would, therefore, have 

been grained accordingly. Th e inclined planes at 

either side would have been painted "some pleasing neutral tone" or grained to have the appearance 

of boards, according to the dictates of Downing.43 

T h e Rococo scroll and cartouche plaster ceiling 

ornamentation of the Harral-Wheeler Bedroom is 

a departure from the prevailing style. Since Victorians were capable of combining styles with no 

offense to their sensitivities, this mixture of decorative motifs could date from the time when the 

house was built. Support for this possibility is provided by Gervase Wheeler, a Philadelphia architect 

who published house-pattern books. In a discussion 

of the Gothic style, he quotes "another writer" who 

stated: "Th e introduction of stucco has been the 

ruin of correct Gothic; . . . ." Wheeler continues 

with his comment: 

. . . and, perhaps, now it is an open question 

whether, in detailing the embellishment of a villa 

in such a style, it were not safer for the architect 

to trust in no way to this material and mode of 

decoration; at all events, until the plaster-decorators 

have purer models for their cast-work—it would be 

better to trust to simple mouldings rather than 

to the exaggerated foliage and vulgar ornamentation now so much the rage.

4i 

The Rococo ceiling detail could be a reflection of 

the first owner's taste rather than that of the architect. Davis mentioned the second-floor ceilings in 

his journal entries, but no reference was made to 

plaster decoration. In November 1847, Davis went 

to Bridgeport "to direct about ceilings of upper 

rooms, (timber open work.) " and in March 1850, 

he "made suggestions in relation to H's painting 

interior walls," again without reference to plaster 

decoration.45 Should the Rococo ornament not have 

been original to the ceiling, when would it have 

been applied? 

Enough information has been pieced together 

from scattered references to prove that the decorative scheme of some rooms was altered twice during the nineteenth century. "Walnut Wood" was 

first "modernized" in 1866 and 1867. Responsibility 

for changes in the painted wall and ceiling decoration (Figure 13) can be attributed to two painters 

from New York City—Henry Duettmann and 

Edward Engle.46 Evidence of Duettmann's presence 

in Bridgeport is found on a section of a false purlin 

from the "State Bedroom" bearing two markedly 

different types of painted decoration—a simulated 

walnut grain covered by a polychromed design 

designated as "Moorish." A penciled inscription 

on the side of this fragment reads: "Henry Duettmann from New York City painted this House 

in the Yaer [sic] of the Lord 1867." Represented 

on the purlin is grained decoration in keeping 

with the Gothic style intended by Davis, and a 

colored decorative scheme more fashionable in the 

1860s which was preferred by the second owner. 

Edward Engle is mentioned in the Bridgeport Evening Standard of April 3, 1867, as having been 

"engaged the past winter in the house of Nathaniel Wheeler. . . ." 4 7

 Since Engle is known to have 

"supervised" the frescoing of the French Theatre 

on Fourteenth Street in New York,48 perhaps his 

role at the Wheeler residence was again supervisory 

with Duettmann working as an assistant. Th e effect 

of the completed renovation was conveyed by an 

account in the Bridgeport Evening Standard of a 

celebration occasioned by the marriage of Edward 

Harral, the son of the first owner, and Julia Crissy, 

the sister of Mrs. Wheeler, in June 1867. 

A wedding party, probably the largest and most 

elegant ever known in this State, occurred last evening at the residence of Nathaniel Wheeler, Esq., 

on Golden Hill. . . . The splendid residence of 

Mr. Wheeler, attracted universal attention and 

admiration. Its location is unsurpassed, the grounds 

are large and well adorned, and the house is appropriate for the place. It was recently purchased and 

remodeled by Mr. Wheeler. All that good taste 

could suggest and wealth secure has been applied 

to the adornment of this elegant residence. It is 

no easy task to furnish the interior of such a house, 

in a manner suitable to its location, without, at 

least in some point offending the eye by exuberance 

or inappropriateness, but roe think it has been 

remarkably successful in the present instance. Perhaps the ceilings are too ornate in one or two of 

the rooms, but generally they are exceedingly fine. 
NUMBER l 8 

Figure i3. The painted wall and ceiling decoration recorded in this early photograph of the east drawing room was probably 

applied when the house was remodeled in 1866 and 1867. Two painters from New York City—Edward Engle and Henry 

Deuttmann—were responsible for the interior painting done at that time. (Smithsonian negative 68113.) 

There is that air of cheerfulness and comfort 

everywhere apparent, which comes not of wealth, 

but of taste, and is found not alone in any particular class of houses, but which always surrounds 

and cheers those who are within them. . . .

49 

Before the end of the century, portions of the 

house were again transformed. Eleven ink, pencil, 

and watercolor designs for embellishing the walls 

and ceilings of major rooms still exist (Figure 14). 

Again, eclecticism—the recurring theme in a consideration of "Walnut Wood"—is apparent in these 

designs. One of the drawings bears the stamp of 

"A. Kimbel & Sons, Nos. 7 and 9 East 20th Street, 

New York," indicating that they were executed 

sometime between 1883 and 1894 when the firm 

was at this address.50 Although Anthony Kimbel 

and his sons were specified in the New York City 

directories as cabinetmakers and furniture dealers, 

they obviously were involved in interior decorating. 

The redecoration of at least one room was based 

on a drawing from this group (Figure 15). In 1889, 

Mrs. Wheeler had two sets of furniture re-covered 

in Bridgeport and, shortly thereafter, she purchased 

locally a large quantity of fabric along with accessories to upholstering or drapery making. A hall 

carpet was acquired in 1892 in New York City. In 

the same year, Mrs. Wheeler went to Philadelphia 
i 6 SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

Figure 14. This pencil and watercolor design, executed by A. Kimbel 

and Sons of New York City, was used in the east drawing room of 

"Walnut Wood" when it was redecorated sometime between 1883 

and 1894. The delicate design proposed for the ceiling and wall 

above the picture molding was applied to the principal wall area 

as well (Figure 15). (Smithsonian negative 68110.) 

and purchased furniture from George W. Smith 

and Company, a firm which designed and manufactured "artistic furniture" and imported French 

and Italian furnishings as well.51 The Kimbel drawings and Mrs. Wheeler's concern with the furnishings probably indicate a general refurbishing of 

the interior in the late 1880s and early 1890s. 

It is doubtful that there were subsequent alterations to the house, despite a notation written in 

pencil beside Henry Duettmann's signature on the 

purlin fragment: "Gus Lindhall, E. J. Colborne, 

Hugo Erickson, Alex Peterson redecorated side 

walls Feb. 1923 For John F Fay." Archer Wheeler, 

the owner at that time, stated in 1933 that the 

interior of the house had not been changed in any 

significant way since his father's occupancy.52 

Therefore, the term "redecorated," used by the 

painters working for a Bridgeport upholsterer and 

decorator John Fay,53 probably can be interpreted 

as repeating or touching u p an already established 

design. 

This study of changes made to the house interior 

has revealed no definite indication as to when the 

plaster scroll and cartouche decoration was applied 

to the Harral-Wheeler Bedroom ceiling. It positively indicates, however, that the character of at 

least some of the rooms was altered substantially 

after "Walnut Wood" was acquired by Wheeler. 

Since the revival of the Rococo style was fashionable from the 1840s through the 1860s, the molded 

plaster work could have been applied by Harral 

or during Wheelers redecorating spree in 1866 

and 1867.54 
NUMBER l 8 J

7 

Figure 75. This is the only room for which photographs have been located showing two decorative schemes. For comparison, 

see Figure 13 for the earlier appearance. (Smithsonian negative 72-2933.) 
M: .ID-NINETEENTH CENTURY writers on 

the subject of interior decoration advocated that 

furniture should correspond to the style of architecture surrounding it.55

 A problem existed in furnishing a Gothic residence, as Downing admitted, 

since: 

Well-designed furniture in this [the Gothic] style is 

rarely seen in this country, and is far from common on the other side of the Atlantic. . . . There 

has been little attempt made at adapting furniture 

in this style to the more simple Gothic of our 

villas and country houses in America. Yet we are 

confident this may be done in such a manner as 

to unite a simple and chaste Gothic style with 

forms adapted to and expressive of our modern 

domestic life.5* 

Downing recommended Burns & Tranque [Trainque] and Alexander Roux, all of whose premises 

were on Broadway in New York City, as the best 

sources for furniture in the Gothic mode.57 

T he Smithsonian was the recipient of an unusual 

selection of Gothic Revival furniture from "Walnut Wood" including a bed, dresser, nightstand, 

couch, two side chairs, and two arm chairs.58 Th e 

first three of these forms are especially notable in 

view of Downing's comment that "Elaborate bedroom furniture in the Gothic style is seldom seen 

in country houses in the United States."

 59

 As is 

typical of furnishings of this style, none of the 

pieces has a medieval prototype. Only the decorative elements imposed on each form give it Gothic 

character. 

It has been claimed that this furniture was in 

the house from the time of the Harral occupancy; 

however, evidence has not been located to indicate 

for whom, by whom, or when it was made. Differences exist within the group suggesting that two 

makers are represented. Th e chairs are constructed 

of eastern white pine, yellow poplar, and soft maple, but painted to simulate walnut grain (Figures 

17 and 18). Except for the maple graining applied 

to the panels of the bedstead and the seat rails 

of the couch, these pieces are finished in the same 

manner as the chairs (Figures 16 and 19). Underneath the painted surface, however, is another 

layer of graining which resembles oak. Tha t the 

set was intended to appear as oak is explicit from 

directions found in a barely legible inscription 

penciled on the front of the back panel under the 

upholstery of the two side chairs: "Oak to match 

bedstead." When the overpainting of the oak graining took place is unknown. By contrast, black walnut and sugar maple are the primary woods of the 

dresser and nightstand (Figures 20 and 21). Th e 

painted furniture was executed in a heavier, less 

elegant fashion than the case pieces. This evidence 

suggests that the two types of furniture were procured from different sources and at different times 

in the history of the house. 

There is no known record of Davis having designed furniture for "Walnut Wood" as he had 

for the dwellings of John Herrick, Samuel Lyon, 

Philip Paulding, Joel Rathbone, and others.60 None 

of Davis's drawings contained in the major collections of his papers correspond to these pieces.61 

T h e chairs could have been an American craftsman's version of a side chair illustrated in Loudon's An Encyclopedia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa 

Architecture and Furniture as figure 2016. Th e 

bedstead is directly related to another constructed 

of oak at "Lyndhurst," a Davis-designed villa near 

Tarrytown, New York, which was completed in 

about 1842. Its first owner, Philip Paulding, requested Davis to provide designs for furniture; this 

might also have been done by the second owner, 

George Merritt, who purchased the house in 1864.62 

Unfortunately, it is not known when the bed was 

first acquired or whether it was designed by Davis. 

T h e headboard, end posts, and finials are too simiFigures 16 through 19. The bed, arm chairs, side chairs, and couch were originally painted to resemble oak and subsequently 

regrained to simulate walnut, and, where there were recessed panels, maple. This furniture, now in the Smithsonian Institution, was probably made for the large first-floor bedroom or for the state bedroom on the second floor, in which case 

it all could have been used as a coordinated set. The presence of a couch or lounge in a bedroom was not unusual; however, couches were also used in the dressing room adjoining a bedroom. 
NUMBER l 8 19 

Figure 16. The Gothic Revival bedstead was placed in recent years, prior to the demolition of the Harral-Wheeler House, in 

the west central bedroom. Height: 10314 inches; length: 871^ inches; width: 681^ inches. (Smithsonian negative 72-2934.) 
2 0 SMITHSONIA N STUDIES IN HISTOR Y AND TECHNOLOG Y 

Figure IJ. Height: 5534 inches; width: 2734 inches; depth: 

261,4 inches (Smithsonian negative 71-1691) . 

Figure 18. Height: 50% inches; width: 24 

inches; depth : 2234 inches (Smithsonian 

negative 77454) . 
NUMBER 1 8 2 1 

/ 

f 

Figure ig. Height: 55 inches; width: 751/, inches; depth: 35 inches (Smithsonian negative 67876) 
22 SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

Figures 2o and 2i. The primary woods of the dresser and night stand are black walnut and sugar maple. The drawer pulls on 

these pieces are not original. The measurements in inches of the dresser are: height, 93; width, 531/2; and depth, 26. Measurements in inches of the night stand are: height, 3214; width, 24^ ; and depth, i8i/£. (Dresser, Smithsonian negative 

61207A; night stand, Smithsonian negative 61207.) 

'"'•'-
NUMBER l 8 23 

Figure 2i. 

lar to be explained as coincidental. Both bedsteads 

share a resemblance to an unidentified design published in Downing's The Architecture of Country 

Houses.63 No documented furniture or designs have 

been located that are relevant to the case pieces. 

T h e room and furniture from "Walnut Wood" 

are displayed in "The Growth of the United 

States," an exhibition hall in the Smithsonian 

Institution's National Museum of History and 

Technology which is designed to portray the development of American culture. Th e bedroom is located in a portion of this exhibition hall devoted to 

the period 1750-1851. With the rise of industrialization during the latter part of this era, an increasing number of men from humble beginnings such 

as Henry Harral and Nathaniel Wheeler attained 

wealth and prominence. It was important to them 

as well as to gentlemen of established means that 

their dwellings reflect an elevated social standing. 

Imposing dwellings in the Gothic Revival style, 

of which "Walnut Wood" is an example, were 

among the most dramatic symbols of affluence in 

mid-nineteenth-century America. The Smithsonian 

Institution's Harral-Wheeler Bedroom, the Gothic 

Revival furniture from the house, and, of equal 

significance, the original designs by Davis, the 

architectural fragments, and other supporting drawings and photographs, form a notable reminder of 

the Gothic "ornament" which crowned Golden 

Hill in Bridgeport.64 
24 SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

NO TES 

i. Republican Standard (Bridgeport, Connecticut), May 19, 1846. 

2. Ibid., November 23, 1847. 

3. Ibid., November 9, 1847. 

4. Republican Farmer (Bridgeport, Connecticut) , May 16, 1854. 

5. Samuel Orcutt, A History of the Old Town 

of Stratford and the City of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Part 2 (New Haven: Press of Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor, 1886), pp. 715-719. Genealogical 

and Family History of the State of Connecticut, 

vol. 4 (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing 

Company, 1911), pp. 1724-1726. Republican Farmer, May 16, 1854. 

6. Harral purchased the home in which he had 

been living from the Reverend John Blatchford in 

1836, the year that he began accumulating property in Bridgeport. Bridgeport, Connecticut, Bridgeport City Hall, Office of the Recorder of Deeds, 

Deed Book 6, p. 105. 

7. The Waddell House was designed by A. J. 

Davis. 

8. Andrew Jackson Downing, A Treatise on the 

Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening, 

Adapted to North America; With a View of the 

Improvement of Country Residences . . . With Remarks on Rural Architecture (New York: Wiley 

and Putnam, 1841). Downing, Cottage Residences; 

Or} A Series of Designs for Rural Cottages and 

Cottage Villas, and Their Gardens and Grounds. 

Adapted to North America (New York: Wiley and 

Putnam, 1842). 

9. Jane B. Davies, "Alexander J. Davis, Architect of Lyndhurst," Historic Preservation, vol. 17, 

no. 2 (March-April, 1965), pp. 54-59. 

10. Th e most influential of these English publications in the United States was John Claudius 

Loudon's An Encyclopaedia of Cottage, Farm, and 

Villa Architecture and Furniture; Containing Numerous Designs for Dwellings, from the Cottage to 

the Villa . . . (London: Longman, Rees, Orme, 

Brown, Green & Longman, 1833). Although focused on wooden construction, an interesting study 

of American theories about architecture in this 

period is found in "Romantic Rationalism and 

the Expression of Structure in Wood: Downing, 

Wheeler, Gardner, and the 'Stick Style,' 1840-1876" 

by Vincent Scully in The Art Bulletin, vol. 35, 

no. 2 (June 1953), pp. 121-136. For a compilation 

of house pattern books, see Henry-Russell Hitchcock, American Architectural Books: A List of 

Books, Portfolios, and Pamphlets on Architecture 

and Related Subjects Published in America before 

1895 (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 

1946, 3d edition). 

11. Downing, Rural Essays (New York: G. P. 

Putnam and Company, 1853), pp. 207-208. 

12. Of this term, Downing explained: ". . . what 

we mean by a villa, in the United States, is the 

country house of a person of competence or wealth 

sufficient to build and maintain it with some taste 

and elegance. . . . Th e villa, or country house 

proper, then, is the most refined home of America— 

the home of its most leisurely and educated class of 

citizens." Downing, The Architecture of Country 

Houses; Including Designs for Cottages, Farm 

Houses and Villas . . . (New York: D. Appleton 

& Co., 1850), pp. 257-258. It should be noted that 

a villa need not be located in the country. 

13. Ibid., p. 263. 

14. Republican Farmer, May 16, 1854. 

15. For a discussion of the Gothic Revival style 

within the context of Victorian America, see Alan 

Gowans, Images of American Living (Philadelphia: 

J. B. Lippincott Company, 1964), pp. 287-365; 

Carroll L. V. Meeks, The Railroad Station: An 

Architectural History (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1956), provides a provocative analysis 

of eclecticism and the picturesque styles of the 

nineteenth century. Interest in reviving the Gothic 

style arose in England decades before the movement gained popularity in the United States. For 

information about the English Gothic Revival in 

architecture, see Kenneth Clark, The Gothic Revival; An Essay in the History of Taste (London: 

John Murray, 3d edition, 1962) . 

16. New York Public Library, A. J. Davis Papers 

(hereinafter referred to as NYPL-DP), Daybook 

(1827-1853), [p. 325]. 

17. Ibid., [p. 329]. An itemization of Davis's 

work for Harral is also found in the following 

source: New York, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, A. J. Davis Papers (hereinafter referred 

to as MMA-DP), vol. 1 (24.66.1400), p. 87. 

18. NYPL-DP, Daybook [p. 363]. 

19. Ibid., pp. 334, [347], 348, 354, [355], 356, 

[363]. 370-

20. Ibid., p. 334. 

21. Ibid., [p. 347]. 

22. Republican Standard, August 10, 1847. 

23. Ibid., November 23, 1847. 
NUMBER l 8 25 

24. This may have been Jonathan Beers to whom 

there are scattered references in the Davis Papers. 

Finning's Bridgeport Town and City Directory and 

Annual Advertiser for 1855-6 lists a Jonathan 

Beers as a lumber merchant. 

25. Downing mistakenly referred to Harral as 

"Mr. Harold, at Bridgeport, Ct." Downing, The 

Architecture of Country Houses, p. 386. 

26. MMA-DP, vol. 8, (24.66.1407), p. 7 verso. 

Information in letter to writer from Mrs. Jane 

Davies, New York, June 30, 1968. 

27. New York, New York, Columbia University, 

T he Avery Architectural Library, A. J. Davis Papers (hereinafter Avery-DP), H, "Work of Alexander J. Davis, Architect and Artist, Drawings 

Exhibited." 

28. Ibid., Daybook (1853-1869), pp. 228, 230. 

There is a signed drawing among the Davis Papers 

at the Avery Library (Z-2) which may be the one 

which Davis sent to the 1853 New York Exhibition 

of the Industry of All Nations and to the National 

Academy of Design. A hand-lettered label accompanies this drawing: "English Collegiate Gothic 

Mansion of Mrs. Harral at Bridgeport, Ct. Alexr. 

J. Davis, Architect." Th e fact that it is noted as 

Mrs. Harral's residence indicates that the label was 

used after Henry Harral's death on May 10, 1854. 

29. NYPL-DP, Daybook, [p. 453]. 

30. Ibid. [pp. 467, 473, 476]. MMA-DP, vol. 2, 

(24.66.1401), p. 146. For drawings see vol. 6, 

(24.66.1405), p . 111-119. 

31. Ibid., vol. 2, p. 146, Avery-DP, Daybook, pp. 

18, 19. 

32. Bridgeport City Hall, Office of the Recorder 

of Deeds, Deed Book 31, p. 727. 

33. Grace Rogers Cooper, The Invention of the 

Sewing Machine, United States National Museum 

Bulletin 254 (Washington, D.C.: Government 

Printing Office, 1968), pp. 27-30. Dictionary of 

American Biography, Dumas Malone, editor (New 

York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1936), vol. 20, p. 52. 

The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography 

(New York: James T. White & Company, 1899), 

vol. 9, p. 460. 

34. Avery-DP, 16-1, "Harral's Walnut Grove, 

Bridgeport, Ct." Th e Abner C. Thomas topographical drawing of "Walnut Wood" is in the Department of Cultural History collections in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of History 

and Technology. 

35. Bridgeport Evening Standard, October 24, 

1866. Edward R. Lambert appears in the first 

Bridgeport city directory of 1855,

 m which he is 

noted as an architect. Rufus W. Bunnell is not included in this source until 1862 by which time the 

Lambert & Bunnell partnership had been established. Th e partners continued to be listed in the 

city directories until 1901 when only Lambert is 

listed; he is last included in the 1903 directory. Th e 

library addition probably was sketched in pencil by 

Lambert & Bunnell on the drawing of the principal floor plan by Davis now in the collections of 

the Smithsonian Institution. 

36. Bridgeport Evening Standard, October 24, 

1866; November 7, 1866. 

37. The Standard's History of Bridgeport, George 

Curtis Waldo, compiler, (Bridgeport, Connecticut: 

T h e Standard Association, 1897), p. 138. 

38. Information from Miss Ellen Wheeler, Fairfield, Connecticut, a descendant of Nathaniel 

Wheeler. 

39. The demolition of the house was completed 

in July 1958. 

40. The following publications include references to the house interior which imply that no 

changes were made to its decoration: Edna Donnell, "A. J. Davis and the Gothic Revival," Metropolitan Museum Studies, vol. 5, part 2 (1936), pp. 

212-221; Wayne Andrews, "A Gothic Tragedy in 

Bridgeport?" Antiques, vol. 72, no. 1 (July 1957), 

PP- 5°-53-

41. Th e Smithsonian Institution is fortunate to 

have an important collection of nine architectural 

drawings of the house by A. J. Davis, eleven drawings for wall and ceiling decoration, a group of 

early photographs of its interior and exterior, inventories of the contents from the late nineteenth 

and early twentieth centuries, all donated by Miss 

Ellen Wheeler. Photographs of the house were 

given by Mr. Eli Roffwarg. In addition, a large 

collection of architectural fragments from the house 

was presented to the museum by the Bridgeport 

Historical Society. Th e woodwork, mantle, and 

ceiling of the room were the gift of the City of 

Bridgeport. 

42. M. Field, Rural Architecture; or, Designs for 

Villas, Cottages, etc., in the Italian, Gothic, Elizabethan, Old English, and Swiss Styles . . . (New 

York: Miller & Company, 1857), p. 32. Downing, 

The Architecture of Country Houses, pp. 364-365. 

43. Downing, The Architecture of Country 

Houses, pp. 386-387. 
26 SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 

44. Gervase Wheeler, Homes for the People, in 

Suburb and Country; the Villa, the Mansion, and 

the Cottage, Adapted to American Climate and 

Wants (New York: Charles Scribner, 1855), pp. 

1

33~134-

45. NYPL-DP, Daybook [pp. 355, 402]. 

46. Henry Duettmann is not listed in the New 

York City directory for 1866 or 1867; however, 

there is a painter, Henry Duttmann, included in 

the directory for 1866. It is probable that his name 

was misspelled or anglicized. Neiu York City Directory, 1866 (New York: John F. Trow, 1866). Edward Engel is noted in the city directory of 1867-

1868 as a decorator and fresco painter with an office 

at 13 East 19th Street and a residence at 470 Sixth 

Avenue. The New York City Directory, i86y-8 

(New York: John F. Trow, 1867). 

47. This newspaper spells his surname "Engle," 

while in the New York directory it is "Engel." 

48. Bridgeport Evening Standard, April 3, 1867. 

49. Ibid., June 13, 1867. 

50. Information from a survey of New York City 

directories. 

51. Th e following bills are in the Smithsonian 

Institution's National Museum of History and 

Technology, Department of Cultural History: 

Henry Meyer to Mrs. N. Wheeler, October 24, 1889; 

Downer 2c Edwards to Mrs. Nat'l Wheeler, November 11, 1889; C. J. Vieu & Co. to Mrs. N. Wheeler, 

March 4, 1892; George W. Smith & Co. to Mr. Nathaniel Wheeler, April 20, 1892. Bridgeport City 

Hall, Wheeler Room, Letter from George W. Smith 

& Co. to Mrs. Nathaniel Wheeler, April 9, 1892. 

52. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Print Department. Letter from Archer C. Wheeler to a staff 

member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 

October 31, 1933. It should be noted that a fragment of plaster from the ceiling of the west central 

bedroom (Figure 16), a room in design most like 

the Harral-Wheeler Bedroom, was given to the 

Smithsonian for analysis by Dr. Robert Fritz. A 

decorative canvas covering applied to the ceiling 

concealed at least three other ornamental treatments of this area. The sample is not large enough 

to allow a reconstruction of the painted patterns for 

which there is definite indication on the two 

outer layers, but it provides absolute evidence of 

more decorative schemes in at least one room of 

the house than can be accounted for by newspaper accounts, manuscript material, and drawings 

located by the writer. Report from the Smithsonian Institution's Conservation-Analytical Laboratory, CAL. NO. 1126. 

53. Bridgeport City Directory for 1923 (Bridgeport, Connecticut, 1923). 

54. No paint layer is discernible between the 

applied decoration and the flat ceiling surface; 

however, should there have been a layer of paint 

on the ceiling before the raised ornament was applied, it could probably have been easily removed. 

This was the case when the ceiling was repainted 

after its installation in the National Museum of 

History and Technology. 

55. Downing, The Architecture of Country 

Houses, p. 408. 

56. Ibid., p. 440. 

57. Ibid. Dianne D. Hauserman, "Alexander 

Roux and His 'Plain and Artistic Furniture'" , 

Antiques, vol. 93, no. 2 (February 1968), pp. 210-

217. 

58. Except for the couch and the two side chairs, 

this furniture was donated to the Smithsonian 

Institution by the City of Bridgeport. Th e couch 

and side chairs were the gift of Mrs. William 

Finney, a descendant of Nathaniel Wheeler. 

59. Downing, The Architecture of Country 

Houses, p. 442. 

60. For information about furniture designed by 

A. J. Davis, see Stanley Mallach, "Gothic Furniture 

Designs by Alexander Jackson Davis." Unpublished master s thesis, University of Delaware, 1966. 

61. Although Roger Hale Newton has stated 

that "Joseph Byrnes executed the designs for woodwork and furniture, including the handsome Gothic 

bedroom suites in curly maple and rosewood which 

are still there [in the Harral-Wheeler House] and 

for which some of the original drawing exist"; 

such drawings have not been located. Roger Hale 

Newton, Town and Davis, Architects: Pioneers in 

American Revivalistic Architecture, 1812-1890 

(New York: Columbia University Press, 1942), p. 

274. 

62. John Pearce, "Changing Taste and the Evolution of the Furnishings at Lyndhurst," Historic 

Preservation, vol. 17, no. 2 (March-April, 1965), 

[pp. 60-67]. See illustration of bedroom on page 

[67]. Helen Duprey Bullock, "Paulding's Manor 

or Paulding's Folly: Th e 1838-64 Era of Lyndhurst," Ibid., p. 71. 

63. Downing, The Architecture of Country 

Houses, fig. 280, p. 447. 

64. Th e author wishes to acknowledge the generous assistance of Jane B. Davies during the preparation of this paper. Mrs. Davies is working on a 

comprehensive analysis of the architectural designs 

of A. J. Davis. 
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data 

Golovin, Anne Castrodale. 

Bridgeport's Gothic ornament. 

(Smithsonian studies in history and technology, no. 18) 

Includes bibliographical references. 

1. Bridgeport, Conn. Harral-Wheeler House. 

I. Title. II. Series: Smithsonian Institution. 

Smithsonian studies in history and technology, no. 18. 

NA7238.B68G6 728.8'3'o9746g 72-3223 

Official publication date is handstamped in a limited number of initial copies and is recorded 

in the Institution's annual report, Smithsonian Year. 

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office 

Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price 45 cents 

Stock Number 4700-0198