Historic Paint Color at Monticello

The Dining Room of Monticello, with the Tea Room adjacent.
Photo:  Thomas Jefferson Foundation.

In recognition of the upcoming Thomas Jayne Event sponsored by Decorative Arts Trust, presented in a previous post of The Devoted Classicist, there is a return to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello to discuss the Dining Room;  the adjacent Tea Room is discussed in Mr. Jayne's book THE FINEST ROOMS IN AMERICA.

The Dining Room at Monticello, showing the previous blue paint scheme.
Note the open doors of the dumbwaiters flanking the fireplace.
Photo:  Thomas Jefferson Foundation.

The interior paint colors that many think of as "Colonial" or "Williamsburg" are often a result of 1930s interpretations rather than actual historic colors.  Today, there is more interest in accurate restoration rather than "tasteful" re-creations, and science combined with more academic knowledge of history often allows a more authentic presentation in house museums.

The Dining Room of Monticello as it appeared in 2010 with a table setting by Charlotte Moss.
(The table was set up in the room during Jefferson's time only as needed).
Photo:  Elle Decor magazine.

Utilizing analysis and studies by Welsh Color & Conservation, Inc., it was determined that the walls of Monticello's Dining Room and Tea Room were orginally white unpainted plaster.  But Thomas Jefferson loved the most stylish and fashionable trends in decoration as much as he loved to entertain.  So it is no surprise that Jefferson had the Dining Room painted in 1815 a new color, chrome-yellow.  In a 2010 article by Mitchell Owens in Elle Decor magazine, the curator of Monticello Susan R. Stein describes the bright yellow as "the color of an egg yolk from a chicken that dined on marigold petals."  And Ms. Stein added that the chome yellow pigments cost $5 per pound as compared to 15 cents per pound for basic white.

An 1825 watercolor of Monticello by Jane Pitford Braddick Peticolas.
The Dining Room and Tea Room are to the left of the central portico.
Image:  Thomas Jefferson Foundation.

In 2010, a donation from Polo Ralph Lauren, which included exclusive rights to market Monticello Yellow paint, allowed the Dining Room to be repainted the bright golden color. 

The First Floor Plan of the main block of Monticello.
Image:  Thomas Jefferson Foundation.

The Dining Room is almost a cube, 18'-6" x 18'-0" with a ceiling height of 17'-9".  There is a skylight, one of the thirteen in the house.  The window has two sets of sash for insulation with double pocket doors on rollers separating it from the Tea Room (which was cold).  A dumbwaiter on either side of the fireplace brought wine up from the cellar and a revolving serving door (recreated in 1949) with shelves attached to the service passage side enabled dishes to served and cleared with minimal intrusion by Jefferson's servants which were slaves.

A view from the Dining Room into the Tea Room.
Photo:  Thomas Jefferson Foundation.

The Tea Room is 15'-1" x 11'-2" with a 17'-11" ceiling height.  The plan is based on an octagon (though not complete), Jefferson's favorite architectural shape.  The room was inspired by a building in Albano, Italy, depicted in the 1650 book by Roland Freart de Chambray PARALLELE DE L'ARCHITECTURE ANTIQUE AVEC LA MODERNE, an anthology of ten ancient and modern writers on the classical orders.  (An English translation by John Evelyn, the second edition published in 1706, is available in facsimile form here).

The Tea Room at Monticello.
Image:  Thomas Jefferson Foundation

The Tea Room is decorated with busts of Benjamin Franklin, John Paul Jones, Marquis de LaFayette, and George Washington, friends and American heroes.  The room was used for dining as well as reading and writing.  The semi-circular niche held a heating stove at one time. The walls are now painted to replicate the original unpainted white plaster.

The Dome Room at Monticello.
Photo:  Chris Kern, www.chriskern.net

The Dome Room is now painted "Mars Yellow" and the wood floor is painted green.  Except for a brief period when it served as an apartment for oldest grandson Thomas Jefferson Randolph and his wife, the space was generally unfurnished and unused, other than for storage, during Jefferson's time.  For more about this room, see the webpage of Chris Kern here.

The west elevation of Monticello.
Sometimes called the "Nickel Front" because of its depiction on the U.S. coin.
Photo:  Thomas Jefferson Foundation.

More changes are in the works to return other rooms to their appearance during Jefferson's time.  Monticello, located on the outskirts of Charlottesville, Virginia, is one of this country's most-visited historic houses.  The experience of touring the estate first-hand is a memorable one and information about visiting can be seen at the official website.

UPDATE:  The new carpet that was custom made for the Dining Room may be seen in the post of THE DEVOTED CLASSICIST blog here.