Accessibility Text
The Informal Parlor
The informal parlor was used by the ladies, and sometimes gentlemen, of the home to entertain their close friends in a more intimate and relaxed setting than the parlor. The ladies would have spent time in this room reading, sewing, and discussing topics considered suitable for upper-class women such as upcoming social engagements and charitable needs.
Guests would have also been entertained with beautiful sounds as Mrs. Moore studied music in school and shared her passion for the arts with her two daughters. During the Edwardian period children, especially girls were expected to be able to sing and play an instrument beautifully as they were often called upon to entertain family and guests. The Moore’s eldest daughter Ivy was an accomplished opera singer who often performed at local weddings and social engagements. Etta Mae studied music while at the Hamilton Academy in Washington D.C. and founded the Beethoven Club of Richmond with fellow local musicians. The club held meetings at the Moore Home, possibly in this very room.
Other forms of entertainment included the stereoscope which amazed guests by producing three-dimensional photography when they peered through the lens and the Edison Gem Phonograph Model D which could be alternated to play both two and four-minute recordings. The phonograph cylinder was the earliest commercial medium for recording and producing sound.
As you make your way into the study please take note of the bathroom, it is one of five that can be found in the home.
Guests would have also been entertained with beautiful sounds as Mrs. Moore studied music in school and shared her passion for the arts with her two daughters. During the Edwardian period children, especially girls were expected to be able to sing and play an instrument beautifully as they were often called upon to entertain family and guests. The Moore’s eldest daughter Ivy was an accomplished opera singer who often performed at local weddings and social engagements. Etta Mae studied music while at the Hamilton Academy in Washington D.C. and founded the Beethoven Club of Richmond with fellow local musicians. The club held meetings at the Moore Home, possibly in this very room.
Other forms of entertainment included the stereoscope which amazed guests by producing three-dimensional photography when they peered through the lens and the Edison Gem Phonograph Model D which could be alternated to play both two and four-minute recordings. The phonograph cylinder was the earliest commercial medium for recording and producing sound.
As you make your way into the study please take note of the bathroom, it is one of five that can be found in the home.
