It’s wet and gloomy again this morning (the rainy season) and nothing in the garden really inspires me at the moment. So I went back to the Frances Benjamin Johnston Collection at the Library of Congress website and searched ‘foliage.’
This was what came up, and it’s quite something.
It was the interior of Whittemore House, at Dupont Circle* in Washington, D.C. Johnston took the photo sometime between 1890 and 1920. In addition to the copious foliage, it features a leopard rug and a moose head.
The house has been the home of The Women’s National Democratic Club since 1927 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Unfortunately, judging from the club’s website, the current decoration, while pretty, is more conventional. (Rooms are available for private parties, weddings, and special events.)
Whittemore House was built from 1892 to 1894 for opera singer Sarah Adams Whittemore, a descendant of President John Adams. She lived there until her death in 1907. The interior in the photo may be hers, as Johnston took her portrait in 1900.
Thanks to Pam at Digging for hosting Garden Bloggers’ Foliage Follow Up the 16th of every month.
*1526 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W.
enclos*ure 