Flat Jane in Providence, Rhode Island

 

Flat Jane Austen in Providence, Rhode Island:
In which Jane pays calls on the elite

Editor's Note: All photos taken inside the Rhode Island School of Design Museum's Pendelton House. Not all these objects belonged to one family or were displayed at the same time. The objects in this room reflect the wealth of Rhode Islanders engaged in the China trade (between 1787-1840s). Funds from imported teas and silks helped build and furnish the elaborate homes in the neighborhood. 

"Here is the home of Mr. Sullivan Dorr and family- more China Trade wealth and another recent addition to the neighborhood. 

Built in '09, this is the most elaborate home in the neighborhood, boasting three stories, a service ell set back from the façade, and connected servants’ quarters and barn. The architect, Mr. John Holden Greene, built the home on the hill, turned the house to the side and developed terraces up the hill. It features Gothick trim on the front porch and just below the roofline. 

Mrs. Lydia Dorr was at home today so we stopped in to pay calls. Mrs. Dorr is a delightful lady. We spent considerable time viewing her China wares and passing a comfortable coze in her sitting room. 

The wallpaper is fashionable but French. 

French wallpaper ca. 1795

American furniture. Tall clock, 1816, William Stanton, Providence, 1816

Mrs. Door is delightful. An intelligent and charming woman of early middle years (34 in 1816). Her husband spent many years in China.

Lydia Door by Edward Green Malbone, unfinished, 1803
Federal mantlepiece, 1804, from the home of John H. Mason, Westminster St., Providence
removed in 1906

Lydia, as she has given me leave to call her, has had a remarkable and difficult life. She and her sister Candace were left to raise their little brothers after the deaths of their parents. She married in '04 and now there is also a hopeful Dorr family. The eldest, Thomas Wilson (currently a schoolboy of 11) is a bit rebellious. There are five younger children. Gossip has it that Mr. Sullivan Dorr is not good to his wife. 

I was tired from all this toing and froing and paying calls. Mrs. Allen was so kind as to allow me to rest.

Edward Carrington's bed with bed hangings and window curtains modeled after the interior photos of Edward Carrington's home. The bed was likely made in Boston in 1810 and is unusual for its ivory hardware.

Upon arising I admire my reflection in the glass and fix my cap.

Dressing bureau, Providence, featuring ivory; Dressing glass ca. 1800, Providence

Mr. Sullivan Dorr was engaged in the fur trade business early in life. At the age of 20 he went to Canton China to work for his brothers. He was one of the first Americans to live there for an extended time. He stayed there until 1803 when he returned and settled in Providence. Currently he is engaged in mercantile pursuits.

We drink tea from a Cantonese tea pot.

Settee, Chinese for export, early 19th c,. Asian hardwood and cane; porcelain tea and coffee service ca. 1790-1800

Please turn the page

Editor's Note:

Sullivan Dorr House Providence Architecture 

Sullivan Dorr House Providence Preservation Society

Sullivan Dorr House and biographical material

Lydia's youngest brother but one, Zachariah Allen, was an author, inventor, scientist, fire insurance advocate, historian, benevolent textile mill owner, anti-slavery supporter and loving family man. His diaries at the Rhode Island Historical Society reveal an interesting portrait of this fascinating man.

Lydia Allen Dorr and Sullivan Dorr were the parents of Thomas Wilson Dorr, leader of Dorr’s Rebellion in 1842. Dorr briefly served as unofficial governor under the "Law and Order" Party, focused on suffrage reform, under the party's new Constitution, termed the "People's Constitution." This Constitution gave the vote to all white men residing in Rhode Island for at least one year. Although Dorr initially supported Black suffrage as well, under pressure from white, male immigrants, he removed that clause in the Constitution. The Rhode Island legislature refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of either the Constitution or Dorr's governorship. Dorr unsuccessfully attempted to take over the State Arsenal, resulting in a standoff with opposition, including his father and uncles. The state militia was at the ready to defeat Dorr and his followers. Dorr also failed to assemble a General Assembly. Dorr was forced him to flee the state. When he returned, he was convicted of treason and sentenced to life in prison. After being pardoned in 1845, Dorr was released to his mother's care, a broken man and died a few years later.