The Daughters of the American Revolution Room today |
The first Arkansas chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) was established in Little Rock on December 19, 1893. Founding members included such notable women as Katherine Breckinridge, wife of the United States Minister to Russia.
After the Old State House no longer served as the state capitol for Arkansas in 1911, the DAR was one group who rallied to save the historic building from ruin. The gallery furnished by the Daughters of the American Revolution is decorated as a classic Revolutionary War-period drawing room. In 1951, when the DAR began to assemble its room at the Old State House, one of its members recalled a recent trip to Europe and the fine furnishings she had witnessed in a "house of nobility" belonging to a genteel, but financially embarrassed, Scottish lord. The showpiece of the furnishings the DAR eventually obtained from Lord Linton of Aberdeen Scotland was a 9 foot by 12 foot mahogany breakfront. The breakfront came to Little Rock disassembled in 3 crates weighing one ton. Other pieces acquired at this same time included a drum table, two consoles and two settees.
Another View of the DAR Room today |
In addition, the DAR also acquired two gilded mirrors, two tea tables, two armchairs, a case clock, two mahogany ladder-back chairs, and a small table referred to as a "candle stand." The DAR also purchased a 24' x 15' spectacular Oriental rug with a floral design.
The DAR room is filled with many beautiful objects. One of the visual highpoints is the gilded, maple harp, donated by a DAR member. Four Sevres portrait plates feature ladies of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte's court. There is also a handsome cut-crystal chandelier.
Arkansas was a French colony at the time of the American Revolution, though administered by the Spanish. Recent research by historian Judge Morris Arnold has revealed a surprising number of quality pieces of furniture among the possessions of the commandants of Arkansas Post, though these would have been French colonial rather than English colonial in style. Although Arkansas was not a state during the Revolutionary War period, members of the DAR hope the gallery offers a deeper understanding and appreciation of the lives, the customs, and the times of our colonial ancestors.
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