Charleston Drawing Room

United States (South Carolina)

1772

Cypress, paint

Minneapolis Institute of Art

A formal drawing room is furnished with an assortment of antique furniture, including a harp, a writing desk, a sofa, chairs, and a chess set. A large fireplace with a portrait above it dominates one wall, while a crystal chandelier hangs from the ceiling. The architectural elements of the Charleston Drawing and Dining Rooms are from a commodious townhouse built in 1772 in Charleston, South Carolina, for Colonel John Stuart, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs for the British government. Like most fashionable houses erected in Charleston in the 18th century, the Stuart house was one room wide and flanked by a balcony - a spatial arrangement that allowed cooling ocean breezes to flow through the interior. This room was originally on the second floor and remains virtually intact. The closed door at the far end of the room initially led to the balcony, and there were windows where two pas