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Media Contact:
Kate Peeples, Director of Public Relations & Marketing
804-358-7166, ext. 316
kpeeples@maymont.org
Release
Date:
May
27, 2003
NEW BOOK PRESENTS UPSTAIRS/DOWNSTAIRS STORY OF RICHMOND'S MAYMONT HOUSE
"From
Morning to Night: Domestic Service in Maymont House and the Gilded Age
South"
by
Elizabeth L. O'Leary
Published
by University of Virginia Press, May 2003
At first glance, the subject of Elizabeth O'Leary's new book may seem familiar: Master and Madame rely on a full contingency of bustling uniformed servants to maintain their lavish lifestyle and home. Such upstairs/downstairs scenarios have captured the public imagination in films like "Gosford Park" and the recent PBS series, "Manor House." Dr. O'Leary's non-fiction narrative, however, offers a distinctive southern twist.
Set in Richmond, Virginia between 1893-1925, "From Morning to Night: Domestic Service in Maymont House and the Gilded Age South" takes the reader into the opulent household of multimillionaire James H. Dooley and his wife, Sallie. Drawing on personal letters, business and government documents, and numerous oral histories of older Richmonders–both white and black–the author examines the parallel and divergent viewpoints of employers and employees.
The book's first section features "The View from the Drawing Room," an exploration of the expectations, formalities, and practices of the Dooleys at home. Following a photographic essay of period images, the book's second section presents "The View from the Kitchen," an examination of the duties, challenges, and experiences of the household staff both in and outside the workplace.
Elizabeth O'Leary argues that the relationship between server and served was complex, especially in the American South at the turn of the 20th century. Delving into issues of race, class, and gender, she offers Maymont House as a case study for understanding those complexities. "It was an era of dynamic technological and political changes," Dr. O'Leary commented. "It was also the Age of Jim Crow, when segregation was systematically mandated across the South. As a result," she continued, "the African American employees at Maymont House in the 1890s had more legal and social rights than those who worked there in the 1920s."
Memories and insights from individuals who grew up in fully staffed upper-class households as well as those from descendants of former domestic workers help shape the story. Mary Twiggs, granddaughter of William Dilworth (Maymont head butler 1919-1925), noted, "I’m glad that this occasion came about–to let someone know that there was a Mr. Dilworth. . . . My grandfather went to work to do a job, but to do it invisibly. . . . But at home he was our ‘Papa.’ He was not invisible to us. He was the heart of our family, our moral compass."
The new book provides an historical overview for "In Service and Beyond: Life and Work in a Gilded Age Mansion," a $1.7 million restoration and domestic service interpretation project underway at the former Dooley residence. The city-owned house museum and its surrounding 100 acres of gardens and parkland are maintained by the private, nonprofit Maymont Foundation. Features added to the property over the years include a collection of antique and reproduction carriages and exhibits featuring more than 600 native Virginia animals.
By 2005, visitors will be able to view the mansion's restored butler's pantry, kitchen, food pantries, wine cellar, laundry, butler's bedroom, and maids' bedroom–altogether 9 period rooms that have never been part of the general tour. They will also see a permanent exhibition about domestic work and workers in Maymont House and the Gilded Age South. The project is supported by private and public funding, including a prestigious implementation grant from the Public Programs Division of the National Endowment for the Humanities–one of only 13 awarded to national museums and historical organizations last year.
Elizabeth O'Leary is Associate Curator of American Arts at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Maymont's Guest Curator during the exhibition planning phase, she presently serves as project consultant. Her book, published by the University of Virginia Press, is available at the Maymont Shop and numerous other retail outlets.
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