6/2021: Postcard Exhibit 4: Historic Home or Hotel Tub
My favorite room in a historic home is the bathroom. I'm eager to see what the bathtub looks like and snap a picture if I can. But even better is when there is a postcard in the gift shop! I personally have visited the Ca' d'Zan Mansion, former home of John and Mable Ringling (Yes of Circus fame). The home is now part of an art museum in Sarasota, Florida. When I lived in San Francisco I visited the Haas-Lilienthal House and am pleased to have found both a black and white and color postcard of the bathroom. I've also been to the Biltmore House in North Carolina but the postcard represented is from 1981, and I don't remember seeing it specifically on the tour I went on. The other historic home or hotel bathrooms I have yet to see and some I never will, such as the Château Royal d'Ardenne from Houyet, Belgium which turned into a luxury hotel until 1950 and was destroyed by a fire in 1968. Postcards are a great way to keep history alive!My inspiration for this exhibit is the Clayton House which is part of the Frick Museum and Gardens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They have been using this pandemic time to restore house and posted a recent picture of the gorgeous bathtub/bathroom. I can't wait to see it when they open!
John Ringling's Tub, Sarasota, FL
Biltmore House, Asheville, NC
James Deering Estate, Miami, FL
Josephine's Tub, Château de Malmaison, Paris, France
Haas Lilienthal House, San Francisco, CA
Château Royal d'Ardenne, Houyet, Belgium
Mable Ringling's Tub, Sarasota, FL
Haas Lilienthal House, San Francisco, CA
Sagamore Hill, Long Island, NY
All postcards depicted are part of the Bathtub Art Museum Collection