The Nursery
The Van Cortlandt Children used this room as a sleeping chamber, a playroom and a schoolroom. The nursery has seen the least number of alterations since the house was built in 1748 but may not have been finished off until the 19th century. The room is furnished with objects representing a wide variety of time periods and styles typical of the second-class status accorded children. In the 18th century, children seldom participated in the social world of adults. It is likely that the children ate many meals in the nursery and did not join their elders in the dining room downstairs.
The Georgian-style painted pine dollhouse is one of the earliest known American examples dated c. 1740. It is descended in the Homans family of Boston and was the gift of Miss Patterson in 1935.
The Nursery also features a miniature mixed service for coffee and tea in earthenware with a Whieldon-type spattered glaze. Numbering nearly 40 pieces, the set includes 2 covered teapots (one with stand), 1 kettle, 1 coffee pot, and a tea caddy, sugar bowl and milk jug. It was manufactured in Staffordshire, England c. 1765.