Description
Possibly the parlor of Mr. Charles Herrick at 420 South Third Street. The fireplace screen protects the room from flying embers. The ceiling light is powered by gas. The paintings at each side of the fireplace are hanging from a picture rail, which is a strip of wood or molding near the ceiling. Picture rails became popular in the 1840s. They could be decorative, supported a lot of weight, and made it easy to move a picture without damaging walls.