III. Almy, Bigelow & Washburn; Drapery Department

Posted on 10/16/25

Ready-Made Draperies and Materials
By the late Victorian era, ready-made draperies and portières had become increasingly common as department stores and mail-order catalogs began offering coordinated sets. Window curtains were typically sold in matching pairs of chenille, rep, or damask—often advertised as “complete with dado and fringe.” These were pre-lined with sateen and finished with headings for poles or rings. Beneath these heavier layers, households often added lace or muslin undercurtains, available by the yard or in finished lengths, to filter light while preserving privacy.

Portières, sold in the same departments, were designed as companion hangings for doorways, made of the same fabrics and trims and often sold “per pair” or “per strip.” Advertisements from the 1880s promoted “Chenille Portieres—heavy fringe, dado top and bottom” and “Wool Rep Draperies for doors or windows,” emphasizing their interchangeable function. Ready-made versions came in standard lengths, fully fringed and tasseled, and could be mounted on fixed poles or swinging portière rods. Their wide availability made it possible for even modest homes to achieve the richly furnished, upholstered appearance so admired in the 1880s.

What is a Dado?
In this context, a dado refers to a decorative horizontal band or border woven or applied across the lower portion of a curtain or portière—similar to the dado or wainscot on a wall. In late-19th-century textiles, it typically appeared as a contrasting panel of pattern or color near the bottom edge, sometimes mirrored at the top for symmetry. This “dado and fringe” treatment added visual weight and echoed the architectural detailing of a room’s lower wall, creating a cohesive and well-balanced effect.

Shopping for Material
Stepping into the Upholstery Department felt almost like entering a friend’s drawing room. At Almy, Bigelow & Washburn, the space was tastefully decorated with wallpaper and ceiling borders that added warmth and refinement. Around the room were bentwood chairs for resting, a comfortable rocking chair for lingering, and—most importantly—shelves lined with a generous array of upholstery fabrics inviting customers to explore and select.

Beyond the polished bentwood chair are several rolls of upholstery and a large, weighty container. Could this be an umbrella stand? Its shape and position suggest it might serve that purpose. The nearby table appears ideally suited for unrolling and measuring fabric—an efficient workspace for reviewing patterns and cutting the required lengths.

Up a few steps—just out of view—there appears to be a door painted in two or three tones, likely chosen to coordinate with the woodwork and wallpaper borders of the room. Below its brass or glass knob is what seems to be a slide lock. On the left side hangs a framed picture of a building, its light matte offering a clue to how deep and rich the wall and trim colors once were. The exact subject of the picture remains uncertain—perhaps it depicts a sister store or a related property.

Resting somewhat precariously against the fabric cabinet is a board displaying three substantial drapery rod samples. Each rod features a distinct finial and pole design, illustrating the variety once available. Much like today’s examples—but with far greater craftsmanship and imaginative detailing—these rods reflect the high quality and decorative artistry characteristic of late-19th-century interior fittings.

Here we have an excellent view of the frieze paper, revealing a repeating scene that features a stork standing in a tranquil lake or river setting. Surrounding it appear to be lily pads, cattails, and other water plants native to such environments. Behind the stork’s head, a circular motif likely represents the sun, completing the serene and nature-inspired design typical of late-Victorian decorative borders.

It’s wonderful to see the range of fabrics available—from small, delicate patterns to bold, eye-catching designs like those displayed on the top right shelf. The contrast between refined motifs and dramatic prints captures the rich diversity of late-Victorian textile taste, offering inspiration for every type of interior.

As in several other departments we’ve seen, some of the doorways here are divided by portières. A closer look at the top of this doorway reveals a patterned band positioned along both the upper and lower edges, possibly bordered in silk. The subtle shimmer of the fabric catches the light beautifully, adding a sense of texture and refinement to the passageway.

The lower border on the curtains is wider than the upper one, creating the visual effect of a dado. The adjoining space appears to be the carpet room we explored last week—or perhaps an additional storage area for upholstery materials. The layering of textures and borders continues the harmonious decorative scheme seen throughout the store.

Trade Cards for Draperies
Portières and window draperies often followed the same decorative trends, featuring horizontal borders in keeping with the Eastlake aesthetic. The fashionable tripartite wall treatment—with frieze, fill, and dado—was echoed in textiles, giving curtains and portières a similarly structured and harmonious design. However, contemporary decorating manuals frequently advised against using identical fabrics for both doors and windows. While the colors or hues might coordinate, the doorway hangings were often treated differently to create visual distinction. In this old postcard, note the popular olive green, red, and gold color combination—a favored palette of the era. Also visible is a drapery chain elegantly drawing the curtain aside, a stylish and practical detail of the time.

Drapery Chains
Mass-produced metal drapery chains were available both in stores and through mail-order catalogs like this one from the 1880’s. They came in a wide range of styles and finishes, offered at various price points to suit different tastes and budgets. These chains provided a decorative yet practical way to hold curtains and portières neatly to the side, adding a refined finishing touch to Victorian interiors.

A closer look at the ceiling-paper borders and the frieze pattern shows how they were laid out. The design doesn’t follow the ceiling perimeter; instead, it keeps to the square of the main room and cuts off the alcove or hall at the right. Arrangements like this were common in the late 19th century, using ceiling papers or borders either to create a visual break or, conversely, to open the space visually. To the right, a picture-rail hook is visible on the rail.

Several horizontally striped fabrics are displayed here, each differing in color and pattern. The variation suggests a broad selection meant to demonstrate the versatility of striped materials—some subtle and tonal, others bold and contrasting—reflecting the late-Victorian fondness for rhythm and geometry in textile design.

Bentwood Chairs
A brief note on bentwood chairs: Michael Thonet (1796–1871) is widely credited with inventing—and, more importantly, industrializing—the steam-bent solid-beech process behind classic bentwood furniture. After years of experimentation during the 1830s and 1840s, he moved to Vienna in 1842, where his firm, Gebrüder Thonet, perfected factory methods that mass-produced light, durable chairs and rockers from standardized, steam-bent parts—the most famous being Chair No. 14, introduced in 1859. While earlier artisans had bent thin laminations or small components, such as Windsor chair bows or Samuel Gragg’s 1808 “elastic” chairs, Thonet’s achievement lay in scaling the process for solid wood. This innovation made the graceful looped rockers and caned seats of bentwood furniture both accessible and immensely popular worldwide.

Ready-Made Portières and Runners
This space, labeled *Interior Furnishings*, appears to display an assortment of curtains, portières, and related materials. It’s unclear whether additional goods were also offered here, but from what we can see, the room contains a rich variety of fabrics typical of late-19th-century interiors.

Unlike some of the more orderly departments, this area has a slightly less formal arrangement, with bolts of fabric and samples arranged more casually. At the center, the layout suggests an open staircase—or perhaps a skylight well—surrounded by a railed perimeter. Draperies and runners hang over the railing, providing an inviting view of the textures and patterns available to shoppers below.

Here, a small section of the ornamental wood railing can just be seen peeking through the layers of fabric draped across it. The heavy display nearly conceals the structure beneath, but the visible portion hints at finely crafted woodwork consistent with the period’s interior detailing.

Several different curtain and fabric styles are visible here, though the pattern in this view is quite light. The curtain on the left features the familiar dense fringe often seen on portières. This type of thread or string fringe, characterized by alternating blocks of distinct colors, was especially fashionable in the late 19th century. Such color-separated designs added texture and rhythm to doorway draperies—styles rarely found in modern reproductions.

A range of styles is visible here, even without the benefit of color. The patterns vary from simple, understated designs to richly detailed and intricate motifs, illustrating the breadth of options available to Victorian shoppers seeking to coordinate fabrics for doors, windows, and upholstery.

Beautiful varieties of curtains are displayed here, hung higher to reveal their full length and detailing. The broader dado-style borders are especially striking, featuring more elaborate patterns and layered ornamentation. These richly designed lower panels added visual depth and emphasized the architectural harmony between drapery and room décor.

Here is a portière featuring fringe similar to what’s seen in the photographs—though after years of washing, it likely became more tangled and softened with wear. This particular example was made by Herter Brothers for a client, yet it adheres closely to the prevailing styles of the period, with rich fabric, layered trim, and decorative fringe that emphasized texture and luxury.

See this remarkable full portière by clicking here.

Here we see a simpler striped fabric pattern, likely intended for everyday use or lighter decorative purposes. At the far right, a section of material with a large floral motif is partially visible, though much of it is obscured. Even in this limited view, the scale of the flower suggests a bold, decorative design typical of the late-Victorian taste for naturalistic patterns.

One of the simpler gas jets for the room can be seen here, and it appears to be the only visible source of illumination. The tips of the burner suggest a fishtail-style flame—an open, fan-shaped output typical of the period. A fishtail burner produced roughly 16 candlepower, equivalent to about a 25-watt Edison bulb or a 3-watt LED in modern terms. The light it cast would have been a warm amber tone, creating a soft, atmospheric glow. Though dim by modern standards, such lighting would have been warmly welcomed and considered quite sufficient for the time.

A close look at the ceiling in this room reveals a subtle yet deliberate decorative treatment. Though modestly adorned, the ceiling features narrow striping set a few inches in from the wall, complemented by a corner stencil pattern. Details like these are fascinating glimpses into Victorian design sensibility—where even the simplest rooms received thoughtful ornamentation. One can’t help but wonder what inspired this particular choice of decoration and why such care was taken to enhance a space that might otherwise have gone unnoticed, but that never stopped them.

A wonderful assortment of materials is displayed here—the heavy, boldly striped fabric on the left contrasts sharply with the lighter, narrow-repeat cloth beside it. The finer piece may have served as a runner or been cut for use on a small table, mantel, or sideboard. Such narrower textiles were often employed for decorative layering or as protective coverings in well-furnished Victorian interiors.

This type of repeat pattern was also common when combined with a fill design, yet it retains a strong, richly woven dado or base section. The fabric on the right represents another popular late-19th-century style, though unfortunately only half of the pattern is visible. Even in this partial view, the bold composition and depth of color typical of the period are evident.

A favorite postcard from my collection shows a colorized view of a living room featuring a portière with fashionable top and bottom borders. It’s easy to imagine how homeowners of the time used such trade cards and engravings as style references for selecting colors, wall and ceiling treatments, and other decorative ideas. The inclusion of blue in this particular color scheme is an unexpected choice—but it harmonizes beautifully within the richly layered palette.

That’s enough shopping for one day. See you next time!

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