The Stanford Mansion: Picture Gallery

10/21/26 Leave a comment

Authored & Curated By

M.J.G.

The Picture Gallery, also referred to as the Art Gallery or Music Room, is the most extensively documented room in the entire mansion, largely due to its extraordinary collection of paintings, some dating back to the 15th century. The room was described in great detail in numerous newspaper articles and other contemporary accounts, many of which also discussed individual works of art. The family’s collection continued to grow through their travels around the world, eventually spreading throughout the entire house. While the Picture Gallery was primarily devoted to paintings and statuary, it also featured some of the more technologically advanced objects of the day, including an orchestrion with several rollers, as well as mechanical automaton birds that would chirp at the press of a button. Although every room in the mansion displayed museum-quality furnishings, artwork, and statuary, the Picture Gallery showcased some of the family’s most prized pieces. It is also the most extensively photographed room in the mansion by Eadweard Muybridge, who clearly returned at a later date to photograph the room again after its collection had changed and expanded.

The room’s collection expanded so dramatically within a relatively short span of time that it is important to approach this study somewhat differently. We will first examine each side of the room before taking a deeper look at the individual paintings, furnishings, and decorative details. We will travel around the room in a counterclockwise direction.

Tour the room through photographs from the early 1870s.
Tour the room again through photographs from the late 1870s.
Explore the room’s decoration, architectural details, and furnishings.

The artwork collection is so extensive, it will be covered in a separate article.

Original floor plans are courtesy of the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site. Documentation and images from their collections can be accessed here.

Exterior Room Location
When exploring the exterior photographs in the first article, there was some curiosity about what this unusual section of the house contained. This was the famous Picture Gallery, also known as the Art Gallery or Music Room.

A closer look at the exterior of the picture gallery, we can see a false norther facing window frame. The two west facing window were real windows thought they’re covered during construction. Looking at the roofline, you can see, covered in a tarp, is a large glass skylight. The exterior of this room alone is beautiful. The North facing faux window casing is very elaborate while the west facing framers are topped differently.

First Floor Plan

Architectural Drawing Plan
The room is identified on the architectural drawing as the Music Room, and it was occasionally referred to by that name in contemporary descriptions. However, its dominant function was the display of artwork, so throughout this study we will refer to it as the Picture Gallery. This drawing reveals not only the arrangement and overall plan of the room, but also the intended placement of two circular seating pieces and a large pedestal. The furniture plan identifies this unusual circular seating arrangement as a “centre-borne,” a fashionable Victorian form of upholstered furniture designed to stand in the center of a room. Consisting of multiple seats arranged around a central core, centre-bornes were intended to encourage conversation while also providing an impressive decorative focal point.

Courtesy of the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site.

Entering Gallery From the Dining Room

Entering the room and turning left, we are presented with a large, impressive space, with sunlight streaming down through the skylight and illuminating the crystal chandelier. The room is thought to have also been designed by Pottier & Stymus in a variation of the Louis XVI style. Two large circular sofas, deeply button-tufted and arranged around plants in their centers, allowed visitors to rest while enjoying the artwork from virtually any side of the room. Several paintings already line the walls, and while the collection is not yet as densely arranged as it would become in later years, it is already quite impressive. Let’s move a little farther to the right…

Walking a little farther into the room, we stand beneath the large second chandelier. Let’s continue farther to the right to see the other wall. While the curtains are open, the built-in shutter blinds remain closed.

The wallpaper is of garnet colored floss velvet of deep, rich hue.
The San Francisco Chronicle; April 2, 1876.

So we’ve reached the opposite side of the room, where we can see the central statue and the paintings displayed along the opposite wall. We’re now going to walk toward the back right corner, near the statue, and see the room from that vantage point.

Now we’re facing the doorway through which we entered the Picture Gallery. The double doors can be seen closed at the far left of this view, leading into the large rotunda. Continuing our counterclockwise walk, we’ll now move toward the right side of the room and look back across the gallery from there.

This photograph shows the Picture Gallery from the opposite side of the room, giving us a view back across the gallery from where we just came. Some of the paintings seen here will be repositioned or moved to other walls in later views of the room.

The Stanford family’s love of art resulted in an enormous collection that continued to grow through their travels. Newspaper accounts from the late 1870s described paintings extending from floor to ceiling, suggesting just how quickly the collection had expanded. Returning to the view where we began with the Dining Room behind us looking into the Picture Gallery, we can clearly see how much the room changed over time. Let’s circle the room again, continuing counterclockwise, and examine those changes. At the far left of this view, we can also see the edge of a musical instrument.

From the opposite side of the room, we can see just how dramatically the collection has grown. Both the walls and the floor are now lined with paintings, while additional statuary has been added throughout the room. Paintings have been moved, raised, and lowered, fitting together almost like puzzle pieces as the family found ways to accommodate the ever-growing collection.

Before & After
Seeing the room side by side, perhaps a decade or even less apart, reveals just how dramatically the Stanford family’s collection had grown.

Three paintings rested near the floor, while the draperies were closed. Looking closely, you can see that the paintings were not resting directly on the floor, but were supported on small blocks beneath their frames.

The small painting of the nude woman in the elaborate frame is an example of a painting that was moved to accommodate the ever-growing and changing collection. The Picture Gallery was not a static room, but one that continually evolved as the Stanford family’s collection grew.

In this view, looking east toward the rotunda and the Library we visited earlier, we can see how some of the statuary was arranged throughout the room. Additional paintings can also be seen resting against the wall on this side of the gallery. While this room was specifically used as an art gallery, it was not entirely uncommon in period photographs to see paintings or framed pictures displayed or resting near the floor, as we have seen in other photographs from the era.

Now we’re facing the north wall again. Several of the paintings appear to have been completely replaced with new ones, while others have been moved, raised, or lowered to accommodate the ever-changing collection.

Before & After
In this side-by-side view, we can clearly see how dramatically the wall changed. The only painting that appears to have remained on this wall is the ship at sea, which was moved from the center of the wall all the way to the left. The changes give us a sense of just how vast and constantly evolving the Stanford family’s collection had become.

This etching was also reproduced in the San Francisco Examiner on July 3, 1893. The accompanying article provided an extensive discussion of the Picture Gallery and was one of several newspaper accounts that identified individual works of art displayed in the room. We’ll return to these descriptions later when we take a closer look at the artwork itself.

The Ceiling
The room’s ceiling design was divided into two distinct sections. The panel on the right covered the east side of the room, where the passageways led to the adjoining rooms. The larger section on the left covered the main gallery and incorporated the skylight. The two ceiling sections were separated by an elaborately decorated beam.

The ceilings are finished in two panels in arabesque, with soft, harmonious colors, closely studied to avoid unpleasant interference with the pictures on the walls.
The San Francisco Chronicle; April 2, 1876.

The ceiling near the doors featured a small central medallion painted to complement the surrounding decoration. The ceiling itself was highly ornamented with elaborate painted details and was described extensively in contemporary newspapers. Although some of the details are difficult to make out in the photographs, two medallions can be seen, each containing a figure or portrait in the center, along with much larger painted compositions to the left and right.

…the art gallery and music room, ivory finished, in neutral tints, in the style of Louis Seize… shows a profusion of soft gray colors and gilding… [This] portion of the room has music trophies and medallion heads of Beethoven and Mozart similarly arranged, and executed with equal skill and taste.
The San Francisco Chronicle; April 2, 1876.

In this view, we can see a small glimpse of the dividing beam and its painted decoration, along with a portion of the ceiling and the narrow frieze below it. Beneath the frieze is a gilt picture rail from which, as we can see, the paintings were suspended. Considering the extraordinary number and weight of the paintings eventually displayed in this room, it is remarkable to imagine so many of them hanging from this relatively narrow rail.

The gallery ceiling surrounding the skylight was heavily ornamented, with four large painted medallions arranged around the opening and elaborate repeating decorative patterns filling the surrounding surfaces. Contemporary descriptions identify the figures within these medallions as Rubens, Raphael, Van Dyke, and Michael Angelo. The decoration reinforced the room’s purpose as an art gallery, incorporating portraits, trophies, and symbols associated with the arts.

Getting a closer view, we can see one of the medallions on the ceiling near the skylight, with a portrait painted at its center.

The ceilings are finished in two panels in arabesque, with soft, harmonious colors, closely studied to avoid unpleasant interference with the pictures on the walls. The panel of the apartment devoted to art is illustrated with appropriate trophies and symbols place on the escutcheons in the frieze; also, with admirably executed heads of Rubens, Raphael, Van Dyke and Michael Angelo, painted in medallion.
The San Francisco Chronicle; April 2, 1876.

Lighting the Room
The decoration of rooms during this era depended greatly on the natural light entering the space. The Picture Gallery had two west-facing windows, although the large Mark Hopkins mansion next door may have limited some of the light reaching them. The skylight therefore played an important role in the room’s overall design. The close-up image on the left shows the skylight uncovered, while on the right we can see a custom-made cover fitted over it. This cover may have been used to help filter the amount of sunlight entering the room, perhaps protecting paintings, textiles, and other objects from prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. While its exact purpose is unknown, photographs showing the skylight both covered and uncovered suggest that the amount of natural light entering the gallery could be controlled.

Around the skylight frame, closely spaced gas jets were installed around the perimeter of the opening. A reflective surface surrounding the skylight appears to have helped reflect the light back down into the room.

Two very large crystal chandeliers illuminate the room, supplementing the natural light from the skylight and the surrounding gas jets when needed. As we saw in the Reception Room, the chandeliers appear to be almost entirely covered in crystal, including the arms. Around the first tier of lights are particularly large crystal spikes pointing upward, almost like stalagmites, adding another dramatic element to the already elaborate fixtures.

Draperies
Possibly designed by Pottier & Stymus, the window treatments are extremely opulent, much like those seen throughout the other rooms. This photograph, however, gives us a particularly detailed view of them. The woodwork surrounding the window is equally beautiful, with portions of its carved decoration picked out in metallic finishes.

The Furniture
The tables and pedestals that filled the room were of the highest quality. The gilded pedestal, with Ionic columns and marble insets, provided an impressive base for the statue displayed above it. The table added in the foreground is equally striking, with a particularly unusual and elaborate design.

The symmetrically placed vases on the floor are interesting. Are they just ornamental vases or cuspidors. If they are spittoons, they are an unmistakable reminder that, despite all of its grandeur, the Picture Gallery was still a functioning Victorian interior. Their presence among the paintings, statuary, and luxurious furnishings creates a striking contrast when viewed today.

The heavily tufted circular divans must have provided visitors and family members with an ideal place to sit and study the masterpieces, both old and new, displayed throughout the room.

This pedestal appears to be made of elaborately carved marble, with intricate detailing that gives it an especially rich and sculptural appearance. Behind the pedestal, we also get a fantastic close-up view of the fabric covering the circular divan, including its deep tufting and elaborate decorative trim.

The Floor
The floor of the room featured an inlaid wood design, although the varieties of wood used are unknown. A custom-made carpet filled the center of the room, leaving the decorative wood floor visible around its perimeter. Its relatively simple pattern did not compete with the elaborate decoration and furnishings of the gallery, while a restrained floral border framed its edges. This view also provides a good look at the unusually high paneled baseboard that surrounded the room.

Here we see another view of the carpeting in the room, along with a small throw rug placed in the doorway leading into the adjoining room. This photograph also gives us a clearer view of the carpet’s simple pattern and the floral border surrounding it.

Musical Instruments
The room was sometimes referred to as the Music Room, and in this photograph we can see a grand piano that appears to have been moved out of view in later photographs. By the early 1880s, an orchestrion had also been added to the room and could fill the house with music. So far, no photograph of Stanford’s orchestrion has been identified. Some contemporary accounts place the instrument along the western wall, but without photographic evidence, its exact location within the room remains uncertain.

Music was furnished to promenaders, who slowly paced around the rotunda, by the magnificent orchestrion, a recent acquisition of Mr. Stanfords, brought by him from Europe.
San Francisco Call; May 16, 1882

An orchestrion was a large automatic musical instrument capable of reproducing the effect of a small orchestra. Operated mechanically, usually through pinned cylinders or similar programmed mechanisms, it could combine organ pipes and reeds with percussion instruments such as drums, cymbals, bells, and triangles. Some even incorporated brass instruments. Elaborate examples were housed in substantial decorative cabinets and were intended to provide orchestral music without live musicians. Several contemporary sources stated that Stanford purchased one during his travels in the late 1870s or early 1880s. To read more about these orchestrions, click here.

.. a great orchestrion in carved mahogany fills the background of the western wall… the mechanical brass band … has given forth no tunes since many a year. That big and costly instrument is to be daily in operation before many days, and Strauss’s waltzes and other lively refrains may be wafted from that source by bay breezes for quite a distance into Oakland. I hear that Senator Stanford has decided to have the orchestrion put on the Piedmont ferry-steamer.
The Ontario Observer; October 22, 1892

…The great orchestrion that was purchased by the late Senator in Switzerland furnished the music. This instrument, a marvel of mechanism and harmony, gives forth a volume of tone equal to that produced by an orchestra of forty men. During the afternoon it played Von Weber’s “Jubel” overture, “Il Trovatore” and a score of other classical selections.
The San Francisco Examiner; May 26, 1895

Mechanical Singing Birds
According to documentation in The Millionaire’s Palace, Stanford’s love of gadgetry extended to small mechanical birds placed among the plants in the centers of the circular divans. At the press of a button, these automaton birds would chirp and move. In this photograph, what appear to be these small birds can be made out among the greenery. Interestingly, Stanford had displayed automaton birds even earlier. At his previous home, during an 1872 gathering for 700 guests, the San Francisco Call, February 7th 1872 described a band of automaton singers … in the parlor, wonderfully real in appearance, perfected in concerted vocalization.

According to documentation in The Millionaire’s Palace, Stanford’s love of gadgetry extended to small mechanical birds placed among the plants in the centers of the circular divans. At the press of a button, the birds would chirp. In this photograph, what appear to be these small birds can be made out among the greenery. Interestingly, Stanford had displayed automaton birds even earlier. At his previous home, during an 1872 gathering for 700 guests, the San Francisco Call, February 7th 1872 described a band of automaton singers … in the parlor, wonderfully real in appearance, perfected in concerted vocalization.

At some point, a glass dome was placed over the mechanical birds. In later photographs, the arrangement closer to the rotunda appears with a glass dome, while the one farther back near the windows remains uncovered.

A small nod to the photographer, Eadweard Muybridge, can be found on the seat of the circular divan, where he appears to have left some of his camera equipment. The objects seem to include lenses and possibly a glass plate holder or camera slide. Interestingly, the objects appear partially transparent in the finished photograph, suggesting that they may have been moved during the long exposure. Muybridge may have noticed them, capped the lens, removed the equipment, and then resumed the exposure, but not before the objects had already been partially recorded on the photographic plate.

Here is a colorized interpretation of the Picture Gallery based on contemporary descriptions and the surviving photographs. While there is no way to know the exact color values used throughout the room, the palette shown reflects the documented colors and decorative treatments described in period accounts. The result helps us visualize what visitors may have experienced when entering what was described as one of the mansion’s most cheerful and richly appointed family spaces. This is only a facsimile of what the room may have looked like but without fragments, it still just speculative.

There is so much to identify in this room that the artwork deserves an article of its own. The 1893 account specifically grouped a number of paintings together as the “Old Masters,” including works attributed to Francesco Francia, Domenichino, Guido Reni, Carlo Dolci, Salvator Rosa, and Paolo Veronese. These works were displayed together on the north side of the Picture Gallery, separating them from works by later artists elsewhere in the room. The account goes on to identify works by other well-known painters, while additional contemporary sources name artists such as Thomas Hill, Albert Bierstadt, and William Bradford, just to name a few. The wealth of information surrounding this collection deserves a deep dive of its own.

Before we begin that deeper investigation, take a closer look. Do you recognize any of the works displayed here?

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