The Stanford Mansion; Drawing Room

11/2/26 4 Comments

Authored & Curated By

M.J.G.

This room was known by several names, including the Reception Room, Drawing Room, and Salon, though contemporary newspapers most often referred to it simply as the Pompeian Room. Unlike the India Room and other interiors of the mansion that offered a Victorian interpretation of a particular style, the Pompeian Room was remarkably committed to its theme. Nearly every surface became part of an elaborate interpretation of ancient Pompeii, from the painted canvas walls and ceiling to the ivory woodwork, gilded furniture, embroidered satin, specially designed carpeting, enormous mirrors, and bronze and alabaster lighting. Mythological scenes, fantastic architecture, garlands, griffins, and delicate ornament carried the theme into even the smallest architectural details. Perhaps more than any other room in the mansion, the Pompeian Room maintained a remarkably consistent identity, creating an immersive interior that must have been extraordinary to experience in person.

Original floor plans are courtesy of the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site.

Exterior Room Location

First Floor Plan
This is the last room on our tour, completing the loop of the photographed rooms on the first floor.

S. C. Bugbee and Son drew a detailed plan of this room, as they did for several others in the house, and fortunately, this drawing still survives. To orient yourself, the doorway on the left leads from the Gallery, while the doorway at the bottom center opens into the Front Hall, where we began our tour of the house. At the top of the drawing is a large box bay, and several pieces of furniture are also shown with specific dimensions.

Entering the Drawing Room, or Pompeian Room, from the Picture Gallery, we are walking toward the north, or front, of the house. As we enter, we will turn to the left. In this view, between the two front windows, we can see an enormous built-in pier mirror, along with several pieces of covered furniture. In the center of the doorway area stands a gilded table. Let’s move in and explore the room.

After entering the room and turning to the left, you would be greeted by a stunning interior, with the walls, ceiling, and floor richly decorated in the Pompeian style.

At the front of the house to the right of the entrance is the Pompeiian room, the ceilings and walls of which are of canvas specially painted in Rome. The carpets are of special designs and the furniture in gold and heavy cream-colored satin, all hand embroidered. The curtains are also of embroidered satin.
San Francisco Examiner; July 3, 1893

Walking closer to the box bay, you get a better view of the remarkable details throughout the room: the two enormous vases on ornamental stands, the large pier mirror, the elaborate draperies, the beautiful furniture, and the crisply carved, painted, and gilded Corinthian columns.

There are numerous mirrors so arranged as to reproduce and recombine every elegant effect. The furniture, furniture coverings and window hangings correspond in design and finish with the other appointments of the room, which, though not the largest, will be one of the most complete in the house.
The San Francisco Chronicle; April 2, 1876.

On the same document as one of the other rooms, a partial sketch of the box bay was drawn for this room, sometimes referred to as the Drawing Room. The dimensions are noted in red ink.

…the carpet is beautifully bordered and interwoven with emblems representing chariots drawn by winged angels and symbols of Mythology—the material being of the very finest Turkish or European make; a tread on it seemed as elastic and soft as the finest velvet.
The Pacific Appeal; Saturday June 24, 1876

The photograph is slightly grainy, but take a close look at this gold table. It is fantastic and unusual. The more you study it, the more remarkable it becomes, particularly its enormous carved leaves and elaborate ornamentation.

On the tables of mosaic and Mexican onyx are displayed jewel cases and vases of Sevres ware of the time of Louis XIII…
San Francisco Examiner; July 3, 1893

Zooming all the way up to the corner of the ceiling, we can see what appears to be a square or rectangular mirror. Each corner of the room seems to be adorned with this unusual design element, perhaps intended to help reflect the light from the fixtures below.

Here is another photograph taken by Eadweard Muybridge, offering an even closer view of the statues, mirror, and chair, where we can see much more of their intricate detail.

The furniture and curtains were made to match each other. A handwritten note at the bottom of the photograph identifies the material as peach satin, and judging by the draperies, it is possible that they matched the furniture in both design and color. An earlier newspaper article, however, described the fabric as cream-colored, so the exact color is not fully known. Regardless, the embroidered patterns visible on the chair are exquisite.

The sofa, centre[sic] table, chairs, and all the other furniture in the Pompeian room, is embellished with gold. The upholstery in which the windows and furniture is adorned is of the most exquisite grandeur compatible with fine taste.
The Pacific Appeal; Saturday June 24, 1876

According to some historians, the booklets of Eadweard Muybridge photographs made for the Stanford collection contain handwritten pencil notes attributed to Mrs. Stanford, sometimes identifying rooms, colors, or objects shown in the photographs. In this instance, the note identifies the statue in the room. The Pompeian faces painted within the round medallions of the mirror frame echo decorative motifs found in ancient Roman art.

Walking farther north and turning left again, we get a different view of the room. The large Sèvres vases on stands were described by several contemporary sources as having once belonged to Marie Antoinette and were said to have been acquired by the Stanfords during their travels in Europe.

Taking a closer look, you can see that the walls were completely covered in elaborately painted canvas, extending even into the depths and corners of the box bay. The woodwork surrounding the windows and doors was painted in a corresponding ivory finish.

The woodwork is finished in ivory after the same school.
The San Francisco Chronicle; April 2, 1876.

Two things stand out in this corner. First is the heavy candelabrum that helped illuminate the room. Notice that there is no central chandelier; instead, the room was lit by these fixtures positioned in each of its four corners. The San Francisco Examiner described them as being made of golden bronze and alabaster. The second thing to notice here is how carefully the heat register was integrated into the wall and surrounding decoration, allowing this functional element to blend almost seamlessly into the overall design of the room.

Now, turning left, we face the Front Hall, with the Picture Gallery visible to the right. One thing you may notice is that this room has neither a central chandelier nor wall sconces. Instead, very large lighting stands are positioned in each corner, probably gas-lit and perhaps intended to give the room a more authentic Pompeian atmosphere.

Starting at the left side of the photograph, we can begin with this large sofa. Its unusual design appears almost as though two side chairs have been combined with a settee in the center. The footprint of this beautiful satin-covered piece does not seem to correspond exactly with the furniture shown on the room drawing, but regardless, it is fantastic.

Above the sofa is just one of the many remarkable designs found throughout this magnificent room, each one different from the next. The walls of the Pompeiian Room were designed in imitation of the richly decorated interiors uncovered at Pompeii, with slender architectural columns dividing broad fields of color into panels ornamented with foliage, geometric designs, winged figures, and mythological scenes. The style particularly recalls later Pompeian wall painting, in which fantastic architecture framed individual scenes within a larger decorative scheme. At the center of this wall is a mythological scene that appears to represent Venus accompanied by Cupid, an especially appropriate subject for a Pompeian-inspired interior, as the figures appear frequently in ancient Roman art. What is particularly fascinating about this design is its open-air quality. Beyond the slender painted columns, glimpses of other buildings and the sky give the illusion that the walls open outward onto an ancient Roman landscape.

Above the principal wall panels, the decoration became even more elaborate. Slender columns supported projecting architectural forms beneath walls painted with looping garlands and delicate ornamental borders, while winged griffins occupied the ledges between them. These motifs had ancient precedents, as griffins, garlands, and fanciful architectural elements were commonly used in Roman wall decoration. Rather than copying a single excavated interior, the Stanford room appears to have combined these recognizable Pompeian motifs into an elaborate nineteenth-century interpretation of the ancient Roman decorative style.

Here we have a closer look at the large Front Hall mirror, complete with hooks for hats and a built-in sofa. To the right of the doorway is a small push button, which more likely than not served as a bell push for summoning servants. It is also possible that it was connected to a battery-operated electric annunciator system.

The doorway leading into the Front Hall was just as elaborately decorated as the rest of the room. Classical moldings, swags, geometric panels, and a small painted scene surrounded the opening. Above the doorway, two winged griffins face an ornamental urn framed by scrolling foliage, while painted garlands and borders continue across the wall behind them. Details like these carried the Pompeiian decoration into every part of the room, making even the doorway part of the overall design.

According to the San Francisco Examiner of July 3, 1893, the room contained a heavy carved cabinet in white and gold, which could possibly be the cabinet seen here. Although gold appears to be the predominant color, the doors seem to contain some type of white inset panels.

A massive heavy silver set adorn an elaborately worked sideboard.
The Pacific Appeal; Saturday June 24, 1876

S. C. Bugbee and Son’s architectural drawings for the room include very specific dimensions for the sideboard, suggesting that the architects were involved in designing at least some of the furniture as well. Who actually executed these pieces is unknown. Here, we can see a detailed sketch of the sideboard with its dimensions carefully noted.

The Pompeiian decoration continued around the room in a repeating architectural pattern. Above each picture, winged figures and delicate garlands ornamented the dark background, while geometric designs filled the panels below. Slender columns separated the scenes, with stylized foliage and small ornamental vessels filling the spaces between them. Together, the columns, mythological scenes, garlands, and intricate painted details transformed the walls into the illusion of an elaborate ancient Roman interior rather than a conventional Victorian room.

At the base of the door frames, even the recessed sections of the woodwork contained painted Pompeiian details, carrying the room’s decoration into the smallest architectural features. Also notice that when this photograph was taken, the table was not centered in the room, but had been positioned closer to the doorway leading into the Picture Gallery.

Another fuller view of the room’s fantastic carpeting, revealing even more of its intricate pattern and detail. An extraordinary amount of thought and design went into creating this masterpiece.

Like the other painted rooms we’ve seen, the ceiling and cornice moldings here are just as heavily ornamented as the walls. Throughout the ceiling are fantastic details inspired by Pompeii and ancient Rome, carrying the room’s decorative theme overhead.

The ceilings are all on canvas, in the style characteristic of the period represented, painted in Italy by celebrated artists.
The San Francisco Chronicle; April 2, 1876.

This enhanced photograph uses colors inspired by the Pompeiian color palette; however, contemporary descriptions do not tell us the exact colors used throughout the room. While this should not be considered an accurate color reconstruction, it gives us an idea of what this extraordinary room might have looked like if it were still here today. This enhanced photograph uses colors inspired by the period; however, contemporary descriptions do not reveal the room’s exact colors. While this should not be considered an accurate color reconstruction, it gives us an idea of what this extraordinary room might have looked like if it were still here today.

Thanks for joining us as we explore another remarkable room in the Stanford mansion. As always, if you notice something missed, have additional information, or make any discoveries of your own, please share them in the comments below.

Explore the Stanford Mansion Series:

4 Comments

Oldest

Newest Most Voted

Civility is expected. This site is devoted to historic architecture and the stories it carries, so please keep discussions within those walls. Comments are overseen by both readers and automated moderation. If you spot a remark that crosses the line, click the red flag in the upper right corner of the comment.

Political commentary of any kind is strictly forbidden.

By commenting, you are agreeing that you have read and will follow the comment policy.
[Click here to review the full comment policy.] Updated 7/21/26.

Old House Dreams does not represent this property. All listing details should be independently verified.

A collection of historic homes for those who dream...