On February 22, 1827, the Albany cabinetmaker John Meads billed George Clarke for “an Easy Chair” at a cost of $30. The chair is a neoclassical design with a contiguous U-shaped back and sides derived from Greek and Roman forms in marble. Clarke chose to use his new easy chair at his desk and commissioned Samuel F.B. Morse to depict him seated in it with some books and papers in his 1829 portrait. His grandson, George Hyde Clarke “The Gentleman,” continued the tradition and a

The low-back sofa is listed on a bill dated May 24, 1830, by the Albany cabinetmakers John Meads and William Alvord at a cost of $38.00. George Clarke "The Builder" placed the first of many furniture orders with Meads in 1811 and continued his patronage after Meads went into partnership with William Alvord in 1828. Clarke was involved with the form and design of all his furniture orders and the reeded vasiform legs of the sofa relate to designs in George Smith’s “Cabinet-Make

Exploring the foods and confections enjoyed by the Clarke family in the 1830s adds an unexpectedly delicious layer to your visit.

Learn about vapor light chandeliers and other ways the Clarkes illuminated Hyde Hall.

Rand was a frequent visitor to Hyde Hall. It was here that she created several works of art depicting Clarke family members and their close family friends.

Ceramics and porcelains like those found in Hyde Hall were not only a symbol of prestige but also the byproduct of revolution and civil unrest in the late 18th and early 19th century.

When completed in 1834 Hyde Hall had eleven chimneys and four distinct types of heat, from the traditional open fireplace to a central heating system using a hot air furnace. The most numerous components of the systems used to heat the Hall were cast-iron stoves.

In a house full of treasures, this mahogany sideboard is a standout. It was the most expensive piece the Clarkes ever commissioned from John Meads, Albany’s leading cabinet maker.

A commode, from the French word for "convenient," was a functional piece of furniture before indoor plumbing.

Modern medicine has come a long way over the past century, as evident with this 19th century Apothecary Chest. Also referred to as a Dispensatory or Medicine Box/Cabinet, this item would have been the Clarke family’s First Aid kit.

Pistols like this one were a common choice for duels, as short-barreled flintlocks were difficult to aim and had limited accuracy. This reduced the possibility of death in duels to as low as seven percent and added an element of chance that leveled the playing field.

George Clarke "The Builder" owned several ice buckets engraved with the Hyde phaeton crest and reflect Clarke’s tastes stemming from a childhood England.