Fine Art, Furniture, & Accessories

Hyde Hall houses an impressive array of original fine furniture, decorative arts, and historic paintings that reflect the refined tastes of its early 19th-century owners and offer visitors a vivid sense of Regency-era style. On guided tours, you can see richly furnished rooms filled with period-appropriate furnishings that illustrate how the Clarke family lived and entertained in grand fashion, along with decorative art pieces and portraiture that add cultural and artistic depth to the mansion’s interiors. These carefully preserved collections, set against the backdrop of Hyde Hall’s striking neoclassical architecture, help bring the history of American high society and design to life.

Easy Chair

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

Sofa

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

Faux Food

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

Let there be light

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

The Ellen Emmet Rand Collection

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.

Tablescapes

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.

The Stove Collection

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.

Sideboard

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.

Commode

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

Apothecary Chest

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.

Brass Barreled Smoothbore Dueling Pistol

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.

Shepherd and Boyd Silver Ice Bucket

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