Palmer, Susan
THE SOANES AT HOME: Domestic Life at Lincoln's Inn Fields
London: Sir John Soane's Museum, 1997

Quarto. 83 pp; 89 color & b/w illustrations; suggested reading. Paperback. Near Fine, a clean, unmarked copy. Written by the Museum's Archivist, Susan Palmer, this book gives a detailed picture of the Soane's houses at Nos. 12 & 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields - how the buildings were heated, the servants' daily duties, what meals were cooked, wines purchased and teas drunk - even the fate of the family's pet dog. The family life with their two children is brought vividly to life and the below-stairs relationships of the servants are poignantly recorded. The evening whirl of visits to theaters and supper parties is chronicled, and the description of seaside holidays on the Kentish coast, when Margate was in vogue, depicts the social niceties of promenades and dances. Eighty-nine illustrations, mostly in color, from the extensive Museum archive produce an enthralling view of this London family's life and surroundings.
Inventory number #011434