Nicola here. Today I’m talking about wardrobes. This seems to fit rather nicely with Anne’s piece a couple of days ago about those unpleasant bugs that can hide in cupboards and drawers and eat your favourite clothes, and also with our recent AAR on lost treasures.
Why wardrobes? Well, recently I was talking to an author and publisher about re-discovering the romance books of my youth. By youth I’m talking about the very first books I read that could be described as being romantic, before I devoured Georgette Heyer or Jilly Cooper. I was about twelve years old. They included family sagas, romantic suspense – I remember Spindrift by Phyllis Whitney – and The Property of a Gentleman by Catherine Gaskin. I loved discovering the Gothic suspense of Victoria Holt, and packed amongst the historicals were some of the raunchy 1970s contemporary novels. What an education they were.
I found all these books in my grandmother’s spare room wardrobe, tucked away amongst her evening dresses and smart clothes. The 
same cupboard contained her scent bottles and her jewellery. Oh, and there were shoes too, beautiful shoes in different colours not like my brown school ones! My grandmother was a well-dressed lady but these were not the clothes she wore every day. These were special, packed away carefully in tissue paper and plastic bags, smelling of perfume and mothballs. As a result, the books smelled of perfume and mothballs too. They were lined up so you could see their spines yet when the wardrobe doors were closed you would not have known they were there.
My writing friends and I were discussing this and one of them recalled finding Hardacre, a classic family saga set from the Victorian era to the 1950s, in his mother’s wardrobe too. He suspected she had hidden it away because it had a single swear word in it. (Naturally he read the book and found that one word.) This set me thinking about wardrobes and the things people hide in them and why.
The first “wardrobes” were actually rooms in palaces or grand houses where the nobility kept their clothes. For royalty this meant the place that the king kept his clothes, armour and treasure, and as a result, in medieval English government the “wardrobe” grew to become the royal palace’s accounting department, hence the role of Keeper of the King’s Wardrobe being so influential.
Ordinary people however, used chests to store their clothes. It was from these cupboards the modern wardrobe or freestanding “closet” emerged. There are examples of such “hanging cupboards” in the US that date from the 17th century.
There’s something about wardrobes, isn’t there. Perhaps it’s the fact that you can lock things away in there. Perhaps it’s that they 
are big enough to hide in. And they are dark inside. The book by CS Lewis, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe uses the wardrobe as a gateway into another world. What is hidden inside is adventure and danger and an escape. In the play The Wardrobe by Sam Holcroft, the wardrobe is a place of safety and protection where for seven hundred years children have hidden from events in British history such as the Civil War and the plague.
Wardrobes aren’t just for clothes. People hide other things in them – secret diaries, money,
forbidden things… Which brings us back to the books in the wardrobe. Was it simply a practical storage solution for my Nanna to keep her romance books in there? There were plenty of other bookshelves in the house, but they contained non-fiction and Readers Digest condensed editions. Was she ashamed of reading romance and so she hid the books away? Romance novels were hugely popular at that time and with her group of friends but perhaps they were made to feel inferior in the way that some people still look down on romance today. Or perhaps it does come back to the sex and the swearing. Knowing that she had a curious and avid reader for a granddaughter maybe she wanted to hide the books away from me! However, finding them in the wardrobe with all those lovely clothes and the perfume and the jewellery just made me see romance books as impossibly exotic and glamorous, exciting, an escape from real life. I guess I still see them that way today.
Are you prepared to share the secrets of your wardrobe or closet, or do you remember a cupboard from your childhood that contained exciting and secret things?
I had a great aunt and two great uncles (siblings) who had a farm that I spent a lot to time at as a child. My aunt had what seemed to me to be a giant piece of furniture that she called a chifforobe. She kept it even after they had sold some of the land and built a brand new house with plenty of closet space. The strangest thing that I remember finding in it after she died was a box full of pistols. There were probably six or seven of them in the box. Nobody could ever figure out who they belonged to or why they were there. A real mystery.
But to me the real treasure that she kept was in a bedroom closet in the old house. She had hundreds of magazines going back as far as the early 1900s. I loved to go through those mags. and did so every chance I got. Home and Garden, Redbook and many others. They fascinated me.
I had a great aunt and two great uncles (siblings) who had a farm that I spent a lot to time at as a child. My aunt had what seemed to me to be a giant piece of furniture that she called a chifforobe. She kept it even after they had sold some of the land and built a brand new house with plenty of closet space. The strangest thing that I remember finding in it after she died was a box full of pistols. There were probably six or seven of them in the box. Nobody could ever figure out who they belonged to or why they were there. A real mystery.
But to me the real treasure that she kept was in a bedroom closet in the old house. She had hundreds of magazines going back as far as the early 1900s. I loved to go through those mags. and did so every chance I got. Home and Garden, Redbook and many others. They fascinated me.
I had a great aunt and two great uncles (siblings) who had a farm that I spent a lot to time at as a child. My aunt had what seemed to me to be a giant piece of furniture that she called a chifforobe. She kept it even after they had sold some of the land and built a brand new house with plenty of closet space. The strangest thing that I remember finding in it after she died was a box full of pistols. There were probably six or seven of them in the box. Nobody could ever figure out who they belonged to or why they were there. A real mystery.
But to me the real treasure that she kept was in a bedroom closet in the old house. She had hundreds of magazines going back as far as the early 1900s. I loved to go through those mags. and did so every chance I got. Home and Garden, Redbook and many others. They fascinated me.
I had a great aunt and two great uncles (siblings) who had a farm that I spent a lot to time at as a child. My aunt had what seemed to me to be a giant piece of furniture that she called a chifforobe. She kept it even after they had sold some of the land and built a brand new house with plenty of closet space. The strangest thing that I remember finding in it after she died was a box full of pistols. There were probably six or seven of them in the box. Nobody could ever figure out who they belonged to or why they were there. A real mystery.
But to me the real treasure that she kept was in a bedroom closet in the old house. She had hundreds of magazines going back as far as the early 1900s. I loved to go through those mags. and did so every chance I got. Home and Garden, Redbook and many others. They fascinated me.
I had a great aunt and two great uncles (siblings) who had a farm that I spent a lot to time at as a child. My aunt had what seemed to me to be a giant piece of furniture that she called a chifforobe. She kept it even after they had sold some of the land and built a brand new house with plenty of closet space. The strangest thing that I remember finding in it after she died was a box full of pistols. There were probably six or seven of them in the box. Nobody could ever figure out who they belonged to or why they were there. A real mystery.
But to me the real treasure that she kept was in a bedroom closet in the old house. She had hundreds of magazines going back as far as the early 1900s. I loved to go through those mags. and did so every chance I got. Home and Garden, Redbook and many others. They fascinated me.
What a lovely meditation on wardrobes, Nicola! Most of the ones I’ve seen were when I lived in England–I think they’re relatively rare in the US, though they must have been used once. I never saw any as magical as grandmother’s! But I did read a lot of the same books. Catherine Gaskin was always a favorite, particularly PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN.
What a lovely meditation on wardrobes, Nicola! Most of the ones I’ve seen were when I lived in England–I think they’re relatively rare in the US, though they must have been used once. I never saw any as magical as grandmother’s! But I did read a lot of the same books. Catherine Gaskin was always a favorite, particularly PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN.
What a lovely meditation on wardrobes, Nicola! Most of the ones I’ve seen were when I lived in England–I think they’re relatively rare in the US, though they must have been used once. I never saw any as magical as grandmother’s! But I did read a lot of the same books. Catherine Gaskin was always a favorite, particularly PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN.
What a lovely meditation on wardrobes, Nicola! Most of the ones I’ve seen were when I lived in England–I think they’re relatively rare in the US, though they must have been used once. I never saw any as magical as grandmother’s! But I did read a lot of the same books. Catherine Gaskin was always a favorite, particularly PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN.
What a lovely meditation on wardrobes, Nicola! Most of the ones I’ve seen were when I lived in England–I think they’re relatively rare in the US, though they must have been used once. I never saw any as magical as grandmother’s! But I did read a lot of the same books. Catherine Gaskin was always a favorite, particularly PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN.
Wow, Mary, what a story about the pistols! I’ve never heard of a chifforobe – how interesting. I would have been enthralled to find such wonderful magazines too. What a treasure trove! Thanks so much for your comment!
Wow, Mary, what a story about the pistols! I’ve never heard of a chifforobe – how interesting. I would have been enthralled to find such wonderful magazines too. What a treasure trove! Thanks so much for your comment!
Wow, Mary, what a story about the pistols! I’ve never heard of a chifforobe – how interesting. I would have been enthralled to find such wonderful magazines too. What a treasure trove! Thanks so much for your comment!
Wow, Mary, what a story about the pistols! I’ve never heard of a chifforobe – how interesting. I would have been enthralled to find such wonderful magazines too. What a treasure trove! Thanks so much for your comment!
Wow, Mary, what a story about the pistols! I’ve never heard of a chifforobe – how interesting. I would have been enthralled to find such wonderful magazines too. What a treasure trove! Thanks so much for your comment!
That’s very interesting, Mary Jo. I hadn’t realised that the wardrobe was rare in the US. I just thought it was called a closet. Are they built in? I love learning these differences! Weren’t the Catherine Gaskin books wonderful? A UK publisher is currently re-printing lot of these old favourites and my kindle is groaning as a result!
That’s very interesting, Mary Jo. I hadn’t realised that the wardrobe was rare in the US. I just thought it was called a closet. Are they built in? I love learning these differences! Weren’t the Catherine Gaskin books wonderful? A UK publisher is currently re-printing lot of these old favourites and my kindle is groaning as a result!
That’s very interesting, Mary Jo. I hadn’t realised that the wardrobe was rare in the US. I just thought it was called a closet. Are they built in? I love learning these differences! Weren’t the Catherine Gaskin books wonderful? A UK publisher is currently re-printing lot of these old favourites and my kindle is groaning as a result!
That’s very interesting, Mary Jo. I hadn’t realised that the wardrobe was rare in the US. I just thought it was called a closet. Are they built in? I love learning these differences! Weren’t the Catherine Gaskin books wonderful? A UK publisher is currently re-printing lot of these old favourites and my kindle is groaning as a result!
That’s very interesting, Mary Jo. I hadn’t realised that the wardrobe was rare in the US. I just thought it was called a closet. Are they built in? I love learning these differences! Weren’t the Catherine Gaskin books wonderful? A UK publisher is currently re-printing lot of these old favourites and my kindle is groaning as a result!
I know that when I’ve gone to antique places in the south they have wardrobe things, but they are called armoire(s). (Dictionary definition – a large wardrobe or movable cupboard with doors and shelves.) In fact, I’ve got 2. One made from cedar and another one that isn’t (don’t know the kind of wood) but is older.
My cedar one just has shelves. Well, now that I look at it, that is because we converted it to have shelves in it. Before it was just a big wardrobe/closet thing.
The other, older one, one half has a rod for hanging clothes with a shoe rack at the bottom of that half. The other half has a series of shelves, some of which roll out for easy access. Those shelves were built in.
Both of my armoires have 2 doors.
I have heard of the word chifferobe and I have a memory of it coming from my Grandma who was from Ohio. She also called a couch a davenport. But then again, her mother and her grandparents were born in England. Looking up the word davenport, that is an English versus American word, I think. But I could be wrong.
All I know is it isn’t a southern word!
I know that when I’ve gone to antique places in the south they have wardrobe things, but they are called armoire(s). (Dictionary definition – a large wardrobe or movable cupboard with doors and shelves.) In fact, I’ve got 2. One made from cedar and another one that isn’t (don’t know the kind of wood) but is older.
My cedar one just has shelves. Well, now that I look at it, that is because we converted it to have shelves in it. Before it was just a big wardrobe/closet thing.
The other, older one, one half has a rod for hanging clothes with a shoe rack at the bottom of that half. The other half has a series of shelves, some of which roll out for easy access. Those shelves were built in.
Both of my armoires have 2 doors.
I have heard of the word chifferobe and I have a memory of it coming from my Grandma who was from Ohio. She also called a couch a davenport. But then again, her mother and her grandparents were born in England. Looking up the word davenport, that is an English versus American word, I think. But I could be wrong.
All I know is it isn’t a southern word!
I know that when I’ve gone to antique places in the south they have wardrobe things, but they are called armoire(s). (Dictionary definition – a large wardrobe or movable cupboard with doors and shelves.) In fact, I’ve got 2. One made from cedar and another one that isn’t (don’t know the kind of wood) but is older.
My cedar one just has shelves. Well, now that I look at it, that is because we converted it to have shelves in it. Before it was just a big wardrobe/closet thing.
The other, older one, one half has a rod for hanging clothes with a shoe rack at the bottom of that half. The other half has a series of shelves, some of which roll out for easy access. Those shelves were built in.
Both of my armoires have 2 doors.
I have heard of the word chifferobe and I have a memory of it coming from my Grandma who was from Ohio. She also called a couch a davenport. But then again, her mother and her grandparents were born in England. Looking up the word davenport, that is an English versus American word, I think. But I could be wrong.
All I know is it isn’t a southern word!
I know that when I’ve gone to antique places in the south they have wardrobe things, but they are called armoire(s). (Dictionary definition – a large wardrobe or movable cupboard with doors and shelves.) In fact, I’ve got 2. One made from cedar and another one that isn’t (don’t know the kind of wood) but is older.
My cedar one just has shelves. Well, now that I look at it, that is because we converted it to have shelves in it. Before it was just a big wardrobe/closet thing.
The other, older one, one half has a rod for hanging clothes with a shoe rack at the bottom of that half. The other half has a series of shelves, some of which roll out for easy access. Those shelves were built in.
Both of my armoires have 2 doors.
I have heard of the word chifferobe and I have a memory of it coming from my Grandma who was from Ohio. She also called a couch a davenport. But then again, her mother and her grandparents were born in England. Looking up the word davenport, that is an English versus American word, I think. But I could be wrong.
All I know is it isn’t a southern word!
I know that when I’ve gone to antique places in the south they have wardrobe things, but they are called armoire(s). (Dictionary definition – a large wardrobe or movable cupboard with doors and shelves.) In fact, I’ve got 2. One made from cedar and another one that isn’t (don’t know the kind of wood) but is older.
My cedar one just has shelves. Well, now that I look at it, that is because we converted it to have shelves in it. Before it was just a big wardrobe/closet thing.
The other, older one, one half has a rod for hanging clothes with a shoe rack at the bottom of that half. The other half has a series of shelves, some of which roll out for easy access. Those shelves were built in.
Both of my armoires have 2 doors.
I have heard of the word chifferobe and I have a memory of it coming from my Grandma who was from Ohio. She also called a couch a davenport. But then again, her mother and her grandparents were born in England. Looking up the word davenport, that is an English versus American word, I think. But I could be wrong.
All I know is it isn’t a southern word!
Thanks, Vicki – that is so interesting. I love the different names given to the different pieces of furniture depending on where they came from and when. I had never heard of a chifferobe and see that it combines both hanging space and drawers. I have heard of a Davenport but was astonished when I looked it up to see it is the name of a furniture company from the Midwest that was adopted as a generic name for some furniture, sofas especially. Apparently the Davenport desk was different and originated in 18th century England. Who knew!!!
Thanks, Vicki – that is so interesting. I love the different names given to the different pieces of furniture depending on where they came from and when. I had never heard of a chifferobe and see that it combines both hanging space and drawers. I have heard of a Davenport but was astonished when I looked it up to see it is the name of a furniture company from the Midwest that was adopted as a generic name for some furniture, sofas especially. Apparently the Davenport desk was different and originated in 18th century England. Who knew!!!
Thanks, Vicki – that is so interesting. I love the different names given to the different pieces of furniture depending on where they came from and when. I had never heard of a chifferobe and see that it combines both hanging space and drawers. I have heard of a Davenport but was astonished when I looked it up to see it is the name of a furniture company from the Midwest that was adopted as a generic name for some furniture, sofas especially. Apparently the Davenport desk was different and originated in 18th century England. Who knew!!!
Thanks, Vicki – that is so interesting. I love the different names given to the different pieces of furniture depending on where they came from and when. I had never heard of a chifferobe and see that it combines both hanging space and drawers. I have heard of a Davenport but was astonished when I looked it up to see it is the name of a furniture company from the Midwest that was adopted as a generic name for some furniture, sofas especially. Apparently the Davenport desk was different and originated in 18th century England. Who knew!!!
Thanks, Vicki – that is so interesting. I love the different names given to the different pieces of furniture depending on where they came from and when. I had never heard of a chifferobe and see that it combines both hanging space and drawers. I have heard of a Davenport but was astonished when I looked it up to see it is the name of a furniture company from the Midwest that was adopted as a generic name for some furniture, sofas especially. Apparently the Davenport desk was different and originated in 18th century England. Who knew!!!
There is reference to a chiffarobe in To Kill A Mockingbird. “For instance, Tom Robinson “busts up a chiffarobe” for Mayella Ewell.” (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chifforobe
I used to have one. Drawers on one side and hanging space on the other. Not as large as a wardrobe.
There is reference to a chiffarobe in To Kill A Mockingbird. “For instance, Tom Robinson “busts up a chiffarobe” for Mayella Ewell.” (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chifforobe
I used to have one. Drawers on one side and hanging space on the other. Not as large as a wardrobe.
There is reference to a chiffarobe in To Kill A Mockingbird. “For instance, Tom Robinson “busts up a chiffarobe” for Mayella Ewell.” (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chifforobe
I used to have one. Drawers on one side and hanging space on the other. Not as large as a wardrobe.
There is reference to a chiffarobe in To Kill A Mockingbird. “For instance, Tom Robinson “busts up a chiffarobe” for Mayella Ewell.” (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chifforobe
I used to have one. Drawers on one side and hanging space on the other. Not as large as a wardrobe.
There is reference to a chiffarobe in To Kill A Mockingbird. “For instance, Tom Robinson “busts up a chiffarobe” for Mayella Ewell.” (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chifforobe
I used to have one. Drawers on one side and hanging space on the other. Not as large as a wardrobe.
Nicola – that is fascinating about Davenport being the name of a company and used generically to also refer to a particular piece of furniture.
I called my Dad a few mins. ago and he says that the “couch” my Grandma always called the Davenport was from their living room in Ohio. That my Grandparents took it with them when the family moved to Florida in the late 1940’s.. So…it probably was a Davenport from the Davenport company. Who knew!
He vaguely remembers her (his mom) using the word chifferobe also but she used the word clothes press more frequently.
Thanks for this interesting trip into family history and word usage…
Nicola – that is fascinating about Davenport being the name of a company and used generically to also refer to a particular piece of furniture.
I called my Dad a few mins. ago and he says that the “couch” my Grandma always called the Davenport was from their living room in Ohio. That my Grandparents took it with them when the family moved to Florida in the late 1940’s.. So…it probably was a Davenport from the Davenport company. Who knew!
He vaguely remembers her (his mom) using the word chifferobe also but she used the word clothes press more frequently.
Thanks for this interesting trip into family history and word usage…
Nicola – that is fascinating about Davenport being the name of a company and used generically to also refer to a particular piece of furniture.
I called my Dad a few mins. ago and he says that the “couch” my Grandma always called the Davenport was from their living room in Ohio. That my Grandparents took it with them when the family moved to Florida in the late 1940’s.. So…it probably was a Davenport from the Davenport company. Who knew!
He vaguely remembers her (his mom) using the word chifferobe also but she used the word clothes press more frequently.
Thanks for this interesting trip into family history and word usage…
Nicola – that is fascinating about Davenport being the name of a company and used generically to also refer to a particular piece of furniture.
I called my Dad a few mins. ago and he says that the “couch” my Grandma always called the Davenport was from their living room in Ohio. That my Grandparents took it with them when the family moved to Florida in the late 1940’s.. So…it probably was a Davenport from the Davenport company. Who knew!
He vaguely remembers her (his mom) using the word chifferobe also but she used the word clothes press more frequently.
Thanks for this interesting trip into family history and word usage…
Nicola – that is fascinating about Davenport being the name of a company and used generically to also refer to a particular piece of furniture.
I called my Dad a few mins. ago and he says that the “couch” my Grandma always called the Davenport was from their living room in Ohio. That my Grandparents took it with them when the family moved to Florida in the late 1940’s.. So…it probably was a Davenport from the Davenport company. Who knew!
He vaguely remembers her (his mom) using the word chifferobe also but she used the word clothes press more frequently.
Thanks for this interesting trip into family history and word usage…
I don’t have a wardrobe story exactly, wardrobes being rather scarce in my neck of the woods, but I do have a closet story. My grandparents had an old house, (for northern Canada) it had been built in 1910-11 and was one of the few structures that survived when the original town burnt down in 1912. The house was full of nooks and crannies and it had a delightfully spooky “closet” tucked away on a dark and rather spooky alcove. In this closet were shelves full of books. It was on those dusty old shelves that I first found “Daddy Long Legs” and “Little Women”. I don’t know who had been the original owners of some of these books (they were too old for them to have been my aunts), but I was the latest one! I wonder sometimes what happened to all of those old treasures. If I had been older, who knows what stories I would have discovered, but alas, I was only 8 at the time and not ready for romances!
I don’t have a wardrobe story exactly, wardrobes being rather scarce in my neck of the woods, but I do have a closet story. My grandparents had an old house, (for northern Canada) it had been built in 1910-11 and was one of the few structures that survived when the original town burnt down in 1912. The house was full of nooks and crannies and it had a delightfully spooky “closet” tucked away on a dark and rather spooky alcove. In this closet were shelves full of books. It was on those dusty old shelves that I first found “Daddy Long Legs” and “Little Women”. I don’t know who had been the original owners of some of these books (they were too old for them to have been my aunts), but I was the latest one! I wonder sometimes what happened to all of those old treasures. If I had been older, who knows what stories I would have discovered, but alas, I was only 8 at the time and not ready for romances!
I don’t have a wardrobe story exactly, wardrobes being rather scarce in my neck of the woods, but I do have a closet story. My grandparents had an old house, (for northern Canada) it had been built in 1910-11 and was one of the few structures that survived when the original town burnt down in 1912. The house was full of nooks and crannies and it had a delightfully spooky “closet” tucked away on a dark and rather spooky alcove. In this closet were shelves full of books. It was on those dusty old shelves that I first found “Daddy Long Legs” and “Little Women”. I don’t know who had been the original owners of some of these books (they were too old for them to have been my aunts), but I was the latest one! I wonder sometimes what happened to all of those old treasures. If I had been older, who knows what stories I would have discovered, but alas, I was only 8 at the time and not ready for romances!
I don’t have a wardrobe story exactly, wardrobes being rather scarce in my neck of the woods, but I do have a closet story. My grandparents had an old house, (for northern Canada) it had been built in 1910-11 and was one of the few structures that survived when the original town burnt down in 1912. The house was full of nooks and crannies and it had a delightfully spooky “closet” tucked away on a dark and rather spooky alcove. In this closet were shelves full of books. It was on those dusty old shelves that I first found “Daddy Long Legs” and “Little Women”. I don’t know who had been the original owners of some of these books (they were too old for them to have been my aunts), but I was the latest one! I wonder sometimes what happened to all of those old treasures. If I had been older, who knows what stories I would have discovered, but alas, I was only 8 at the time and not ready for romances!
I don’t have a wardrobe story exactly, wardrobes being rather scarce in my neck of the woods, but I do have a closet story. My grandparents had an old house, (for northern Canada) it had been built in 1910-11 and was one of the few structures that survived when the original town burnt down in 1912. The house was full of nooks and crannies and it had a delightfully spooky “closet” tucked away on a dark and rather spooky alcove. In this closet were shelves full of books. It was on those dusty old shelves that I first found “Daddy Long Legs” and “Little Women”. I don’t know who had been the original owners of some of these books (they were too old for them to have been my aunts), but I was the latest one! I wonder sometimes what happened to all of those old treasures. If I had been older, who knows what stories I would have discovered, but alas, I was only 8 at the time and not ready for romances!
There is a lot of talk about a chifforobe in the movie “To Kill A Mockingbird” and I imagine in the book too. Perhaps it was an antiquated Southern term, because no one in my part of the country uses it.
There is a lot of talk about a chifforobe in the movie “To Kill A Mockingbird” and I imagine in the book too. Perhaps it was an antiquated Southern term, because no one in my part of the country uses it.
There is a lot of talk about a chifforobe in the movie “To Kill A Mockingbird” and I imagine in the book too. Perhaps it was an antiquated Southern term, because no one in my part of the country uses it.
There is a lot of talk about a chifforobe in the movie “To Kill A Mockingbird” and I imagine in the book too. Perhaps it was an antiquated Southern term, because no one in my part of the country uses it.
There is a lot of talk about a chifforobe in the movie “To Kill A Mockingbird” and I imagine in the book too. Perhaps it was an antiquated Southern term, because no one in my part of the country uses it.
I don’t have wardrobe or chifferobe stories. I believe I saw some but they were in houses of comparative strangers, not in family houses where I could explore.. There were plenty around me though, because I was always familiar with both terms.
I don’t know if “chifforobe” is southern or not. I heard the term often in St. Louis in the 1930s — but then, as I’ve remarked before, St. Louis is entirely Southern, entirely Northern, entirely Eastern, and entirely Western. I heard ALL regions, ALL the time.
I do have a comment on the relatively more common built-in closet in the U. S. I have read that for many years the various British areas had room taxes — real estate taxes that counted each room in the house. And a built-in closet was a room, but a piece of furniture wasn’t. If we ever had room taxes in the U. S they didn’t survive the Revolution. So we built the closets as we built our houses.
I don’t remember my source for this, so it may be lots of hot air. But I do remember it as an explanation for our more prevalent use of builtins.
I don’t have wardrobe or chifferobe stories. I believe I saw some but they were in houses of comparative strangers, not in family houses where I could explore.. There were plenty around me though, because I was always familiar with both terms.
I don’t know if “chifforobe” is southern or not. I heard the term often in St. Louis in the 1930s — but then, as I’ve remarked before, St. Louis is entirely Southern, entirely Northern, entirely Eastern, and entirely Western. I heard ALL regions, ALL the time.
I do have a comment on the relatively more common built-in closet in the U. S. I have read that for many years the various British areas had room taxes — real estate taxes that counted each room in the house. And a built-in closet was a room, but a piece of furniture wasn’t. If we ever had room taxes in the U. S they didn’t survive the Revolution. So we built the closets as we built our houses.
I don’t remember my source for this, so it may be lots of hot air. But I do remember it as an explanation for our more prevalent use of builtins.
I don’t have wardrobe or chifferobe stories. I believe I saw some but they were in houses of comparative strangers, not in family houses where I could explore.. There were plenty around me though, because I was always familiar with both terms.
I don’t know if “chifforobe” is southern or not. I heard the term often in St. Louis in the 1930s — but then, as I’ve remarked before, St. Louis is entirely Southern, entirely Northern, entirely Eastern, and entirely Western. I heard ALL regions, ALL the time.
I do have a comment on the relatively more common built-in closet in the U. S. I have read that for many years the various British areas had room taxes — real estate taxes that counted each room in the house. And a built-in closet was a room, but a piece of furniture wasn’t. If we ever had room taxes in the U. S they didn’t survive the Revolution. So we built the closets as we built our houses.
I don’t remember my source for this, so it may be lots of hot air. But I do remember it as an explanation for our more prevalent use of builtins.
I don’t have wardrobe or chifferobe stories. I believe I saw some but they were in houses of comparative strangers, not in family houses where I could explore.. There were plenty around me though, because I was always familiar with both terms.
I don’t know if “chifforobe” is southern or not. I heard the term often in St. Louis in the 1930s — but then, as I’ve remarked before, St. Louis is entirely Southern, entirely Northern, entirely Eastern, and entirely Western. I heard ALL regions, ALL the time.
I do have a comment on the relatively more common built-in closet in the U. S. I have read that for many years the various British areas had room taxes — real estate taxes that counted each room in the house. And a built-in closet was a room, but a piece of furniture wasn’t. If we ever had room taxes in the U. S they didn’t survive the Revolution. So we built the closets as we built our houses.
I don’t remember my source for this, so it may be lots of hot air. But I do remember it as an explanation for our more prevalent use of builtins.
I don’t have wardrobe or chifferobe stories. I believe I saw some but they were in houses of comparative strangers, not in family houses where I could explore.. There were plenty around me though, because I was always familiar with both terms.
I don’t know if “chifforobe” is southern or not. I heard the term often in St. Louis in the 1930s — but then, as I’ve remarked before, St. Louis is entirely Southern, entirely Northern, entirely Eastern, and entirely Western. I heard ALL regions, ALL the time.
I do have a comment on the relatively more common built-in closet in the U. S. I have read that for many years the various British areas had room taxes — real estate taxes that counted each room in the house. And a built-in closet was a room, but a piece of furniture wasn’t. If we ever had room taxes in the U. S they didn’t survive the Revolution. So we built the closets as we built our houses.
I don’t remember my source for this, so it may be lots of hot air. But I do remember it as an explanation for our more prevalent use of builtins.
A pleasure, Vicki! Thank you for sharing your family history – and furniture! I’m learning so much from this.
A pleasure, Vicki! Thank you for sharing your family history – and furniture! I’m learning so much from this.
A pleasure, Vicki! Thank you for sharing your family history – and furniture! I’m learning so much from this.
A pleasure, Vicki! Thank you for sharing your family history – and furniture! I’m learning so much from this.
A pleasure, Vicki! Thank you for sharing your family history – and furniture! I’m learning so much from this.
Wonderful story, Jana! There’s something so exciting about finding books like treasure in a special place!
Wonderful story, Jana! There’s something so exciting about finding books like treasure in a special place!
Wonderful story, Jana! There’s something so exciting about finding books like treasure in a special place!
Wonderful story, Jana! There’s something so exciting about finding books like treasure in a special place!
Wonderful story, Jana! There’s something so exciting about finding books like treasure in a special place!
Thanks so much for the information on room taxes, Sue. Something else new and fascinating that I’ve learned! I must try and find out more… That idea goes very well with the UK window tax. The government can be very imaginative in order to get its hands on more money!
Thanks so much for the information on room taxes, Sue. Something else new and fascinating that I’ve learned! I must try and find out more… That idea goes very well with the UK window tax. The government can be very imaginative in order to get its hands on more money!
Thanks so much for the information on room taxes, Sue. Something else new and fascinating that I’ve learned! I must try and find out more… That idea goes very well with the UK window tax. The government can be very imaginative in order to get its hands on more money!
Thanks so much for the information on room taxes, Sue. Something else new and fascinating that I’ve learned! I must try and find out more… That idea goes very well with the UK window tax. The government can be very imaginative in order to get its hands on more money!
Thanks so much for the information on room taxes, Sue. Something else new and fascinating that I’ve learned! I must try and find out more… That idea goes very well with the UK window tax. The government can be very imaginative in order to get its hands on more money!
I’ve always heard the closet/room tax story as well. Apparently it is a big historical myth!
https://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/Winter08/stuff.cfm
The above article had many other historical myths listed and “demythed”. Fascinating…
This post also talked about the myth of the closet tax.
https://historymyths.wordpress.com/tag/closet-tax/
(I love productive procrastination….I’m doing something important so I don’t have to do whatever…)
I’ve always heard the closet/room tax story as well. Apparently it is a big historical myth!
https://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/Winter08/stuff.cfm
The above article had many other historical myths listed and “demythed”. Fascinating…
This post also talked about the myth of the closet tax.
https://historymyths.wordpress.com/tag/closet-tax/
(I love productive procrastination….I’m doing something important so I don’t have to do whatever…)
I’ve always heard the closet/room tax story as well. Apparently it is a big historical myth!
https://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/Winter08/stuff.cfm
The above article had many other historical myths listed and “demythed”. Fascinating…
This post also talked about the myth of the closet tax.
https://historymyths.wordpress.com/tag/closet-tax/
(I love productive procrastination….I’m doing something important so I don’t have to do whatever…)
I’ve always heard the closet/room tax story as well. Apparently it is a big historical myth!
https://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/Winter08/stuff.cfm
The above article had many other historical myths listed and “demythed”. Fascinating…
This post also talked about the myth of the closet tax.
https://historymyths.wordpress.com/tag/closet-tax/
(I love productive procrastination….I’m doing something important so I don’t have to do whatever…)
I’ve always heard the closet/room tax story as well. Apparently it is a big historical myth!
https://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/Winter08/stuff.cfm
The above article had many other historical myths listed and “demythed”. Fascinating…
This post also talked about the myth of the closet tax.
https://historymyths.wordpress.com/tag/closet-tax/
(I love productive procrastination….I’m doing something important so I don’t have to do whatever…)
I’m glad to know it’s a myth. I have suspected so, but didn’t know where and how to look it up.
I’m glad to know it’s a myth. I have suspected so, but didn’t know where and how to look it up.
I’m glad to know it’s a myth. I have suspected so, but didn’t know where and how to look it up.
I’m glad to know it’s a myth. I have suspected so, but didn’t know where and how to look it up.
I’m glad to know it’s a myth. I have suspected so, but didn’t know where and how to look it up.
Sue, I stumbled on these sites/articles just by searching on the web for the closet tax. Took a few tries because at first all I kept coming up with was hotel room tax (grin.)
Sue, I stumbled on these sites/articles just by searching on the web for the closet tax. Took a few tries because at first all I kept coming up with was hotel room tax (grin.)
Sue, I stumbled on these sites/articles just by searching on the web for the closet tax. Took a few tries because at first all I kept coming up with was hotel room tax (grin.)
Sue, I stumbled on these sites/articles just by searching on the web for the closet tax. Took a few tries because at first all I kept coming up with was hotel room tax (grin.)
Sue, I stumbled on these sites/articles just by searching on the web for the closet tax. Took a few tries because at first all I kept coming up with was hotel room tax (grin.)
Oh, productive procrastination is the best! Thanks for checking this out, Vicki. it’s good to know but I am a little bit disappointed as well. The closet tax sounded such a convincing thing!
Oh, productive procrastination is the best! Thanks for checking this out, Vicki. it’s good to know but I am a little bit disappointed as well. The closet tax sounded such a convincing thing!
Oh, productive procrastination is the best! Thanks for checking this out, Vicki. it’s good to know but I am a little bit disappointed as well. The closet tax sounded such a convincing thing!
Oh, productive procrastination is the best! Thanks for checking this out, Vicki. it’s good to know but I am a little bit disappointed as well. The closet tax sounded such a convincing thing!
Oh, productive procrastination is the best! Thanks for checking this out, Vicki. it’s good to know but I am a little bit disappointed as well. The closet tax sounded such a convincing thing!