Covering the windows - Design Notes

Magazine Antiques, Dec, 2002 by Allison Eckardt Ledes

In an instructive article published in this magazine in August 1985, Elisabeth Donaghy Garrett wrote: "Although late eighteenth- and nineteenth-century paintings illustrate the extensive use of shutters and blinds, it is often difficult to determine exactly what is meant in early written accounts by the term Venetian blind since it was used interchangeably to refer to slatted blinds operated by cords and tapes and hinged exterior shutters with laths pivoting in a fixed frame." The confusion between what each word meant even vexed George Washington when he attempted to order blinds for Mount Vernon in the late 1780s.

It is known, however, that wooden venetian blinds were in use in America by the 1760s, the fashion for them having traveled here from London. In early paintings that depict blinds, they are invariably painted green. This preference diminished by the mid-nineteenth century, when it was generally held that the dark color had two drawbacks: it faded and it was more likely to show dirt Stained wooden blinds were also used at this time.

At Monticello there were what Jefferson called Venetian porches, which were fitted out with jalousies, or louvered blinds, constructed according to a drawing in Jefferson's hand (Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston). These have been reconstructed and painted green. Some household manuals recommended that the blinds be painted the same color as the walls. Documents reveal that even hundreds of years ago Americans were well aware of the fact that harsh sunlight was injurious to furniture and textiles. Venetian blinds were touted as one effective way to protect these valuable furnishings. Wooden blinds remained popular into the twentieth century until aluminum blinds replaced them in the late 1920s.

DeVenco, located in Decatur, Georgia, has been making wooden blinds and shutters to measure for more than half a century. It sells them through the firm Americana, located in Avondale Estates, Georgia. It has supplied blinds and shutters to historic properties throughout the United States--from Boscobel in Garrison-on-Hudson, New York, to the buildings on the Lawn at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. The company uses only steel and brass parts to create the pulleys and wheels necessary for raising and lowering the blinds. The wooden slats are cut, sanded, buffed, and finished by hand before being stained or painted (in a wide variety of colors), and cotton is used for the tapes and cords.

Americana may be contacted by telephoning 800-269-5697 or through its Web site (www.shutterblinds.com).