The Snuggery

The Snuggery. NPS Photo.

Known affectionately as The Snuggery, the South Parlor was where Sara managed the household and estate. Such rooms were traditional in houses of this size. The Snuggery was Sara's private domain, and the heart of her home. This room occupied the entire first floor of the tower seen on images of the Italianate-style house prior to the 1915 alterations. Many of the furnishings in this room remain from that earlier configuration. Some of the oldest and most precious family heirlooms are preserved here—the painting over the fireplace purchased by James and Rebecca on a trip to Germany; a painting given to FDR by his Uncle Franklin Delano and Aunt Laura when he was two years old; a silver match holder and nutmeg grater that belonged to James. The room is highly personal, filled with memories—some long forgotten—etched in the objects that cover the walls, surfaces, and fill cabinets.

The Sunggery is scheduled for preservation work and not currently on view.

 

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Furnishings of Note

 

Morning on Lake Trasimena

American artist Casimir Clayton Griswold (1834-1918) maintained a studio in New York City at the Tenth Street Studio Building until 1870 when he traveled to Rome, and where he remained through the 1880s. Like so many artists of his generation, Griswold toured the Italian countryside where he painted this Umbria region lake scene in 1880. The painting was acquired by Franklin and Laura Delano and presented to their nephew Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the age of two in 1884.

 

Gilded Horseshoe

Gilded horseshoe with eight nails on the face and a gilt wooden support stick wired to the back. This was made by a five-year-old Franklin Roosevelt and presented to his mother as a Christmas gift in 1888.

 

Nutmeg Grater

James Roosevelt's sterling nutmeg grater.

 

Match Holder

James Roosevelt's sterling match holder.