LiNeN pReSs: Building Setting ~Ashley Blackburn

Although many people do not refer to it as its official name, the linen press, is actually widely used in many homes. Still today, families are putting the linen press to use. However, even though the appearance of the linen press hasn’t really diversified from its original form, the overall purpose and usage of the linen press has varied. Today such functions may consist of that of an armoire, wardrobe, cabinet, or even an entertainment center. Due to the abundance of new uses, the placement of the linen press, also changed. Instead of only residing in the bedroom, it now can rest in separate parts of the house (spare room, sewing room, living room, etc.). Whatever the use though, it still remains as a household item. The Byrdcliffe Arts and Crafts Colony’s Linen Press lived its life in the household. Of course this was the household of the Whitehead family. White Pines was the main house within the Byrdcliffe colony in Woodstock, New York. Seeing that White Pines was an emphasized part of the Byrdcliffe community, it became noticeable that the linen press itself was also a prominent piece of furniture in any house or even bedroom. The residence house was a vital portion to the overall structure of the colony due to the fact that it stated where the people would stay. Within a house, the linen press is as important because it determines where linens, clothes and other items may be stored. Even within a room, not only does it address the storage matter, but it also dictates the layout of the room, like the main house would for the overall plan of the community. In relation to a house, the linen press shares many of the same functions, just instead of providing for people, it provides services to the linens. Obligations the two share include: providing storage (house-people; linen press-linens), protection from the elements, items are kept private, and its substantial presence generates debate of the overall layout to where it belongs.

Alike: Like my article, Lauren Foster also placed her artifact in an original type context. Her artifact also was placed within a household with great description, making the imagery very refined and easy to comprehend.


Different: Unlike my take on the relation of my linen press to its household residence, Monique’s article had an opposite and interesting twist. Instead of talking about the original context and how its context compares today, she placed it within her own building type. I believe this was a very interesting and creative spin, I enjoyed seeing how an object with a pre-existing context could be refurbished into something new by its placement.