Orchard Lawn, the Italianate home built in 1868 by Joseph Gundry is the home of the Mineral Point Wisconsin historical society and their museum. The society has many photographs of how the house was furnished when it was built. They have found many of the original objects in the local community and are searching for the rest. In the attic of the home they found samples of the original carpets and wall coverings. The company that made the carpet is still in business in England. That company remade the carpet in 24 inch strips as the original was done, they then sent a man from England to hand sew the strips together and install the carpet. The wall coverings and murals are also being recreated as funds become available.
About a year ago I restored 3 chairs for the Gundry House. Not long ago I visited the chairs to see them in their setting. The pictures are poor, there was no light and I did not have a tripod, but you can get the idea.
One of the above two had a broken leg and they both needed the leg joints to be reglued. I had to remove the seat upholstery and then put it back.
This one also needed to be reglued, and the seat had several holes and rips. I removed the seat and sewed it to a black backer cloth and put it back on. The backer reinforces the the original upholstery and helps hide the holes. The backer has a texture that matches the original and with the backer in place its hard to find the holes.
If I get back I will take a tripod and replace these pictures.
millcreek woodworking 