East Wall

West Wall

This room was the site of both family meals and elaborate dinner parties. The family’s main meal of the day would be a formal dinner of multiple courses served in the mid-afternoon. The china used by the family and now on display is a magenta-bordered French Limoges pattern, purchased by Catherine Gibson for her new Back Bay abode from the Boston-based importer John Collamore. The Chinese export porcelain, also on display, was inherited by the Gibsons from the Russell estate (Gibson relatives who built 135 Beacon Street). Both sets of dishes reflect the direct Boston connection to foreign sources for goods and design.

In the Back Bay it was not uncommon for the architect to also play a significant role in the interior decoration, and it is likely that Edward Clarke Cabot designed the Renaissance Revival sideboard and matching black walnut fireplace mantel for this room.

An eight-light gasolier with a central dome lights the table. Additional lighting comes from gas sconces, now electrified, flanking the mantel.

Family portraits, other paintings and porcelain plates decorate the walls. Flanking the sideboard are portraits of John Gardiner Gibson, Catherine's husband, and Samuel Hammond, her father.