A Closer Look at Charley Longfellow’s “Japan Room"

Charles Appleton Longfellow (1844–1893), the eldest son of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Frances Appleton Longfellow, was a globetrotter and avid collector. During his 20-month stay in Japan (1871–1873), he purchased and shipped home to Cambridge dozens of crates of artworks and decorative objects for himself, friends, and family. Upon his return in 1874, Charley transformed the sitting room at his family home into a “<a href="https://www.nps.gov/long/learn/historyculture/japan-room.htm">Japan Room</a>” with the help of his cousin Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow (1854–1934). One of its most striking features was a ceiling decorated with more than 35 fan-shaped paintings arranged in a “scattered fan” pattern. Although Japanese art and decorative objects had entered U.S. markets by the mid-1870s, their availability and visibility varied considerably by city. Created in 1874, on the eve of the transformative 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, the Japan Room represents an unusually early American domestic interior devoted to Japanese art and design. This lecture examines its remarkable ceiling of fan paintings, exploring their origins and arrangement and considering how this distinctive feature of the room reflects the ways Japanese art was displayed and experienced in nineteenth-century America. This research was supported by the Friends of the Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters 2025 Art Research Fellowship Program. ————————————— Elizabeth K. Eder, Ph.D., is a museum scholar, educator, and researcher who has worked at the Smithsonian Institution for more than 20 years, including at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Museum of Asian Art (formerly the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery), and the Anacostia Community Museum. Her museum career has also included positions at the Walters Art Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and the American Alliance of Museums. Her research interests include nineteenth-century American art; Chinese, Japanese, and European artistic influences on American art; the history of cultural exchange; and women’s histories. Her publications include books, scholarly articles, and museum print and digital resources. She is currently a Research Associate at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and teaches in the Museum Studies Graduate Program at Johns Hopkins University, most recently History and Philosophy of Museums (in Global Context). She is also Principal of Elizabeth K. Eder &amp; Associates LLC, a museum consulting practice.

Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site

Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site

S22: conversations

Wondering what to do in Boston? Places to eat? Free activities? Good for a group? Date night spot? Girls night out? The best things to do? Ask Joyraft!

Best places to go in Boston? Things to do? Places to eat?

Questions & answers about things to do in Boston

Recs 💬

Community recs 💬

S4: top picks

The most fun, cool and unique things to do in Boston. Can’t miss events, shows and experiences. Concerts, restaurants, bars, free things in Boston and beyond.

The most fun and cool events happening around Boston

Hot and new things to do in Boston

Hot & new

Hot & new 🔥

S11: happening this weekend

What to do in Boston this weekend? From festivals, concerts, performances, free events, screenings and more, Joyraft has the best things to do in Boston.

25+ things to do in Boston/Cambridge/Somerville this weekend

Things to do in Boston this weekend

This wknd

This weekend for you

S21: roundups

Our top picks: outdoor dining, free events, spring festivals, best bars, upcoming concerts, museum parties - the latest in and around Boston.  Slug: joyraft-top-picks-best-things-to-do-boston-ma

Top picks of the best things to do in and around Boston

Joyraft picks: Boston’s best things to do

Roundups ⭐️

Curated by Joyraft ⭐️

S28: calendar experiences

This week in Boston

This week in Boston 📆

This week 📆

S20: c+d experiences

Discover new, unique events and experiences happening in and around Boston. Perfect for date night, good for a group or with a friend. Be the first to know.

The newest events happening in and around Boston

The newest events on Joyraft

Just added

Just added to Joyraft

S16: editor picks

The most unique and can’t miss things coming up in Boston / Cambridge / Somerville and beyond. Festivals, food, drinks, fairs, concerts, art and free activities.

Unique and Can’t Miss Things to Do in Boston

Can’t-miss things to do in Boston 🚨

Can't-miss things to do 🚨

S2 (A): top experiences

The most popular things to do on Joyraft. Concerts, restaurants, bars, events, parties, openings, kid friendly, date ideas, free things in Boston and beyond.

Top 20 things to do in Boston

Top 20: Joyraft’s most popular

Top 20

Top 20 on Joyraft

S3 (A): trending experiences

Discover can’t miss events and things to do in Boston. The most fun, unique and cool events coming to the Boston area this spring and summer.

The hottest events happening in Boston

Trending events on Joyraft

Trending 📈

S19: interest based

Kid-friendly events in Boston

S18: interest based

Where to eat and drink in Boston? Joyraft has Boston’s newest bars, restaurants and specials. Drinks and pre fixe dinner menus. Cambridge & Somerville too.

Boston Bars and Restaurants: Events and Openings

Food & drink experiences in Boston

Food & drink experiences 

A Closer Look at Charley Longfellow’s “Japan Room"

Where?