18 Stafford Terrace

A while back I toured 18 Stafford Terrace with my friend Kate. The home was purchased by Edward Linley Sambourne in 1875. He worked as a cartoonist for Punch, a humor and satire magazine. 

The home's internal decor has been preserved by Sambourne's children and grandchildren and gives visitors a spectacular view of Victorian life. Edward Sambourne did not make a lot of money as a cartoonist but still wanted his home filled with the popular furnishings of the day. To accomplish this he purchased chipped china and displayed them in a way to hide the imperfections. 

The wallpaper throughout several rooms was made from leather and purchased from Japan. Another cost saving technique Sambourne applied was that he did not put the expensive new wallpaper behind framed art, mirrors, or anything else hanging on the wall. 

Our guide told us that Victorians liked rooms with dim lighting and kept the rooms dim with curtains and dark stained glass. It was also en vogue to have lots of little trinkets and furniture filling the room. Today we see this as unnecessary clutter and gauche. 

Below is a self portrait of Edward Linley Sambourne in the style of his drawings. You can also see a closer view of some of the Japanese wallpaper. When his children were grown, Sambourne turned the attic nursery into his office where he would work at his easel. 

Sambourne was not a classically trained artist and would take photographs of himself or paid models in different poses so he could produce drawings quickly and more accurately than freehand. The museum has thousands of these [sometimes rather ridiculous] photographs filed away with some on display in the bathroom. In fact, Sambourne has been declared by some "The King of Selfies." 

18 Stafford Terrace is one of the best preserved Victorian homes I've ever seen. The guided tour was excellent and I would recommend to anyone interested in historic homes.