The Home of Sarah Orne Jewett in South Berwick, Maine

On the home’s three-story façade, classic Georgian architecture is featured with its hipped roof with two symmetrical brick chimneys and three dormers topped with pediments. The double, black-shuttered windows on the first and second floor are aligned both vertically and horizontally, and the window over the front door portico is perfectly aligned with the pitch of the portico roof. The portico’s pediment rests on an entablature, or band of decorative moldings, that is supported by two columns. Courtesy of Historic New England

The Sarah Orne Jewett House, built around 1774 in South Berwick, Maine, is distinctly 18th-century Georgian architecture on its exterior. American writer Sarah Orne Jewett and her sisters inherited the home from their grandfather in the 1800s. The house with clapboard siding is situated prominently in the town center and is surrounded by a picket fence.

The architecture conveys classic symmetry and proportion and a black-and-white color scheme on its exterior. Homes of this style were generally two stories high and two rooms deep. The entrance was centrally placed with windows on the front façade balancing both sides of the main doorway. The windows in Georgian style were double-hung sash that move up and down for ventilation with small panes.

When the sisters moved in, the interior of the home was updated in a popular aesthetic style, known as the Arts and Crafts movement (1876–1916). The interior focuses on natural light, cheery color schemes and patterns, and a general focus on enjoyment of the senses.

The entryway shows a keystone arch with fluted pilasters (columns integrated into a wall), a paneled chair railing, and hand-carved stair railing and posts. A colorful botanical-centric wall covering, and a William Morris-designed stair runner accentuates the stairs. Courtesy of Historic New England

Block-printed wallpaper in the dining room appears to be two-dimensional, due to a technique of faux shadowing that creates a wood-carved look. The paneled chair railing, classic columned painted-wood fireplace mantel, and deep-set, dentil ceiling moldings contrast with the blue-and-camel-hued wallpaper in this intimate space. Courtesy of Historic New England

Sarah’s sister Mary occupied this room in the home. It showcases a soft, feminine rose and terracotta-colored flocked wallpaper, made with bits of wool to achieve a velvety look. Hand-carved fluted, as well as dentil details in the fireplace mantel and ceiling trim are painted a soft cream and are the backdrop for the delicately crocheted canopy over the arched four-posted bed. Courtesy of Historic New England

The author’s bedroom décor features earthy olive green and brown hues and a block-printed, textured leaf, scroll, and fleur-de-lis motif wallpaper. The fanlight transom window over the door opens up to light and ventilation. The fireplace tiles depicting pastoral scenes are most likely imported from England. Courtesy of Historic New England

The library’s books are housed in barrister-style, glass-door bookcases that sit atop a chest of drawers. Gray-blue trim contrasts with walls painted a bright terracotta color, called “pompeiian red.” Wide windows allow plenty of natural light to enter the library; an eclectic assortment of upholstered and non-upholstered seating decorate the room. Courtesy of Historic New England

The author’s desk in this small room is a tall mahogany secretary built in the early 1800s by a Maine cabinet maker. The wall covering uses natural, mid-tone earthy hues and bold motifs of flowers and leaves. A high paneled chair railing, paneled window seat area, and a layer of wide and small dentil ceiling moldings provide the room’s classical architectural elements. Light floods the area from a multi-paned window. Courtesy of Historic New England

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