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Rochester, New York, circa 1908. "Pompeiian Room -- Hotel Seneca." (Catchphrase: "In the Pompeiian Room, everyone smokes!") 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
I love looking at photos of fin de siècle interiors. I absoltely covet those dining chairs and the gorgeous scalloped shutters on the upper windows. I'd be tirelessly prowling every estate sale, antique store, and consignment shop here in Rochester if there was any hope of them surfacing a century later...
According to this site the Seneca opened in 1908 and was demolished in 1969.
Somehow I don't think we'll see floors like that in Germany again anytime soon.
Interesting that the catchphrase would say "In the Pompeiian Room, everyone smokes!" as I don't see an ashtray in sight; unless those water pitchers were actually used as ashtrays, in which case I would say that definitely everyone smoked in that room.
This is just incredible! I sure hope it is still there! I've seen floors like that in Trier, Germany, that dated back to when it was a Roman town.
I hate to think of it being filled with smoke, though, getting all discolored and nasty, but I guess it was all washable!
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