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In 1878, Walter Launt Palmer (son of sculptor Erastus Dow Palmer) painted this interior of the home today known as the Ten Broeck Mansion.  Seated within is the house's owner, Thomas Worth Olcott (1795-1880), a prominent Albany banker.  The furnishings are an eclectic mix of personal possessions, oriental rugs, a Shaker chair, a Japanese screen and a marble bust of Mary Olcott sculpted by Erastus Dow Palmer.

Inclusion of the elderly Mr. Olcott reading a morning newspaper gives an idea of his social and economic status: he had both the means to pursue and acquire his possessions and the leisure time to enjoy them.

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Library at Arbor Hill (Olcott Interior)
Walter Launt Palmer (1854-1932)
Oil on canvas, 1878
AIHA Collection: Gift of the Estate of Robert W. Olcott

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