House for Mr. S.W. Allerton, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: South Elevation c. 1884

Henry Lord Gay, an architect working out of Chicago, made this elevation drawing for Mr. S. W. Allerton's house in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Architectural renderings such as this one, common in the late 19th century, reflect more than just aesthetic preferences. They reveal the social hierarchies of the Gilded Age. Mr. Allerton was wealthy, and the architectural style--a mix of Queen Anne and Victorian elements--projected an image of established money and refined taste. The house itself, likely built in the 1880s, would have been a statement of social status, set apart from the more modest homes of the working class. What can historical analysis add? Well, examining census records, local histories, and period newspapers would give us insight into Allerton's business dealings, his social circle, and the local economy of Lake Geneva, giving us a more complete picture of the drawing.