Prestwould in Mecklenburg County, Virginia has one installed in their
dining room

 

Gretchen M. Goodell

Curator

Stratford Hall

483 Great House Road

Stratford, VA  22558

(804) 493-8038 x 8910

www.stratfordhall.org

________________________________

From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Carol Ely
Sent: Thursday, May 28, 2009 12:20 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] help with a "punkah"

 

We're embarking on a re-restoration of the interior of our 1790s
historic house, and we are eager to recreate the "punkah" or "punka"
that we believe (based on a description in a letter) to have been in the
dining room in the 1810s. A punkah is a structure of wood and sometimes
cloth that was suspended from the ceiling and used to keep flies off the
food during a meal, described here as  a set of "small flags" pulled by
a cord operated by an enslaved boy. But, we don't know what it looked
like and can't find a visual reference. The ones that we have seen
pictured are in the form of a single giant paddle, not the small flags
we had here. The word suggests an origin in India.


So, is anyone familiar with this? Anyone have one, original or
reconstructed? Ideas where to look?

 

Carol Ely

Executive Director

Historic Locust Grove

Louisville

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