I combine a romantic marble sculpture, an ornate armchair, delicate lace curtains, and a swath of velvet drapery to express the elegant Victorian character of the “Drawing Room,” the most important room in the Seward House. This was where William Henry Seward greeted his guests, including government officials, generals, diplomats, and friends. The house and its furnishings reflects the essence of the British Empire’s Victorian era, which lasted from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century, and greatly influenced the decorative arts of the United States as well as Seward’s Auburn home.