The ironing board in use at New Bellevue House is no ordinary appliance. Our maid, Margaret Mary Siobhan, utilizes an item that belonged to the household of my wife’s grandmother, the imperious Lady Alice Charlotte Teutch Rimbold. It came to America 74 years ago with the family’s belongings from Upper Saxe-Gotha, one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine branch of the Wettin dynasty in the former Landgraviate of Thuringia. The Teutchs were proud descendants of Duke Ernest I the Pious and they never let you forget it. The family jewels went at auction and we got the ironing board. It’s compelling for several reasons.
© 2024 John Oliver
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