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| "Setting the Table" display in the Brooklyn Museum's Visible Storage. |
Knife rests first brought me to the Brooklyn Museum; their Visible Storage keeps me coming back.
This month, we discovered the "Setting the Table" exhibit which brings together an eclectic mix of American treasures from different eras that "explore the joy of dining in the United States". In a come one, come all environment, luxury goods created for the wealthy, such Tiffany butterfly-shaped napkin rings, join kitschy, mass-produced tableware, like Tupperware salt and pepper shakers from the 1960's. Off to the side, a pretty, 19th century, Union Porcelain cream-and-burgundy vegetable dish awaits its guests, inviting them to pull up a mid-century Eames chair and dig in.
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| First visit Brooklyn Museum & knife rests, 2022 |
"Setting the Table" is just one of the many displays in the Brooklyn Museum's Visible Storage - a place I like to think of as an elegant "grandma's attic". It houses over two thousand items in organized and catalogued collections. Opened in 2005, this warehouse spans 5,000 square feet on the museum's 5th floor, filled with an array of objects that would prove too numerous for an unshared spotlight. For those who like things that are rare, fancy, quirky and/or bring a bit of nostalgia, Visible Storage is the place to go.
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| Chris' fav, Ancient Egyptian Art on 3rd Floor. He's walking like . . . |
My first trip to the Brooklyn Museum was in 2022 (Visit to the Brooklyn Museum to view rare ceramic knife rests). I found a rare pair of ceramic knife rests were in their possession - and, as luck would have it, while visiting our son and daughter-in-law who reside in New York's largest borough, our hotel was a short walk to this New York institution. My husband, Chris, and I soon learned, there was so much more than knife rests worth seeing here.
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| Beyond Visible Storage: 4th Floor Period Rooms |
I found more to love on the 4th floor, where the "period rooms" reside. I'm particularly fond of the Gilded Age rooms from a Saratoga Springs home complete with an excessively decorated parlor. Chris favors the 3rd floor which features Ancient Egyptian art. And, yes, once inside, he does, indeed, walk like an. . . well, you know the rest.
Last week marked our third visit to the Brooklyn Museum and we plan to make room for all its many rooms every chance we get to NYC.
For our Barb's Tea Service's short video featuring Brooklyn Museum's "Setting the Table", click the link directly below:
Brooklyn Museum 2026: Visible storage return - tables setting with Tupperware, Tiffany & Eames chair
