Philobiblon

So many things in life we take for granted, such as the humble curtain, yet of course they’ve been unknown for most of history, rudimentary shutters being far cheaper, more durable and practical, and cloth far too expensive for all but essential use in clothing and bedding.

In Maureen Waller’s 1700: Scenes from London Life, I read that they were a common object of theft in her period, with thieves dislodging them with a grappling hook and dragging them out through the window – aiuded by the arrival in the 1670s of divided curtains – previously a single curtain had been pulled back to the side.

I’ve been pondering these particularly since I’ve been considering doing without them myself – not being a fan of such dust-collecting items, and having now windows not very suited to blinds. I’m considering internal shutters, but haven’t been able to find how good an insulators they are – presumably they’d be as good as heavy curtains? (These are for east-facing big windows in a flat in a brick structure with a big thermal mass.)