When Michigan Homes Had Actual Parlors

“Come into my parlor” said the spider to the fly...and that meant doom for the fly.

Now, back in the old days, if someone was asked to come into the parlor, it usually ended up leading to something else...marriage.

You've seen the old movies where suitors and their prospective mates went into the parlor to do their wooing. That's right, you heard me...wooing.

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In the 1700s and 1800s, having a parlor meant you had some kind of higher status. Parlors were usually the best room in the house, filled with status symbols, expensive furniture, and works of art. Parlors were used as a reception room for family gatherings like birthdays, baby showers, funerals, and weddings. But as the years went by, the parlor became known for giving a young couple a little privacy as they continued their courtship.

After a while, some large houses with parlors turned them into rooms for business, such as a beauty parlor, or funeral parlor. The decline of home parlors as reception or courtship areas took place when other areas of the home began replacing them, such as living rooms, game rooms, and dens.

On a whole different level, and way different from the original home parlors are the ones now used for commercialism... you know the ones I mean:
Ice cream parlour
Massage parlour
Pizza parlour
...and more that use the old English spelling with a “u”.

In the gallery below, you will see 15 old home parlors, hopefully giving you an idea of what the old parlors were like..