h the house it lends distinction and charm to the
building as a whole.

Like men, doorways have character and individuality. Indeed, in their
individuality they reflect the character of those who built them. They
symbolize the house as a whole and usually the mien of its occupants;
they create the first impressions which the guest has of his host, and
foretell more or less accurately the sort of welcome to be expected.

The houses of Philadelphia and vicinity, perhaps more than those of any
other American city, possess the charm of architectural merit combined
with historic interest. To appreciate more fully the important part
played by Philadelphians in early American affairs, we study their
houses and home life, and as the primary index to the domestic
architecture of the vicinity we direct our attention to the doorways and
porches.

Like the houses, the doorways range in architectural pretension from the
unaffected simplicity of Wyck to the stately elaboration of Cliveden and
Mount Pleasant, and possess distinctive characteristics not seen
elsewhere. Wealth made Philadelphia the most fashionable American city
of the time, with all the attendant rivalries and jealousies of such a
condition. Desiring to put the best foot foremost, elaboration of the
doorway provided a ready means to display the self-esteem, affluence and
social position of the owner. Naturally the Quaker severity of former
years was reflected in many of these outward manifestations of home
life, and it is a study of absorbing interest to note the proportions
and resulting spirit, so unlike New England doorways, which the local
builders gave to their adaptations from the same Renaissance motives.
Summed up in a sentence, the high, narrow doorways of Philadelphia, for
the most part without the welcoming side lights of New England, speak
truly of Quaker severity and the exclusiveness of the old aristocratic
families.

[Illustration: PLATE XLIV.--Window and Shutters, Free Quakers' Meeting
House, Fifth and Arch Streets; Second Story Window, Free Quakers'
Meeting House.]

[Illustration: PLATE XLV.--Detail of Windows, Combes Alley; Window and
Shutters, Cliveden; Window, Bartram House.]

As to the doors themselves, four distinct types were common throughout
the Colonial period. Single and double doors were equally popular,
high, narrow double doors being favored for the more pretentious
houses, although instances are not lacking of single doors in the