I love decorative door knockers, don’t you?
I was wandering the streets of Boston’s Historic Beacon Hill admiring the incredible variety of old and newer door knockers and I got to thinking that maybe you would love to see them too. So, I pulled out my camera and started taking pictures. Just wait until you see them all.
Of course one of the dangers of photographing the door knockers of perfect strangers is that they might just step out their door at the precise moment your flash goes off (again, sir, I’m terribly sorry). But embarrassing moments aside, I spent a wonderful couple of hours capturing many of these decorative gems and getting a little of the history from various locals too.
From the little research I’ve done it appears that the first recorded door knocker was a classic ring style. This was usually found on the doors of cathedrals. If someone was being pursued by a secular authority their goal would be to run for the church in hopes of grasping the ring and thus securing the protection and refuge of the church.
The solid door knockers followed and the Lafayette knocker is a good example of that period. It’s unique combination of American minimalism and French elegance made it a popular choice. There are plenty of these gracing the doors of Beacon Hill.
Then came the more decorative designs featuring animals, birds, plants and so forth. The Eagle, for example, came into vogue about 1775, a patriotic symbol.
The lion serves to protect the the home with its valor and bravery and was one of the most popular designs I came across. But there were also foxes and fish and lobsters and crabs and whale tails — some old and some more recently designed. (click on the collage to view them all)
Oh, and there were little ringed hands, and garlands, and pineapples and pears and even an acorn on the door of a home on the famous Acorn Street.
I couldn’t pick a single favorite myself as there were just too many great designs to choose from. What about you?
What design would you choose or did you choose as a door knocker for your front door?
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1. These are great. I would have to say the hand with ring is one of my favorites but I really like others as well. The lobster would rank just because it is so different.
by Susan — 4/15/09 at 9:28 am #
2. Hi Susan: thanks for stopping by and sharing your favorites. I agree, it’s hard to choose just one.
by Joan Kosmachuk — 4/16/09 at 12:02 am #
3. We will probably be going with a Lion knocker for the Stone House. These are all so fabulous!
by Baba — 4/16/09 at 1:39 pm #
4. Thanks for sharing this fun virtual sightseeing trip! The hand with the ring IS cool, if a little odd. I’m surprised to not see any anchors. Fun stuff!
by barbara — 4/16/09 at 4:51 pm #
5. I really like the pineapple one, we were in Williamsburg Va, last fall and I saw one on a beautiful older home and I would have loved to have one, but haven’t seen one like it till now,such a welcoming feeling on an entrance door. I enjoyed your rare collection.
Thanks Chris
by Chris — 4/17/09 at 12:32 pm #
6. Hi Baba: Oooh, a lion on a stone house sounds just right! Send us a picture some time.
by Joan Kosmachuk — 4/17/09 at 1:39 pm #
7. Barbara: Now you mention it, I’m a little surprised myself there were no anchors. Glad you enjoyed the virtual tour. Stop by again, you never know where we’ll go next!
by Joan Kosmachuk — 4/17/09 at 1:41 pm #
8. Chris, yes, the pineapple is the symbol of hospitality, isn’t it? Thanks for commenting. Nice to know folks are enjoying the blog,
joan
by Joan Kosmachuk — 4/17/09 at 1:42 pm #
9. I’ve always loved door knockers! So many unique ones! At my old house, our door handle had a built in knocker. It was really unique!
by melissa — 5/13/09 at 9:59 am #
10. Hi Melissa, glad you enjoyed the post — a door knocker in a door handle? Wow, that is unique.
joan
by Joan — 5/13/09 at 10:48 am #
11. I found an ear of corn at a yard sale years ago that now adorns my fromt door.
by Linda — 5/15/09 at 7:31 pm #
12. Hi Linda: Your doorknocker sounds really neat and what a great yard sale find. Thanks for stopping by.
joan
by Joan — 5/18/09 at 5:43 pm #
13. Hi Joan,
I’m new to the whole HomeGoods phenomenon and was just cruising through the site to find a certain rug style. I came across your post about updating you living room from last year and followed that with exploring all your posts. This one about door knockers resonated with me. Last year (2008) at the end of March, I went with two girlfriends to Italy for the first time. I became so enamored of all the beautiful and functional metalwork wherever we went (Rome, Florence, Sienna, and Venice) that my entire trip is recorded in dozens of photos of door knockers, hinges, lampposts, grillwork, and even trash cans and storm drains–with only a handful of the sights for which Italy is so famous. I felt silly at first taking these photos but when I got home I realized that I remembered exactly where I took each one and how I felt while I was in that place.
by Rachel — 11/21/09 at 5:51 pm #
14. Rachel: What a unique photographic perspective you have on Italy. I hope you’ve framed some of your collection? The multi-photo frames people often used for family photos can be an awesome way to display a collage of photos like you describe. Or a single shot in a black and white frame can be a work of art. I’ve got some similar shots from our trip to Paris and I’m thinking of transfering a few of them onto stone drink coasters. There’s a lot of ways you can display your unique photos. Thanks for taking the time to share your story.
by Joan — 11/25/09 at 10:18 am #