My first style inspiration was Samantha Parkington — yes, the American Girl historical doll. A rich orphan in 1904 New York, Samantha captivated me with the details of her life: a maroon velvet hat, the watercress sandwich in her lunchpail, the iron detailing on her school desk, the white lace tablecloth that covered the white rattan table at her birthday tea. (Again, yes, we are still talking about a doll.)
Those details, etched into my impressionable young brain at an early age, are always floating close to the surface of my subconscious, ready to pop up when summoned. And oh, were they summoned when I came across these vintage sukkah photographs; taken in 1902 Chicago and the late 1800s in Europe, respectively. This is what Samantha’s sukkah would have looked like, I just know it.
Left photo from the Chicago History Museum via Getty Images, right photo from the Bettman Archive via Getty Immages
Childhood dolls aside, why did we stop decorating our sukkot like this? Why did we trade in layers of lush fabric and lanterns at staggered heights for disposable tablecloths and plastic fruit?
Or, more specifically, why haven’t I been invited to any of the lushly decorated sukkot that surely are the norm in cultures I didn’t know existed when I was a child in a Reform synagogue, learning to decorate a sukkah by hanging a drawing of a lulav and dragging in some folding chairs?
Building a sukkah isn’t something Samantha’s family would have done (she wasn’t Jewish), but it also was fading as a practice among more Reform Jewish families as well. A 2020 Tablet article traces the rejection of the sukkah — it set Jews apart from their neighbors and it didn’t fit in with their urban lifestyle. Some less observant Jewish families were satisfied with agriculture inspired centerpieces to celebrate the holiday. (Meanwhile, the sukkahs that remained on the tenement balconies of more observant Jews were probably not draped in lace.) At some point — perhaps with Jews gaining more space, time and money — the sukkah made its way back into the tradition of less observant Jewish communities.
With that context, it makes sense that by the time the American Jewish Reform sukkah tradition made its way to me in 1990s Louisiana, we were hanging up drawings made by children in Sunday school, pulling a folding table out of our attic and calling it a day.
But now, I’m feeling the itch to recreate the Victorian sukkah. Here’s how I’d do it:
New Year, More Kveller. A few dollars keeps Kveller joyfully, honestly free.
Bow garland
Samantha Parkington was no stranger to items with bows (I should know, I owned them all). Any Samantha-inspired sukkah needs a bow.
Imagine the look on the faces of the family above if you tried to hang a crumpled paper chain in their sukkah. Velvet only, please!
LED oil lamp
An open flame in a sukkah makes me nervous, which is probably exactly why they invented LED oil lamps.
Rattan lantern
Per our inspiration above, you'll need a variety of lanterns hanging. This rattan option is reminiscent of the ones pictured above.
Lace lantern
A second lantern texture — in this case, lace — could add to the cozy, layered vibe.
This vintage decorative fruit add some depth to the modern plastic fruit currently being sold as sukkah decor. (Of course, real fruit — particularly lush bunches of grapes — would get the job done.)
Tassel ornaments
Tassels have been used in decor forever, but they feel right at home in this vision board.
Dried flower garlands were big in the Victorian era, and thus they should be in a Victorian sukkah.
Lace tablecloth
You'll need more than one of these — one for the table, and at least one more for layering on the wall.
Candelabra
Taper candles and candelabras are all over the place these days, and are often at Goodwill and estate sales. Here's a pretty option from Williams Sonoma.
LED taper candles
I would not be a Jewish mother if I didn't remind you that an open flame in a sukkah makes me nervous!
