First owned by the merchant William Stead, and later by his sons, the property seems to have undergone a major renovation between January 1763 and July 1766, as indicated by a substantial increase in the valuation shown in the tax records. This room, occupying the central position on the second floor, probably became the main reception area of the new house.

The carved architectural elements that decorate the room are probably based on popular eighteenth-century books of architectural designs, such as Abraham Swan's Designs for Chimnies: and the Proportions They Bear to Their Respective Rooms, London, 1765, and Upwards of One Hundred and Fifty New Designs, for Chimney Pieces; from the Plain and Simple, to the Most Superb and Magnificent, London, 1768. Many of Swan's designs were influenced by the Palladian style, so named for the classically inspired work of sixteenth-century Italian architect Andrea Palladio. This elegant and refined style was popular in large English country houses of the eighteenth century. In the design of town houses, the style was reflected in a new emphasis on the second floor level, exemplified here by the large tripartite "Venetian" window.

In the nineteenth century, part of the house became the Crooked Billet tavern. By 1920 the building had fallen on hard times and was serving as a tin can factory. The Philadelphia Museum of Art acquired the room in 1922 as its first period room. It is installed with eighteenth-century English paintings and furnishings.