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firawe ovarai
S ubrat)
A/k
24 O 6
URNISHING
tº
edited by
w1 L L I A M R O T C H w A R E
Illustrated, largely, with
Measured Dr
H. C. DUNHAM -
ANMERICAN ARCHITECT COMPANY
B O s T o N
- ‘. . . . . 1 9 O 4 -













CoPYRIGHT, 1904, BY THE
AMERICAN ARCHITECT COMPANY.
AMERICA Co., PRINTERS, BOSTON, MASS. U. S. A.
{ %
& 4
& &
IO.
II.
I2.
I3.
I4.
I5.
I6.
I7.
I8.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
CABRIOLE LEGS, late and early, with Stretchers and without.
DUTCH BANDY-LEGGED CHAIR.
ENGLISH CHAIRS, showing Dutch Influence.
DUTCH BANDY-LEGGED CHAIR.
CHIPPENDALE TYPES, with Straight and Bandy Legs. -
A CHIPPENDALE TYPE.
ROUNDABOUT AND ROCKER: CHIPPENDALE TYPES.
A CHIPPENDALE TYPE.
STRAIGHT-LEGGED CHAIRS : CHIPPENDALE TYPES.
A CHIPPENDALE TYPE.
A CHIPPENDALE TYPE.
EAR-TIPPED CHAIRS: CHIPPENDALE TYPES.
A CHIPPENDALE TYPE.
CHIPPENDALE TYPES.
A CHIPPENDALE TYPE.
BALL AND CLAW ARM-CHAIR . CHIPPENDALE TYPE.
A CHIPPENDALE TYPE.
A CHIPPENDALE TYPE.
iſ T3 ºr ºry
Plate 19.
& 4
2O.
2I.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
chirrespale TYPE.
A CHIPPENDALE TYPE.
A CHIPPENDALE TYPE.
SPANISH FOOT AND BALL-AND-CLAW FOOT : CHIPPENDALE TYPES.
A CHIPPENDALE TYPE.
A CHIPPENDALE TYPE.
ARM chairs CHIPPENDALE TYPES.
ENGLISH EXAMPLES OF CHIPPENDALE WORK.
LATE TYPES OF CHIPPENDALE ARM-CHAIRS.
ENGLISH EXAMPLES OF CHIPPENDALE WORK.
text.
A SHORT GLOSSARY OF TERMS º gºe º º º - - * - º * Pages I-16
WILLIAM B. BIGELOW
INTRODUCTORY - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - “ 17-19
CHIPPENDALE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - “ 20-24
R. DAVIS BENN
A SHORT GLOSSARY of TERMS
W I L L I A M B. B. IG E L O W.
T must be understood that this very condensed glossary is intended to stimulate rather than to satisfy the
I curiosity of those interested in the study of Colonial furniture; and it is hoped that its very brevity
and incompleteness will induce more or less cognoscenti to communicate to the editor any definitions of
terms that have here been omitted, in order that the list may be expanded in later editions.
It is to be noted, too, that, as the Colonists and Provincials did not use only seventeenth and eighteenth
century household goods, it has been found desirable to include the definitions of some terms which rightfully
belong to earlier styles and epochs. -
'N
-> - sº-
Amboyna-wood: Brought from Borneo by the Dutch. Banister-[or Baluster-] Back: See “Chair-back.”
A beautiful mottled and curl-grained wood used,
for veneers only, by them and by the French.
Riesener, a French cabinetmaker is first known to
have used it on a cabinet made for Marie Antoinette.
Some writers apply this term to
chairs when the splat has the general
outline of the squat balusters of the
times of Louis XIV and later,
although the splat itself, within the
bounding outline, may be perforated
brass and irons were cast and and slit º al º Of º
It seems desirable, however, that the
| º º: º º º term should be restricted to the form
sizes. In the three commonist indicated by the accompanying cut.
| `Andirons" styles, the decorative treatment
- is based on the globe, the urn, or
the steeple. Just after the Revolutionary war iron
fire-dogs were cast in the form of Hessian Soldiers, º -: ith
so that, amongst other things, they might be spat sists of two Barjeers with
upon. a stool between them, all
Back: See “Chair." Since the treatment of the chair "ſº fitting together at
º e • - - - . . o will to form a sofa from 6
back may be infinitely varied in its decorative form, to 8 ft. long.
while the variations that can be effected in legs, arms - -
and seats are comparatively few in number, the back Baroque: F rom the Portuguese word “baroco” mean-
affords the best means of discriminating between the ing a large irregular pearl.
Several styles, varieties and epochs. Became a synonym for the
- forced and Overloaded dec-
oration prevailing during
the close of the XVIII
Century particularly dur-
Andirons: Were both imported and made in the
Colonies. Were of c as t and
wrought iron and of brass. The
Barjeer: Arm-chair with one arm, first made by
Heppelwhite. He made
the “Duchesse” which con-
Baldaquin [or Baldachin]: The drapery over an altar,
throne or bed. This term, rather
than “tester,” should be used for
the framework at the head of a º - e
bed that supports the singl ir ing the reign of Louis
supports the single pa XV.
of curtains there. The use of the
single pair of curtains is later in Bason-Table: Term used in Chippendale’s “Gentle-
date than that of the double pair mans and Cabinetmaker's Directory.” (English :
and was made possible by better Wash-hand-stand. Modern : Wash-stand.)
- heating facilities which made it
necessary to absolutely enclose the bed.
Bay-berries [or Candleberries] : Were gathered and
the wax extracted for making into candles. An ordi-
Banks: Low stools or foot-banks. Sometimes de nance of Brookhaven as early as 1687 forbade the
tached, sometimes framed into the legs of the chair, gathering of the berries before Sept. I5th. under
Ball-and-Claw: See “Chair-leg.” - penalty of a fine of I5S,




2
seats of cae Colonists
Bear's-paw: See “Chair-leg.”
The bear's-paw finish to table and sofa legs, with
its shaggy locks of hair, has not the decorative value
of the earlier lion's claw or eagle's talon, and is
rather a sign of the straining after change and variety
that usually accompanies the decadence of a style.
BEDSTEADS: The Great Bed of Ware, mentioned by
High Rurpost
Shakespeare, was 7'-0" high and
* Io'-0" square.
In many castles, even as late as
Elizabethan times, there was but
one bed and that reserved for the
2P:F=---
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Eº 3%' 3
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* & -
family, servants and guests, took
their rest on the floor, on rugs or
cushions, or on chests or settles—
even on tables. -
Beds: were described as Canopy, Chinese, Dome,
Flock and Folding. - -
Bedsteads were: High Four-post, Low Four-post,
Press, Sofa, Summer, Field or Tent, and Trundle.
Folding-beds, and Library-bedsteads, were quite
COmmon.
Four-post Bedstead: The posts of the High Four-
- poster were made of all kinds of
wood, from pine for the cheapest
kind to mahogany. Although the
N is section of the post is generally
cylindrical, it is sometimes square,
or octagonal. Even in the more
|
*-
elaborate bedsteads the posts at
the head of the bed were usually
of a less expensive wood than
that used for the posts at the
foot; thus we often find head-
posts of cherry
mahogany foot-posts. At the same time the head-
posts were much simpler in decorative treatment
than the foot. This was possible because the bed-
curtains always concealed the
head-posts, both day and night,
while during the day the foot-
posts were revealed, the curtains
being all draped at the head of the
bed and only drawn about the foot
when the bed was made ready at
night. When the tester was used,
the posts usually finished with an
iron spindle which entered the
framework of the tester. When
the tester was not used, the posts were often finished
with a brass ornament—a globe, an urn or an eagle.
Low Four-post Bedstead: Usually had headboards be-
tween the head-posts and some-
-*. - times also had footboards, as
*: I well: rarely are they found
the low-post bedstead was used
without curtains, the head and
foot posts were usually of the
same wood and the same design;
for the same reason the head and foot boards
were decorated. As the low-poster is somewhat
late in time, the decorative design is apt to be rather
florid and the carving not as refined as that found
in high-posters. -
In later specimens of both kinds of bedstead, the
posts sometimes finish with a carved pine-apple or
acanthus bud.
Lord and Lady. The rest of the
hole being closed by a movable
wood in the same bedstead with
without one or the other. As
Buckets:
Bedsteads (continued) ... '
Summer-beds: Were two single beds under one
canopy. - -
Trundle-beds:–for children—were made to push
under the four-poster when not in use. -
Bed-chair: Chair of simple or ornamental construction,
usually an arm-chair with high - -
back, of the greatest usefulness
in the sick room in the days when
sanitary science was at its sim-
plest. On lifting the movable
cushion, there is disclosed a
wooden seat properly pierced, the
cover. Below this and between
the chair legs is a closed compart-
ment, with door at the back
th rough which the common
earthern chamber-pot can be withdrawn. It is the
“chaise d'affaires,” “chaise nécessaire,” “chaise
percée,” “chaise de retraite” of the gallant times of
Molière.
The Close-stool, or night commode, served a similar
purpose, but it usually had neither arms nor back.
Bed-tester: [From the French “téte,” head (Old
French “teste.”)] . The frame-
work over the bed, from which iſ
hung the valances and curtains.
The framework of the tester, 5
whether of light metal or wood,
was given different shapes, so
that the gable ends showed
segmental, polygonal or re-
curved outlines, according to the fancy of the de-
signer, or as might best fit the height and shape of
the chamber in which the bed was to stand.
İ
||||I||
WW
Bird's-claw: See “Chair-leg.”
Box.
Knife-and-Spoon: Was made of hardwood to
correspond with, and stand upon, the sideboard.
Strong-: Many such were made in Colonial times,
as money, deeds and valuables had to be kept in the
house. They were uniformly simple and straight-
forward in construction. Iron plates about 9%."
thick reinforced by bands at the corners and across
the top and sides, with massive bolts, elaborate locks
and bulky, many-warded keys, often of very fine
workmanship, were the more obvious features.
Brace [or Strainer or Stretcher]: See “Chair.”
Branch-veneer:
cut from the junction between the trunk and
Polite term for “Crotch veneer.” Is
branches or between the branches themselves.
Effects similar to the burl are produced, but they are
more regularly wavy and hence less esteemed by
cabinet-makers.
Brimstone: . Came into use about 1800, after tinder-
and-steel and before friction matches.
Each householder was required to keep on
hand, in good repair and always acces- -
sible, a certain number of “Fire-
buckets;” he was also bound to attend
with the able-bodied men of his house-
hold when summoned by an alarm of
fire, and to form in line to pass up the
buckets from the nearest pump to the
seat of the fire. At a later date the
line was formed to supply the fire-
engine, which was also manned by the -
citizens. After the fire, the buckets, which were of
"Fire-bucket
hºmº-v.














Glossary of Terms - - 3
Buckets (continued) :
leather, with each owner's name painted on them
were picked out and brought home, where they hung
in the stair-well from the trimmer-beam, or in the
rear porch, or the back shed. -
Buffet: [Bofet or Beau Fait]: Term which desig-
- nated a corner-cupboard built
into the room and intended for
the display of china and plate.
They were made both with
and without doors above the
shelf. When made with doors
above, these had glass let into
wooden muntins. The mun-
tins divided the glass into small
Square or diamond-shaped
panes in the earlier cup-
boards; later the muntins were
worked on segmental lines of
the same radius as the arch,
- thereby forming pleasing lancet
divisions and producing a richer effect.
A locked drawer, for choice small objects, often
formed a base to the upper cupboard. The lower
part was generally deeper than the upper and had
panelled wood doors. It was fitted with shelves and
was the usual receptacle for the table linen.
Buhl- [or Boule—or Boulle] work: From a cabinet-
- maker, André Charles Boulle;
b. 1642; d. 1732; celebrated
during the reign of the “Grand
Monarque,” Louis XIV.
Cabinet-work inlaid with
brass and tortoise-shell, the
shell generally coated with ver-
milion on the back, which thus
shows through in varying de-
gree according to the trans-
parency of the shell; the brass was more or less
chased (engraved with an engraver's tool).
The corners, feet, handles and many other parts
were further enriched with “Ormolu” appliqués (fire-
gilt bronze castings) which are marvels of skill in
modelling and finish. - -
In 1672 Louis XIV made Boulle engraver in ordi-
nary of the Royal Seals. The patent conferring this
appointment calls him “architect, painter, carver in
mosaic, artist in cabinet-work, chaser, inlayer, and
designer of figures.” His work-shops and studios
were of vast extent and he employed many work-
men. He had priceless collections of drawings,
medals and gems, including Raphael drawings, an
autograph journal of Rubens, illustrated with his
notes and sketches. His entire establishment, in-
cluding both shops and collections, was burned in
1720. During the rest of his life misfortune followed
him, and he died wretchedly poor. His four sons
never accomplished work equal to that of their father
and they also had endless misfortunes. Yet the
furniture to which Boulle gave his name continued
to be made during the whole of the XVIII century.
Boulle did not confine himself entirely to the work.
which bears his name. He mentions in his catalogue
inlays of many other materials than tortoise-shell
and metal. -
Bureau: See also “Chests.” The term now in general
use for a chest of three or four drawers, with or with-
out a mirror. Originally, in the French from which
we derive the name, a writing-desk.
The evolution of the bureau from the Kas or Kist,
Burnt-work:
by the rich. Candle-wood, i. e. pine
Bureau (continued) : -
follows the general tendency toward lighter pieces
of furniture —by the addition at first of a drawer in
the base, then of a framed base, making the drayer
more convenient of access, as well as protecting the
chest and its contents from the dirt and dampness
of the floor—until, finally, it blossoms into the “High-
boy.” -
The Kettle-shaped Bureau, a pattern favored by
Chippendale, had a cyma for the outline, of both
sides and front, and this gave the piece what may be
called a pulvinated form. The consequence of this
was that the lower drawer was both longer and
deeper than those above it.
Burl-veneer: See also “Veneers” and “Crotch-veneer.”
Walnut-burl veneers were the most used, but burl
or “burr” veneer may be cut from many different
trees. As its name indicates, it is cut from the burls,
i. e. the irregular excrescences formed during the
growth of the tree by the introduction of foreign or
disturbing elements into the sap, thus causing the
subsequent growth of fibre to be twisted and curi-
ously (often beautifully) contorted.
- Was done mostly on the chests that
came from Flanders—generally in connection with
designs with stippled background. -
Cabriole-leg: [From the Latin “capriolus,” a wild
goat.] So called because of its
shape suggesting the hind leg
of a goat or similar animal. It
seems to have been used early
by the Dutch cabinet-makers,
and it is testimony to the fidel-
ity with which they made their
joints that so many of these
chairs are still in use in spite
of the fact that the legs of these early chairs are not
stiffend with straining-pieces or stretchers.
Where straining-pieces are used they are inserted
between the hind legs and between the hind and fore
legs, but in place of inserting one between the front
legs, it is usual to connect the side stretchers by one
parallel with the back, and set from one-third to
one-half of the way back from the front legs.
The cabriole leg was generally adopted by Shera-
ton for his high-boys and low-boys and sometimes
for his sideboards.
The same outline was often given to the dwarf
legs, ending in ball-and-claw feet, used on bureaus,
desks, etc. -
Caddy: See “Tea-Caddy.”
Camphor-wood: Used in the East India chests, and
chests of drawers, that came into the Colonies at a
very early date, largely as convenient packing-cases.
Candles: Were almost entirely “tallow dips” made at
home. Wax candles were used only
knots, burned in the fireplace, were
the only illumination of many a home. .
Entry Lanthorns of tin perforated in
geometric patterns held bits of
candle, and gave enough light to
move around, but not enough to
read by. - . -
Wax candles were generally im-
ported, or, at least, were not arti-
cles of domestic manufacture in each household.
Tallow candles, on the other hand, were of universal
make, and each housewife had her tin candle-mould
Candle-mould





4 - Seats of 6%e Colonists
Candles (continued) : Card-tables (continued) :
in which two or more candles could be moulded at “fiche”) and hence were sometimes made in the
a time. The wicking was threaded through the shape of a fish in ivory or mother-of-pearl The
holes in the tapering bottom, and kept centered in games played were Ombre, Quadrille, Hazard, Bas-
the tubes by being drawn over a notched stick at Set, LOO, Faro, Picquet and Ecarté.
the top, while the hot fat was being poured in. Folding-in Card-tables: The leaves, four in number,
Candle-berry: See “Bayberry.” #" * were so hinged as to have the four corners meet at
Candle-screens: Were needful under various circum- the centre when closed; this was one of the forms
stances; the material of which the that Saved room when not in use; also made the pur-
screen proper was made varied also, pose of the table less obtrusive in censorious times.
Sometimes being a solid plaque of Carpets: Rag carpets, made at home of the remains
wood, and at others being made of a of clothes, stuffs, etc., were used as early as 1660.
translucent material such as porcelain Carton-pierre:
or white or yellow silk embroidered; in
the latter case the silk was sometimes
stretched and framed and at others
hung loose as a banner. The screen
itself was adjusted, up or down, Over a
spindle of wood or metal inserted in an
ornamental base, usually of tripodal
(Similar to “papier-maché,” and
"geSSO.”) A composition of putty or of paper-pulp
(more properly the last) and glue, which is pressed
into Sulphur or hardwood moulds with the fingers
and is then removed and allowed to harden. It is
used to Ornament plain surfaces or mouldings, re-
placing carving or modelling. .
It is held in place by strong glue and fine nails,
form. and is finished with paint or gilding, or both. Was
To the spindle was sometimes lavishly used in France, Italy, England and Ger-
bracketed a candelabrum arm, bearing one or more many from the time of Louis XIV (inclusive) to and
candles, but this was not always the case. including the First Empire.
Candle-stands: Small tables, generally with turned Castors: See “Hardware.”
centre posts and three carved
legs with hinds’ feet. Chippendale
says “these should run in height
from 3'-6" to 4'-6".” Chippendale
Cellarets: Small cases or chests of various decorative
forms and made of expensive cabinet-wood found
a place of honor on the sideboard. Two or more
cut-glass case-botles, often very beautiful, had a
and others made small tables espe- place within, and a compartment was usually pro-
cially adapted to stand candles upon. vided for a toddy-strainer, and sometimes for a
Often these candle-stands were ladle. -
hinged in the middle to the top of e g tº
the supporting post, so that on the CHAIRS: Aside from their special uses, as for Parlor,
release of a catch the top could he Dining-room or Hall, which are often interchange-
tilted up at right angles and able, chairs may be most easily distinguished by
made to do service as a fire-screen. -
As these little tables were used for the display of
l
Candle-wood: Name given to pine knots. Was burned
in the fireplace in the evenings, the only light the
earliest settlers had to read by after dark.
Cane [Backs and Seats of : See also “Chair.”
Backs and seats of woven or meshed cane came
into use in the XVII century, replacing the panelled
wainscot work of the high-backed chairs of the
period. It is most often found associated with chair &
frames rather elaborately treated. - ºrwºd Chair.
Canopy: See also “Beds.”
If there is a difference between a “canopy” and
a “tester,” it might be well to consider that the former
is more elaborate and architectural in its character
than the latter. It is most commonly applied to the
small semi-circular tester that supports the single
pair of curtains at the head of a bed.
Card-tables: Were folding tables, made to stand
against the wall. The unfolded
leaf is supported by either e & 4 e
brackets let into the back, or I.—Back: Banister- [or Baluster-] back: See “Banis-
by a hinged leg, like the others
in appearance. These tables
frequently had round depres.
sions at the corners to receive
the bases of the candle-sticks;
Some had netted or silk bags at
these corners to receive the
CO11nterS.
The counters were called ter.” Different writers apply this term to very dif-
“Fish” (from the French ferent shapes. - -
bric-à-brac, many a precious bit of china has been
Smashed because the catch had not caught.
‘Flemish Cane.
special features of their general styles: I, Backs; II,
Legs, or III, Seats. As most of the special terms
refer to these features, these three divisions are here
adopted :
General Styles: Barjeer, Bed-, Duchess, French,
Foot-bank or Lowstool, Goutystool, Rocker or
Rocking-, Roundabout, Windsor-.
sº- = * * *
Card Table.
3.










Glossary cf Terms m 5
Chairs (continued) :
Cabriole: This term we now apply to the curved
leg—in Chippendale's time it designated a chair with
an upholstered back.
Cane-back [and seat]. These were first made in
Holland and the chairs were either Spanish or
Flemish in design.
Fiddle-back: So called because the splat was
shaped like a fiddle.
|
! ‘wheelback. | Fiddle back
High-back: . Generic term for any chair with high
upright back.
Plate-back: One where the wooden central splat is
unpierced.
Scrowled-back: The high-backed, wooden-seated
Elizabethan chairs; the back pieces enriched with
carved scrolls, and frequently with some simple
inlay in two woods.
Splint-back: Back made of upright or horizontal
shaved splints of hickory or other wood.
Spoon-back: Term used in Queen Anne's time.
Three-Feathers [or Prince of Wales Feathers] : Is
especially used on chair-backs by Heppelwhite.
Wheatsheaf: The broken wheatsheaf, decoratively
speaking a variant of the Prince of Wales Feathers,
is distinctive of Heppel white chairs.
Wheel-back: The semi-circular topped back most
frequently found in the common or Windsor type
of wooden chair.
II.-Legs: Ball-and-claw, Bear's-paw, Bird's-claw,
Bandy-leg, Cabriole, Flemish-foot, Spanish-foot,
Hind's-foot.
III.-Seats: Bass-bottom, Cane-bottom, Rush-bot-
tom, Splint and Turkey-work. -
CHESTS: Came into the country with the Colonists,
serving as their trunks and
packing-cases, and when they
founded their homes these same
chests (set frequently at the
foot of the bed) “formed a seat
by day, a bed by night and a
.* receptacle for their belongings
always.” Certain styles of chests were peculiar to
given localities (doubtless because evolved by some
local expert) as the “Hadley Chest” and the “Con
necticut Chest.” -
Kas or Kist: (German “Kasse”; French, “caisse”).
Were Dutch pieces. They were
very large, often reaching from
floor to ceiling (8'-6") and wide
and deep in proportion; they cor-
respond closely with what our
New England housewives called
the “Clothes-press.”
The ordinary type rested flat
on the floor and had all the ap-
pearnce of a piece of cabinet work
built in place. The distribution
of the drawers was very varied,
and in like manner the opening of the large doors
Chests (continued):
might disclose mere hanging cupboards or other
series of drawers and shelves.
Olive-wood Chests one comes across occasionally,
with elaborate designs made by
stippling (i. e. crushing down or ºr-º-º->
indenting with a steel die) the back- || Sº
ground and sometimes gilding it, º | 0.
while the design, left flat or plain, i grº
is slightly engraved, just enough to | *Spanish Chest.
show interlacings, for instance, and
this effect of modelling is sometimes further en-
hanced by burning or charring in a way to suggest
shading.
Standard: A name given to the roughest kind of
chests, which were made to be
carried from place to place on
pack-horses or in carts, and in
which, when moving from one
place to another the more fragile
or perishable household goods
were temporarily packed.
Wedding-chests: Were an essential part of every
bride’s trousseau, and were filled
with her dower of linen and her
wardrobe. Frequently they were
made with drawers and cup-
boards in them and stood on a
raised framework for convenience
of access. This was the proto-
type of the “High-boy.” {{}, y YE
Many of the more elaborate º
fronts of these chests were made
in Flanders and were separately shipped to England,
where their other parts were made and fitted to
them. -
Cheval-glasses: Or full-length mirrors, were swung
between slender upright standards, turned, or carved
with twisted spirals or flutings, and decorated with
acanthus-leaf carvings, after the general style of a
high bed-post, which, on a smaller and more delicate
scale, they closely resemble.
Chiffoniere: A tall bureau, with generally six drawers
superposed. About 18OO.
Chinoiseries: See “Lacquer.”
Chippendale's Characteristics may be expressed as fol-
lows:
1. Ball-and-claw foot, with cabriole leg—this was
succeeded by the straight leg.
2. Tops of his chairs are almost invariably pro-
longed into little ear-like ornaments.
3. He never used inlay on his furniture.
4. He used carving, and not gesso, as ornament;
generally worked in solid mahogany for his larger
pieces, or in a close-set pine (which was gilded) for
his smaller and purely ornamental pieces.
5. Many of his gilded mirror-frames have the glass
pane divided by delicate ornament or pilasters.
6. Strength, beauty and adaptability to the use
were his watchwords.
“None of the furniture which we so fondly ascribe
to his name is from the designs figured in his book.”
Clocks and Timepieces: “Sun-dials” were the earliest
known indicators of the passing hours. Then came
the “clepshydra,” measuring time by the graduated
flow of some liquid.
The Hour-glass was known in England as early
as 886.












6
Seats of G^e Colonists
Clocks (continued) :
Noon-marks may still be seen on the window-sills
of some of our Colonial houses. -
The origin of clockmaking is involved in as great
obscurity as the making of gunpowder. There are
“general statements,” unsupported by definite facts,
to the effect that clocks were in use in Europe as
early as the IX century. It “is known” that in 1288
a clock was placed in the tower of Canterbury
Cathedral and that in 1368 a clock was erected at
Westminster. -
By the beginning of the XVI century, however,
clocks were in use in private houses and watches
were introduced.
The early Colonists brought clocks and other time-
keepers with them. - -
Mostinteresting ex-
amples of these early
importations are of
the “Lantern,”
“Chamber” and “Bird
cage” types, a few of
which are still cher-
ished, and some are
still keeping time
The “Willard” or
“Banjo-Clock” (so-
called from the out-
.0 line of its case) dates
- piršeye from 1800 to 1825.
Clock. Clocks were long
- called “Horologes” by
the English, the French still calling them “Horloges.”
Mr. Lockwood, in his book on “Colonial Furni-
ture,” says that the first mention of a clock in records
Of the Massachusetts Colony was in 1638; but in
Letchford's notebook it is stated that “Joseph Strat-
Lantern
Chamber.
ton had of his brother in 1628 a clock and a watch.”
In 1640 Henry Parks of Hartford, Conn., left a
clock by will to the church. -
See “Bed-chair.”
Clothes-presses: See also “Chests.” Were made by
Chippendale, as well as by others of the period; were
either chest-like or had wardrobe above and drawers
below.
- Cloth. Horse-hair-. See “Stuffs.”
See “Andirons.”
See “Bureau.”
Confidante: Was a species of tete-à-tête sofa.
Console-table: Same as “Pier-table.” The top was
usually of a semi-circular or semi-elliptical form,
and when, as was sometimes the case, the Straight
edge was fastened to the wall, the table was sup-
ported on front-legs only.
Cooler: See “Wine-cooler”; “Sideboard.”
Copal-Varnish: A very fine varnish, brought from the
East Indies. First used to make the “Vernis Martin.”
Corner-cupboard: See “Buffet.”
Couch: An upholstered lounge, or Sofa.
Cradle: Of all the furniture alleged to have “come
- - over in the ‘Mayflower,’ ” prob-
ably the only exemplars actually
brought on the first trip were
chests and cradles, the latter serv-
ing, to some extent, as packing-
cases. As the little ship sailed
from Delft Haven, perhaps one of
Close-stool:
Cob-Irons:
Commode :'
–sº
vºm-
| Cradle.
Curtain-materials:
Cradle (continued):
the cradles was of Dutch make, woven out of willow
withes, body as well as hood. Of Dutch cradles
Some are still, doubtless, treasured in Old New York -
families.
The early Colonial cradles, whether imported or
of home make, followed the type of the XVI cen-
tury work, heavy, low-bodied and often framed with
post and rail.
Cross-veneering: See also “Veneering.” Is an en-
tirely modern system. It consists in making a back-
ing for veneers or marquetry which cannot warp or
shrink, by glueing together from three to five thin
sheets of a fairly hard inexpensive wood, thus build-
ing up a thickness of 5%" or %". Upon this the
veneering is glued, as formerly upon the plain board
or panel. -
Crotch-veneer: See also under “Branch-veneer” and
“Veneering.” Striking effects are obtained on wide
Surfaces, such as table-tops or large panels, by using
two or four consecutive layers of a veneer and by
reversing these alternate sheets, thereby obtaining
symmetrical duplications of the markings that are
all the more interesting because the consecutive
layers, while essentially resembling each other, vary
most delicately and unexpectedly in minor features.
A further heightening of this effect is obtained by
cutting the sheets of veneer diagonally to the length
of the wood, thus forming lozenges in the lines of
grain. Good veneers are always kept by their
makers in exactly the order in which they were cut,
and in Japan even the commonest boards are kept
in the same way, until used.
In America, along the Atlantic seaboard, owing
to the alternations of moisture-saturated summer
heats, with winters made bearable only by hot-air
furnaces, all ordinary glued work is apt to fall to
pieces. Under these conditions large surfaces, un-
equally exposed, such as tops of furniture and their
doors, suffer most, and much of our earlier inlaid
furniture has thus been destroyed or seriously in-
jured. Many such pieces have been saved by skilful
modern cabinet-makers, who have remounted the
old veneers upon a new groundwork of cross-veneer-
1ng.
CUPBOARDS. Corner-cupboards: Were built into
the wainscoting of many of the earlier Colonial
houses. They had, usually, glass doors above, be-
hind which choice china or silverware were dis-
played. Below these doors there was often a drawer
for more precious belongings. Below the drawer a
shelf was formed by the greater projection of the
under-body. In this under part, which was usually
fitted with shelving, the table linen and general
napery was kept.
Court-cupboards: Were light movable shelves,
making a kind of sideboard, and were used to dis-
play plate and porcelain.
Livery-cupboards: Stood upon four legs, and
had three shelves and sometimes a drawer for linen,
but no doors. They were put in the Dining-parlor
on the second floor (where one never dined, but
which was used as a guest-room), to display plate
and porcelain.
See “Stuffs.”
Curtains: See “Beds.”





Glossary of Terms. * - - 7
Cylinder Top: Sheraton made a small desk, for ladies'
- - use, whose top was a cylindrical
f panel, swivel-hinged, so as to fall
witHiiº) into the space behind the drawers
º and pigeon-holes. This top, which
º was not flexible like a modern
l “roll-top,” was decorated with in-
lays of colored wood.
Sheraton had one pattern called
a “sisters' desk,” so that two
writers on opposite sides each
had a desk with its own cylinder top.
F- ---
EIJſº
ſ
Lismº
Desks: See also “Escritoires”; “Secretaries”; “Scru-
toirs.”
Double Chairs: A type affected by Chippendale; had
two backs, two arms and two seats, supported on
three pairs of legs. -
Dowel: See also “Glue”; “Veneering.”
A wooden pin : usually about ¥4", fitting into cor-
responding holes in two surfaces of wood to be
joined together and intended to hold them firmly in
their proper relations to each other. Also used in the
lace of mortise and tenon or other forms of joinery.
structural methods:
Drawer-runners : The earliest were adjusted to the
side, not to the bottº º is now almost universal
practice. The sides ºf the drawer were grooved or
channelled, and a stout running-strip was fastened to
the inner side of chest. -
Dressing-boxes [or Dressing-cases] : Consisted of
small chests or cases, twº " four feet in length, and
containing three or moré, small drawers for toilet
articles. They were sometimes furnished with ball-
and-claw legs of wood or brass, or else stood flat
upon the top of a bureau or dressing-table proper.
drawers supported two standards of
ºs- Generally this under-body of
ſº ornamental pattern, which generally
give a clue to the maker and the
* date, between which swings a small
mirror, rectangular, oval or circular
- in shape, suspended eithes horizon-
Chippen- tally or vertically. It is about the
dale'Ears" most characteristic piece of fürni-
^*-*.
Ears: See “Chair-back”: "Chippendale." A finish to
the top of a chair-back, characteristic of Chippen-
dale's work.
Empire Style: Influenced the work of English and
American architects, designers and cabinet-makers,
as well as the French. Its chief characteristics are
an adaptation of Greek lines and details; the use of
“ormolu” metal mounts on furniture; the introduc-
tion of mahogany, both solid and as a veneer.
The American treatment of this style in furniture
is certainly preferable to either the French itself or
to that of its English adapters, as it is less profusely
ornate and its use of metal work is confined to such
parts as may naturally demand it, i. e. caps and
bases of columns, feet to tables and chairs, knobs
and escutcheons. -
Encoignure: French term for a Corner-cabinet.
ture of the epoch. N.
Escritoire: (English, “secretary”; French, “écritoire”).
The term itself is obviously derived
from the French, where its first
meaning is simply a tray holding pen
and ink, later a portable writing-
desk, and from that it was extended
in the English term so as, practically,
to include any desk-like piece of fur-
niture that afforded facilities for
writing; but the term is often applied
to any of the bureaus or chests of drawers provided
with a door, as Bailey's dictionary quaintly puts it,
“opening downwards for the Convenience of
Writing.” This door, when opened, is supported at
either end by straight brackets pulled out from the
body of the case, and discloses a series of small
drawers, cupboards and pigeon-holes variously ar-
ranged.
Escutcheon: See “Hardware.”
Extension-table: Invented by Gillow, founder of the
present London firm of cabinet-makers, about 18OO.
Until this time the dining-table was enlarged by
simply raising hinged leaves or by adding to it other
tables of similar or smaller dimensions. When a
circular table was used, enlargement was obtained
by placing upon it an extra top of greater diameter,
that was kept for the purpose.
Fiddle-back: See “Chair.”
Fire-backs: Were mostly brought over by the Colo-
nists or for them, though some were made by early
American iron foundries in Pennsylvania, New Jer-
sey, New York State, and Massachusetts:
Fire-dogs: (French, “chenet” or “chien de feu.”)
See “Andirons.”
Fire-Screens: Were common all
through the Colonial Period and con-
sisted of a slender standard, gener-
ally turned and supported on three
curved legs, with the Dutch or
Hind's feet. The screen was of wood
and in some simple shape, as round,
oval or shield-shaped; was 4" thick
and was sometimes inlaid. It was
arranged to slide up and down on the
standard.
Flock-bed: A bed or mattress made
of chopped rags.
Folding Furniture: See under the several pieces, i.e.
“Beds,” “Card-tables,” “Wash-stands,” “Stools,”
“Tables,” “Toilet-stands.”
Folding-washstands, toilets and tables were de-
signed or made by Thomas Shearer, Casement and
Heppelwhite.
Foot-warmers: Were small, oblong cases, with sides
and top of perforated cast or sheet metal, furnished
with a bail handle, in which were placed heated
bricks or soapstone, and placed under the feet in
sleighing time or in the church pew of a Sunday.
Some of the cast-iron cases were
arranged as braziers in which char-
coal could be burned.
Forty-legged Table: The same as
“Hundred-legged” or “Thousand-
legged,” which see. . . .
French-chair: Term used in Chippen- if
dale's time and referring, not to
the source or style of the frame,
but to the fact that the seats or backs, -
or both, were stuffed and upholstered with Some fabric.


















8 Seats of G^e Colonists
Furbish, Furbisher: Early term used for a cabinet-
maker. Furniture is probably derived from “furbish.”
Furniture-makers: See “Cabinet-makers.” -
Garderobe: (English, “wardrobe”). See “Chests.”
Garnish: Term used for a set of mantel ornaments.
Now used as a verb only, and of general application.
Gesso: Putty ornament, similar in its use and appear-
ance to Paper-mâché or Carton-pierre.
Gilt: See “Fire- and Water-Gilt”; “Buhl”; “Empire-
Style.”
Girandoles: Fixtures, whether candelabrum-shaped
or wall-brackets, carrying clusters of lights.
Glass: See “Mirrors”; “Looking-glasses.”
Glass Knobs and Handles: Were in vogue from about
1820 until 1850. See also “Hardware.”
Gnomon: A pin erected to throw its travelling shadow
across a graduated arc, usually upon a vertical wall
facing the South, sometimes upon a table. Was the
earliest form of sun-dial.
Gouty-stools: Were made by Chippendale. The tops
were arranged to raise or lower or incline, to suit the
sufferer.
HARDWARE :
Castors: Came into use late in the XVIII Century.
There are four principal forms:
(A): Where a metal socket (to which the castor
is secured and on which it swivels) is fitted over the
wooden leg and, showing, is made more or less orna-
mental.
(B): Where the castor fits into a socket, bored in
the leg and generally lined with metal.
(C): Where the castor, complete in itself, is
screwed or nailed to the end of the leg, or to a cleat
hidden back of the base.
(D): The castor, used for heavy beds of the
Empire type, where the support is an iron bracket
secured to the inside of the bed frame.
Handles, Escutcheons, etc.: The different styles of
hardware used on furniture are quite definite in char-
acter and help to establish the approximate period.
Roughly speaking, they are:
Drop-handle and escutcheon to
*- match, mostly of brass, 1675-
§ 1720. The earlier patterns are
* the “Knob and Drop,” used be-
º Ö fore 1750. Were succeeded by
**- others fastened in by wire; these
|#####!. again by handles secured by nut
** and screw. Drops were sometimes
of iron.
tive type (the handles fastened with
wires) of thin brass and sometime; en-
graved.
Willow Pattern: 1720-1760. Handie
Similar to the “Bail,” but has back-
plates of sheet-brass, with ornate scroll
outlines.
By this time the shanks of the handles were
threaded and secured with nuts.
In the latter half of the XVIII century, oval plates
of pressed brass came in. These were much used by
Heppelwhite on his sideboards and by Sheraton in
his earlier style. -
The thin-pressed brass, “fire-gilt,” with some parts
burnished and Some dull, was in very general use
everywhere early in the XIX century, not only for
Hardware (continued) :
furniture hardware but also for elab-
Orate curtain cornices and knobs for ---
curtain-poles, and was used by the @5 "bº
Dutch in more or less open flower Nsº
and leaf patterns over tortoise-shell, O ©
for mirror-frames. Round Knob- w
handles of cast brass, “fire-gilt,” were w
made in the “Empire style,” also IParly Willow.
brass knobs with medallions of china
or enamel, and glass knobs, either crystal or milk
glass, were held in great esteem.
These glass knobs were used not only on furniture
but for door-knobs and for curtain loops (“em-
brasses” as the French call them). About 1820, fine
porcelain knobs mounted on silver made their ap-
pearance, with painted decorations of famous men,
as Washington, Franklin, Clinton, Jefferson. There
were also fancy heads and sometimes figures.
Escutcheons: Metal key-plates, protecting and em-
bellishing the hole in the wood through which the
key passes to reach the lock.
Locks: The earliest Colonial door fastenings were
wrought brass. To secure the doors with
ple latches, bolts and bars were used. T.
still used on modern cheap thumb-laºğles to prevent
their being raised from the outsiºſ 5
After the Latch, the “Rim-log
to that in use in England ań
These were of wrought iron, with small brass egg-
shaped knobs, and were in general use up to about
I830, at about which time Åhe “Mortise lock” came
Box and Drawer Locks: I --
h let into the inner faces of
drawers and doors, have #een used from very early
times and in all countries/
Nails: The earliest nails, were hand-forged, as horse-
shoe nails generally aré now. The next nail to be
made was the wire nail, which is to-day the only one
known in England and on the Continent, but which
until within twenty-five years was hardly known, or
rather was not used generally, in America.
The American nail, par excellence, is the cut nail,
much inferior in ºvery structural way and much
superior in the matter of cost of manufacture and
general hanginess from the laborer's viewpoint.
Ornamental nails: Are co-existent with upholster-
ing: "Generally speaking these nails, such as the
plain and fluted round-headed nails pressed out of
” was used, similar
On the Continent.
_-sheet-metal, are Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese.
Bail-handles followed; were of a primi- "
Those with heads of cast metal are, generally, late
English and French. -
Harps: Harpsichord: See “Musical
Instruments.”
High-boy: (from “haut-bois”):
A chest-on-chest of drawers.
These had either a straight
Or a broken-arch cornice,
with Or without an urn and
flame, and carbriole legs, some-
times with carving on the knees.
They date between 1750 and 1780.
High-back Chair: Term applied
indifferently to any chair with
high Straight back, rising above
the shoulder of an average-
sized sitter.











Glossary of Terms. - - 9
Hoof-feet: Same as “Hind's feet.”
Horse-hair cloth: See also “Stuffs.” Was made
checkered, plain and striped, and much esteemed
about 1830.
Inlay: See also “Marquetry: Veneer.” Term often
used incorrectly where “marquetry” or “veneer”
would be more correct.
Marquetry and veneering form a flush or plane
surface. Inlay may have carving or moulding in
considerable relief. -
Inlay more properly refers to work of the close of
the XVI century, when different colored woods,
marble, agate, lapis lazuli, ivory and other substances
were “let in,” or “laid in,” to the wood-work; their
surfaces not necessarily in the same plane but fre-
quently carved, moulded or bevelled.
Japanning: Similar in many points in its early history
to lacquering. The differences lie in the medium,
process and application.
It derives its name, but not its method, from the
Japanese lacquers, and as made in America was
almost always black, red or gray (dove) in color. It
consists of a coating of special varnish floated onto
sheet-iron plates and then heated or “fired” to fix
and harden the coating. The ornamentation is put
on with varnish as a medium and is not fired.
Jardinieres: Boxes for window-gardens. Came into
use about 18OO. - º
Joiners: American joiners began to work as early as
I622, when Phineas Pratt, of Weymouth, Mass., is
recorded to have worked at this trade. Before 1700
Boston had at least twenty-five joiners or cabinet-
makers whose names apear in various records.
Joinery: Term originally applied to woodwork mor-
tised, tennonned and pinned together, or made with
dovetail joints; in either case not depending upon
nails, Screws or glue for holding the parts in posi-
tion. Even when glue was used, as it was frequently
from very early (modern) times, in addition to the
joinery proper, it only served a subsidiary purpose.
The joint would hold without the glue.
Joint Stools: Folding Foot-stools.
Kermis-bed: A Dutch term for a cot or shake-down
bed. The derivation from the crowding of hotel ac-
commodations during a Kermis, or fair, is apparent.
Knee-hole Table: Term applied to a flat-topped table
or writing desk where the underbody is divided into
three divisions, the two outside ones filled for more
or less of their height with drawers or cupboards,
while the central division is left open to allow the
writer's legs to enter. -
Knife and Spoon boxes: See also “Sideboard.”
Sheraton designed these,
but had them made. He
mentions John Lane, 44 St.
Martin’s le Grand, as a spe-
cialist in their design and
manufacture. They were
designed to stand upon and
cKni c O m plete the sideboard.
Some were square, some rec-
tangular, with a fluted or wavy section, the cover
hinged and sloping to the front so as to display the
contents “en echelon” when raised.
Lacquer: A resinous coating (French: “resinlac”)
generally upon wood, though sometimes on metal,
perfected by the Chinese and Japanese.
Dox.
Lacquer (continued) *
Sir William Chambers (called by his contempo-
raries, “An Oracle of Taste,”) went to China about
I754 and the Dutch, Portuguese and English were
then freely trading with the Indies, including Japan
and China in that general term. There were thus
brought to Europe a great variety of Oriental wares
which had a profound influence on European archi-
tects, artists and artisans.
The “Chinoiseries” of Wateau and Fragonard in
France will serve to point our meaning.
In furniture this influence was strongly felt and
shown, and the effects of lacquer were freely imitated
in paint, gold and bronze powders and varnish. Wit-
ness the “Vernis Martin” of the times of Louis XV.
In America this influence resulted, later, in the pro-
duction, along with better things, of vast quantities
of painted wood furniture, with stencilled or free-
hand crude ornamentation in bronze-powder.
The shaping and joinery of this furniture retained
its American (or European) characteristics, and was,
one might say, “competent,” if not very graceful, it
being well adapted to its materials and uses, and of .
honest materials and workmanship.
Lanthorns: [Entry-, and Tin-]: Were used first with
tallow-dips and later with whale-oil
lamps. - . . .
These tin lanthorns were perforated in
geometric patterns with a file-end or a
nail, to let pass the light.
A simple form consisted of a frame-
work of light wooden sticks, arranged to
form the outline of a cube, between which
were inserted flat sheets of perforated tin.
Leather: See also “Chair-seat” and “Chair-back.”
- A man named Christopher took out a patent in
London in 1638 for decorating leather, which some-
what reduced its cost. Up to that time it was all im-
ported from Portugal, Spain or Holland.
Library-Bedstead: See also “Beds.” A form of Fold-
ing-bed. -
LIGHTING. - *:
Candles: Were in Colonial times almost entirely
“tallow dips,” made at home. Wax candles were
used only by the rich. -
Candlewood: That is, pine knots burned in the fire-
place, was the only illumination of many a home in
Colonial times, away from the Seaports.
Lamps: Lamps burning whale-oil, — i
šº -
with small round wicks, were the
Pewter
earliest form, and were made of
pewter, or of pewter and glass com-
bined. In 1783 a flat-wick lamp
was invented, the wick of which
was adjustable. -
Entry-Lanthorns of tin, perforated in geometric pat-
terns, held bits of candle.
Looking-glasses: See also “Mirrors.” The earliest
came from Venice. By 1670 look-
ing-glass was manufactured at
Lambeth, near London, in the
Duke of Buckingham's works.
Chippendale divided the glass Looking Glass.
panes of his mirrors by delicate
ornament of pilasters, because mirrors in large
pieces were increasingly expensive, if obtainable at
all. The same is true, of course, to-day, only that
we have raised the limit and deal with feet, where
º
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10 - Seats of Ghe Colonists
Looking-glasses (continue d)
in his time it was a matter of inches. In the larger
sizes of plate-glass, even with Our present facilities,
2" added to a length of, say, 12 feet will make a large
difference in the cost. Lambeth is still the great
glass and pottery district of London.
Looms: Were set up in many Colonial houses and
were in use until the railroad brought all parts of the
early settlements within reach of the mills.
Low-boy: Was the lower part of the High-boy when
w finished to be complete in itself.
Although really a much more
usable piece of furniture than
the High-boy, the Low-boy
seems not to have had as extend-
ed a vogue as its taller brother,
which, because of its really
elegant form and in spite of the
awkward inacessibility of its upper drawers, seems
to have won the warm regard of those who appreci-
ated handsome furniture. The piece was made either
~. | Of common wood, stained or
painted or of expensive cabinet-
woods. One example differed
from another by little niceties of
contrivance or finish.
Low-stool [or “Foot-bank”]: Terms once used for
the modern Foot-stool (French: “tabouret”).
Lustre–Chandelier. (From the French.)
Lyre-back Chair, with brass rods for the strings of the
lyre, was a Sheraton design. See cut under “Chair.”
Marquetry: (From the French.) Veneering (i. e.
glueing) upon plain surfaces of relatively common
Woods very thin slices of rare woods, cut out and
combined so that, for instance, the figure or design
is of one wood and the background of another, con-
trasting with it in color. Many varieties of woods,
too rare or too refractory to be used solid, were made
into veneers by shaving off from the wood in bulk
thin layers, about as thick as a visiting-card. These
Woods were also combined with many other ma-
terials, such as ivory, mother-of-pearl, tortoise-shell,
metals (especially brass and pewter). In later works,
effects of shading were added either by engraving
the surface and rubbing-in some dark pigment or
by staining or burning the surface of the wood.
Matches: Sulphur or Friction matches were first made
in England, in 1827, by John Walker.
Metal-Mounts: See also “Ormolu.” Chippendale
used brass, copper and silver mounts, richly chased.
They are freely used in Louis XIV, XV and XVI
work. They are also distinctive of the First Empire.
Mirror-Frames and Mirrors: See also “Looking.
glasses.” The use of mirrors, built
into the interior decoration of the
Walls of state apartments and bou-
doirs, began in Louis XIV’s time,
flourished under Louis XV, and was
Sº continued even through the First
| Empire. In England the Brothers
Adam, in particular, used mirrors
freely to decorate large panel-
spaces. This they achieved by giv-
ing decorative forms to the many
division bars which the limited size
of the glass sheets forced them to
use. They then further overlaid the
- -- a mirrors with light papier-mâché or
Wood garlands, festoons, figures, etc.
*
•e
<º:
Mirrors (continued)
Detached Mirrors with quite ornamental frames,
with broken pediments, flames, shells and profuse
gilding became fashionable about 1750, in the
Colonies. - -
Muntin: See “Sash.” The sub-dividing pieces of wood
in a sash frame.
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
The evolution of the “Piano”
from the “Clavichord” occupied
Over three hundred years. The
earliest record of the “Clavi-
chord” being I4O4 and Cristo-
foro’s “Piano” having been com-
pleted in Florence in 1720. -
After the “Clavichord” came the “Virginal,” a par-
allelogram in shape, with a projecting keyboard.
Then came the “Spinet.” The earliest of these
now in existence was made sº-
in Verona in 1523. In 1703
two Englishmen, Thomas
and John Hitchcock, father
and son, improved the
spinet greatly and gave it
a range of five octaves,
from G to G. -
About 1660, after the Restoration of the Stuarts,
the name of “Harpsichord” was given in England to
the long wing-shaped instrument, similar to the
modern “grand piano”: it was called “Fluegel” in
Germany and “Clavecin” in France. -
Early in the XVI Century the Dutch added the
double key-board and stops to the older form. These
Harpsichords were imported into England and to
John Haward, an English maker in 1676, is due the
addition of the pedals.
The Harpsichord held its own for fifty years after
the invention of the Pianoforte, as Bartolommeo Chris-
toforo published his invention as early as 1711,
although he did not perfect his piano until 1720. Up
to 1760, when One Zumpe made a square one, pianos
were made wing-shaped, like harpsichords. By 18OO
there were a number of makers in New York. Astor,
Broadwood and Clementi were at this time the three
great London makers. There is a “Clementi” in
Memorial Hall, Deerfield, Mass. *: -
The Harpsichord bought for Nellie Custis by
Washington is still at Mount Vernon. Mrs. Ran-
dolph, the daughter of Thomas
Jefferson, had a harpsichord, the
position of which was marked
on the plans of Monticello, made
by Jefferson himself.
Sir John Johnson had a harpsi-
chord in his home, “Johnson
Hall,” in the Mohawk Valley.
It was confiscated by the Gov-
ernment in December, 1777.
Harp: The Harp was not often
seen in the Colonies on account
of its great cost and the diffi-
culty of tuning it.
The Pedal Harp was invented
by Hochbruecher, a Bavarian, in
I72O. Erard of Paris made
further improvements. Naderman, Paris, made a
tharp for Marie Antoinette in 1780. -
d
ſ
f
º
f
t
|
|
|
º
Organ: In America, the first of these instruments to
— come into use were small organs; they are mentioned






Glossary cf Terms . - 11
Organ (continued)
as early as 1711. Mr. Drake, in his “History of Bos-
ton,” says King's Chapel was enlarged and rebuilt in
1713 and a new organ was then presented by Mr.
Thomas Brattle. In 1756 the King's Chapel Society
imported a new organ from London and the old one
was sold to St. Paul's Church, Newburyport. It was
used there for eighty years and then sold to St. John's
Church, Portsmouth, N. H. The original pipes re-
main there to this day in perfect condition.
The second church organ in New England was
one in a case of English oak, presented by Bishop
Berkeley to Trinity Church, Newport, R. I., in 1733.
It was made by Robert Bridge, London, and is now
in a church in Portsmouth, R. I., still in excellent
condition.
In 1768 an organ was im-
ported from England for St.
Michael's Church, Charleston,
S. C. It has, in a little frame on
one side, this inscription :
“John Snetzler Fecit, Lon-
doni, 1767.”
The first Church-organ built
in New England, was by Thomas
Johnson, for Christ Church, Bos-
ton, in 1752.
In 1774, the New York “Gazette” has an adver-
tisement of John Shybli, Organ-builder, at Mr.
Samuel Prince's, Cabinet-makers in Horse and Cart
St., New York.
Music-stands: Were made by Sheraton and others,
but only rarely. They stood upon slender legs, had
the height of a table and had cupboards with shelves
and one drawer under the shelf. Some of the cup-
boards closed with rolling slats, or “Tambour-work.”
Night-stands: Were made by Sheraton, both rect-
Music Stand º
angular and Oval, with roller
doors.
They usually found a place at
the head of a bed, the top afford-
ing a convenient rest for candle-
stick or reading-lamp, while the
interior afforded a place of con-
cealment for the most useful of
all articles of the toilet. Although
belonging to the same family as
the “Close-stool,” its usefulness was considered of
a less ignoble character, and so greater pains were
Spent in giving it an artistic and agreeable form.
Oeben :
XVIII century. A contemporary of the Martins.
Was celebrated for his elaborate marquetry in many
colored woods.
Ormolu : See also “Metal Mounts.”
Said to be corrupted from the French “or” (gold)
“moulu” (moulded). It refers to the solid mount-
ings first used on Louis XIV furniture by Buhl and
others. The brilliant gold color of this bronze was
due to the use of less zinc and more copper than was
usual in brass, and this color was further heightened
by a coating of lacquer varnish.
Over-door: Transom of glass, with wood or lead sash-
bar divisions or muntins, made to go above front
doors and frequently designed in connection with
the side-lights.
Over-mantel: Chipendale. Small sheets of mirror set
into frames with suitable sub-divisions of wood or
metal and enriched with carving, gesso and gilt.
Plate-back Chair:
A French Cabinet-maker at the end of the
Paper: See “Shades” and “Wall-papers.”
Papier-maché: See “Carton-pierre.”
Pedestals: (French, “Gaines”). Were freely used by
the Brothers Adam, and others to stand against wall
panels or under mirrors, surmounted by vases or
busts.
Pembroke Table: A ladies' small work-table, having a
top about 18" square, with a drop-
leaf at each side. It had three
small drawers; the top drawer
arranged as a writing-desk, the
middle one divided into compart-
ments for Spools, needles, etc., the
bottom drawer generally having
a silk bag reaching nearly to the
floor and serving as a scrap-bag. )
The drop-leaves are sometimes
semi-circular.
Pewter: Much of the Colonial pewter was lost at the
time of the Revolution, being run into bullets, for
Our Scantily supplied soldiery. Its designs, marks,
etc., cannot be even touched upon in brief.
Pie-crust Table: A circular table of light construc-
tion and of greater or less diameter, the boundary
edge of whose top is finished in a series of scallops
of varying pattern; this edge is sometimes finished
in the thickness of the top ; sometimes the whole
surface of the top is dished so as to leave the pie-
crust edge as a protecting bounding ledge.
Pier-frames: A term used for mirrors set against the
piers between windows, or doors, with tables at the
base. Table-frames.
Pier-tables: Were designed to stand below the Pier-
Frames.
Pillar-and-Claw Tables: Were centre-tables of con-
siderable dimensions, square, oblong, or circular,
with drop-leaves or without, supported on a some-
what massive single standard of solid wood, often
elaborately turned and carved, which in turn rested
on three, or four, low spreading scroll-shaped legs,
terminating in the usual ball-and-claw foot—or plain
end—either of carved wood or cast brass.
Name given to chairs where the
central splat was solid, or unpierced, while its out-
line, though infinitely varied, gave a general vase-
like form.
Posset-Porringers: Small round dishes of silver or
pewter with flat handles at either side. The handles
are often of openwork and most graceful.
Press-bed: See “Chests.”
Prince of Wales Feathers: See “Chair-backs.”
This decorative feature, which
seems to have been pretty
closely confined to chair-backs,
is also known by the name of
“Three Feathers,” and again as
the “Prince's Party Feathers,”
a name which closely connects
the article with the political
mvoements of the time, and helps
to fix the date at which chairs embodying this fea-
ture were actually designed.
Rag-carpets: See “Carpets.”
Reading-Desks: See “Desks.”
Ribbon-back: See “Chippendale Chairs.”
Riesener: See also “Ormolu.” Began the execution
of his beautiful pieces of furniture under Louis XV
Three Feathers.





12 Seats of Gºe Colonists
Riesener (continued) :
in what is known as his earlier style; later he cre-
ated the stiffer and more structural types of Louis
XVI's and Marie Antoinette's reign.
Rocaille, Rocquaille or Rococo: Said to derive from
- - = “roche” or “rocco” (Eng-
| lish rock) and “coquille”
| (English: shell).
The term used in Ger-
man to distinguish this
- . - period is “Zopfen-stil,”
from “Zopf,” a wig or periwig.
Rocking-chair: Although the XVIII century cabinet-
maker did design rocking-chairs, they are not often
mentioned. The form in which we most often meet
the rocker is in the guise of the plain turned chair,
with splint or rush bottom.
Roundabout Chairs: Had a square seat and a half-
round back, with one leg pointed
forward. Were made from 1750
onward in solid woods, either
mahogany or woods stained to
look like mahogany.
The front leg was generally of
the ball-and-claw type, sometimes
plain, sometimes with delicate and
characteristic carving, where the
leg curved to join the frame; the
- back and arms were sometimes
plainly shaped, and sometimes sparingly ornamented
with carving at the ends of arms and centre of back.
Rung or Round: The horizontal stiffening brace or
strainer connecting chair-legs with one another.
Rush-bottom Chairs: The seats, as a rule, are square
in plan or rather right-sided, so that the strands of
twisted rush or flag leaf may not slip during the
weaving or after. The outer edges are sometimes
protected against wear by a light wooden fillet
tacked on. In chairs where the rush work is par-
ticularly fine in fibre, the seats are movable, and are
called “slip-seats.” The coarser weave, used on the
high-backed chairs with shaved slats, is generally
loosely twisted and does not wear long. Until within
a few years rush-bottoming, so far as the fine weave
goes, has been practically a lost art with us.
Sash: Sliding sash for windows were used from the
earliest Colonial times, but the “Balanced sash”
(with cord and counterweights) is a comparatively
modern improvement, probably coming into use
about 1840. - -
The “Sash-bar” or “Muntin” was used to cut up
the Sash into sizes suited to the glass then obtain-
able. It was made with the same mouldings as the
Sash and in many combinations of square, rectangu-
lar and lancet divisions. Metal divisions were used,
in many interesting patterns, and in these the inter-
sections are often enriched with cast lead rosettes.
This metal-work was confined almost entirely to the
side-lights and transoms of front doors.
Screen. [Fire-screen]: A small frame containing stuff
or needle-work, or a solid wooden placque, set upon
a three-legged Standard so as to raise or lower. .
Larger screens, in two or three valves, of clothes-
horse make, hinged with webbing and covered with
chintz, wall-paper, silk or leather, were used in bed-
chambers.
Scrutoire: . See “Escritoire”; “Desk.” Term frequent
in early Colonial records; is a corruption from the
Scrutoire (continued):
French “escritoire,” as is also our word “secretary,”
all meaning in English a writing-desk.
Secret-Drawers and Receptacles and even Secret
Rooms, were irequent in all Colonial work. They
are still puzzling to the uninitiated and evidence
great ingenuity and skilful workmanship.
Serpentine Front: A form used, especially in the
title.
earlier works, on desks with
and for sideboards. As the name
indicates, the faces of the
double cyma-reversa) in plan.
Serving-table: A small table standing against the
etc., are placed preparatory to serving.
Settle. [Settee]: A form of sofa, or, as nowadays
Seat against a wall. Some were
made with a back of plain deal
ed with the end-pieces or arms of º Ap
the seat (which were also plain || 2
pins, so that it became a table F
when the back was turned down. |
lower space which served as chest. Similar pieces
were made having the dimensions of a comfortable
a table). - - - - -
The high-backed settle with fixed back, whether
high-backed chair, absolutely needful to protect
those sitting before the open-fire from the draughts
rooms and passages. As the houses became better
built, the settles, originaly made to accommodate
a place in the ingle-nook on each side of the fire-
place, from which they were rarely pulled out.
Sideboards: Chippendale did not make sideboards; they
were of later growth. But he
wide drawers below the shelf
drawers were serpentine (a
wall in the dining-room and on which dishes, silver,
more commonly meant, a built-in gami
C!!. |
about 4'-O" x 6'-0", which connect- d
deal plank) by means of wooden
The seat was hinged to cover the
arm-chair and a round back (i. e. top, when used as
plain or wainscoted with panelling, was, like the
that poured upon their backs from the unheated
four or more sitters, shrank in size and finally found
Shades: See “Window-shades.”
made side-tables or serving-
--- E.-------
tables. - [H+]
The sideboard was developed |->| ||
by Shearer, Heppelwhite and |
Sheraton, and had its place in
their catalogues.
There is probably a greater -
variety to be found in the design of sideboards than
in any other piece of urniture, chairs alone excepted.
Side-lights: See “Glass” and “Sash.”
Slat-back Chair: Now often known as Shaker Chair,
is the simplest expression of the Turned Chair. The
slats of the back, split or shaved, are crude in form,
and may run either vertically or horizontally. The
seat is usually of woven bass-wood splints or loosely
twisted rush. Probably the earliest form of easy-
chair made by the Colonists.
Sofa : May be considered either as derived from the
settle or from a series of chairs connected together.
In the former case the resulting sofa would naturally
be supported on four legs, and in the latter case each
sitter would have essentially the support of four
legs. So we find sofas capable of seating four per-
sons supported either on two pairs or four pairs of
sº-º-º-º-º: …











Glossary cf Terms 13
Sofa (continued) :
legs. The tendency was to cheapen cost by strength-
ening the framework of the seat so that one pair of
legs at each end would be sufficient. Still, examples
are found with four legs equally spaced in front
and but two legs behind ; in other words, the Six-
legged Sofa.
The influence of the Empire style upon furniture
introduced into the Southern States is very marked,
and examples of the Cornucopia Sofa are by no
means rare.
Somno: Term used for “Night-stand.” *
Spider-make Tea-table: Mentioned in Washington's
inventory of furniture at Mount Vernon. *
Spinet: See also “Musical Instruments.” Samuel
Blyth of Salem, Mass., made “spinetts” and gave in-
struction upon them in 1786.
Spinning-wheels: Were often of beautiful workman-
ship, richly turned in hard woods
and relieved sparingly with carv-
ing. They remained in use in iso-
lated localities as late as 1850.
The small and rather decorative
spinning-wheel, worked with a
treadle, that is sought nowadays
as a drawing-room fitting, is the
flax wheel, based on Saxon, Scotch
or Swiss models. The larger and
plainer wheel used for cotton and
* wool was twirled by the fingers of
the spinster as she stood erect beside it. As there is
nothing decorative about these wheels, they are not
to be found in the modern drawing-room but in the
attic lumber-room. -
Splat: The central part of a wooden chair-back; made
of thin wood mortised into the frame
of seat and back. It is either quite
plain in outline, as in the case of the high-
backed Dutch chairs, or elaborately
pierced and carved, as in the most com-
plicated of Chipepndale's designs.
steaming and bending, the splat is easily
shaped to fit the small of the back and
shoulders. The word is probably derived from the
Middle English “splatten,” to split. -
Splint-bottomed Chairs: Had the bottoms and some-
times the backs made of thin strips of basswood, or
linden, an inch or more in width, cross woven.
See “Knife-box.”
Squabs: Term used about 18OO for loose cushions
used on the long narrow sofas.
See “Bason-table.”
See “Candlestand.”
See “Music-stand.”
Night- See “Nightstand.” t
Wash- (or English: Wash-hand-stand.)
“Washstand.”
Steps: For such fine glass and china as could not
properly find a place on a mantel-shelf, there was no
place more safe than the top of a high-boy. Some-
times the high-boy had placed upon it a series of
three steps arranged in pyramidal form and built of
the same wood as the high-boy itself, or of pine
covered with baize or other stuff, upon which these
fragile articles could be staged for better display.
Sometimes there was kept on the floor, between
the cabriole legs of the high-boy, a similar series of
Spoon-box:
Stand: Bason-
Candle-
Music-
By
See .
Steps: continued): . i. -
steps of pine or hardwood, and with or without cas-
tors and handles, which could be drawn forward so
that the mistress or housemaid could mount upon
them and so reach the articles on the “steps” above,
or inspect the contents of the otherwise somewhat
inaccessible upper drawers. -
Stools: “Low-stool” or “Foot-stool.” (French :
“Tabouret.”) A “Joint-stool” was a folding Foot-
stool or Foot-bench.
STOVES :
Bath stoves were imported in 1750 from England.
Franklin stoves were cast-iron open fireplaces,
made to burn wood. They stood free in the room
on four short legs and had no air-spaces, no doors
or blowers. They were, many of them, beautiful
pieces of iron casting, with appropriate ornamenta-
tion in low relief. In 1761 “Pennsylvania stoves,
both round and square,” were advertised for sale by
Peter Clopper in the New York “Gazette.” These
were no doubt what became known as “Franklin
Stoves.” -
Stowaways: Were a series of two or three boxed-in
steps which were of use in mounting into the extra-
high four-posters. The tread of each step formed a
hinged cover to the space below, in which slippers
and shoes or other bedroom accessories were Stowed.
Strainers or Stretchers: See also “Chair-leg.” The
braces or pieces let into the legs of chairs, tables or
chests, near the floor, and connecting the legs so as
to steady or stiffen them, are so called.
They follow the outside lines of the chair in earlier
work, and in later work run on the diagonal, Some-
times straight but more usually in simple curves—
half circles or Ogees.
Were not used in connection with the cabriole
leg, but with the slenderer, later forms.
Strong-box: See “Box.”
Stuffs: Miss Singleton in her “Furniture of our Fore-
father’s” gives a list of eighty different stuffs, some
of which are here given, as advertised by Boston
merchants before 1725:—Linceys; flowered serges;
bangalls; shalloons; persians; fustian ; kersey; silk
crêpes; cherryderry and grass; worsteed or hair-
plush; plain or striped haircloth; damask; furniture
dimities; moreen; harrateen; tammy. Harrateen
cost about $4.OO a yard in 1750.
XVII and XVII Century Stuffs: Names of some
of the East India stuffs imported were: bejurapants;
baffs; gorgorans; mulmuls; jainwars; Sallampores.
As advertised in 1769: “Sagothies; hairbine;
white silk embroidered and tambour with gold
shades”; Spittlefield corded tabbey; peneaffcoes and
peling sattens; while prunells and Oxford crape were
provided for the Reverend Clergy.
Durants, duroys, Osnaburgs, camblets, druggets
and calamancoes are from an invoice of Andrew
Faneuil, Boston. About 1725.
Curtain Materials were very numerous and had
what are to us most unfamiliar names, as perpetua ,
darnick (a coarse damask); camlet; mohair; fustain;
camac or camaco; bancour; red and green paley
(vertical stripes); dimities; callacoes; Indian and
patma chintzes; harrateen; lutestrings; moreens.
Used as protection against the weather, were:
Romalls, amens, cassevillias and ribolilures.
Horsehair Cloth was used by Heppelwhite for
coverings—plain, striped, checkered, etc. Used by


14 Seats of Ghe Colonists
Stuffs (continued) : -
Others and in later styles it lost all delicacy and
elegance and has since been a synonym for ex-
treme bad taste. The Pennsylavnia Railroad has
revived its use in a pearl gray weave which is both
cool and clean and well adapted to railroad use. In
this modernized form it deserves to be taken up
again.
Sett- (or Set-) work: Was a heavy woolen tapestry,
much after the fashion of Oriental rugs. Used for
chair-seats and backs.
Sulphur-matches: See “Matches.”
Swell-front. [Bow-front] : In plan the segment of a
circle. Is applied to Sideboards.
Swift: A part of the hand-weaving apparatus. The
large wheel for winding the yarns.
Tables: See under the following headings:
“Bason-”; “Card-”; “Extension-”; “Folding-”;
“Pembroke-"; “Pier-”; “Tea-”; “Thousand-legged-”;
Tabouret: French for Foot-stool or Low-stool.
Tall-boy: A long-stemmed wineglass. Not unnatur-
ally, the term is sometimes confused with “high-
boy,” a tall chest of drawers.
Tambour-top: See also “Desks.” Strips of flat or
rounded wood glued to a canvas back, the edges left
free to play so that it will roll up. Very similar to
the roll-top now so common on modern desks.
Tea-Caddies: Chippendale’s “Catalogue” describes
little tea-caddies made to stand on sideboards or
serving-tables, done in rich woods and with details
of inlay and handles and escutcheons of brass cor-
responding with the finish of the sideboard to which
they belonged.
Tea-tables: Were small low tables, with, as a rule, a
raised rim around to prevent the slipping Off of the
delicate porcelain much in use in the XVIII century.
Terms or Pedestals for busts: [From the French
“Therme” or “Gaine.”] Pedestals set against the
wall upon which stood busts, vases or clocks. A
favorite device of the Brothers Adam.
Tester: [From the French “tete,” head (Old French :
“teste”).] See “Beds.” The framework over a four-
post bed, from which hung the valances and cur-
tains. -
Thousand-legged-table: A round table, about 5' 0" in
- diameter, with two leaves. Has
actually six turned legs, two of
which pivot upon turned uprights
; of same detail as legs (but stopping
-- on the stretchers), giving the ap-
pearance of eight legs n all. There
is a drawer in each end. Dates
from first half of XVII century.
Three Feathers or Prince of Wales Feathers: Espe-
cially used on chair-backs by Heppelwhite.
Tinder and Steel: With scorched linen, were indis-
pensable in every house before matches were in-
vented. There were stringent laws against carrying
hot coals uncovered from house to house in early
days.
Transom: See “Sash.”
Trencher: A dish or platter hewn out of Solid wood,
generally bass-wood, maple or hickory. In general
use in the American Colonies before metal or
earthen-ware dishes were to be had.
Tripod-leg: See “Tea-table.”
Tripod Reading-desks: Were made during the Shera-
to n Period sºm
by several
c a b i n e t -
T r u n d 1 e -
be d : See
“Beds.”
Turkey - work:
Is the dark
brown Span-
ish or Flem-
is h leather
with tooled
Of n a 111 en ta-
tion. Some-
times the ground of the ornament is washed in with
gold. The leather was drawn over the chair-frame
Without any cushioning and was nailed to the edges
of the frame with large, flatly-rounded brass nails.
Turned Chair: Probably the earliest type of chair pro-
duced in this country had back, legs, arms, slats and
stretchers of WOOden rods, of any plain or simple out-
line that could be produced in the common turning-
lathe, fitted together at right angles. -
Turned woodwork: See also “Chairs” and “Chests.”
Upholsterers and Upholstering: See also “Beds” and
-------ºs ºº - “ -- * -
fºLº:
º §
t º §§
“Chairs.” - -
Upholstery-Stuffs: See “Stuffs.”
Urn-stands: Were urn-shaped receptacles for silver
knives, forks and spoons. Were made to stand on
the sideboard. .
Valences: See “Four-post Beds.”
Veneer: See also “Burl-veneer” and “Crotch-véneer.”
Was first used in the reign of William and Mary in
the last decade of the XVII century.
It is the term applied generally to a finished sur-
face of rare or special woods (or other suitable ma-
terials) glued upon a base of common wood.
The early veneers were sawed out and were at
least one-sixteenth of an inch thick, commonly one-
quarter of an inch. - -
Sliced and shaved veneers were not used until the
late Georgian period, when machinéry for making
them was introduced. -
Chippendale, Heppelwhite and Sheraton used ma-
hogany and satinwood, both solid and as veneers.
For the different kinds of woods in use see
“WOOds.”
Veneering on a built-up core is a modern development,
and is now the best American practice for heavy
work, such as the styles and rails of hardwood doors.
The core is made of strips of 7%" clear white pine
glued together side by side so that the joints run
from face to face of the door. The outer edges and
ends of this core are covered with 7%" of the finish-
ing wood, the inner edges are covered by the panel
mouldings and the faces with a shaved veneer.
Such a door will endure unchanged the vagaries of
our climate, whereas a solid door will Stick One day
and not stay closed the next. -
Vernis-Martin: Three brothers, Julien, Robert and
Simon-Etienne Martin, were famous in 1723 for their
use of the transparent varnishes or lacquers which
they had perfected. In 1742 they perfected a sea-
green varnish and in 1748 were under royal protec-
tion. Very little of their work remains; only a few
fire-screens, some splendid coaches and Some small
boxes. But they have not lacked imitators, whose
work is hardly distinguishable from the genuine.



Glossary of Terms 15
Wall-papers: Were imported into the Colonies as
early as 1752. They represented sometimes whole
landscapes and hunting-scenes and formed large
panels surrounded by appropriate borders. See the
King Hooper House at Danvers, and the Cowles
House at Deerfield, Mass. -
Similar borders were also used with plain grounds.
Flowered and printed papers for hanging rooms
were also imported, at somewhat later dates.
Wardrobes: See “Clothes-press.” .
Warming-pans: Mostly of hammered copper, fol-
lowing English or Dutch models, when not directly
imported. -
Wash-stands: [English. Wash-hand-stands.] Have
no especially distinctive character-
istics, but followed the general
trend of the prevailing styles in
Sideboards and Tables.
They were generally built of
half-inch stuff and were rarely
more than two feet Square in plan.
The upper shelf was pierced to re-
ceive the wash-bowl, while a shelf
below received the water-jug and
gave support for a drawer.
The Quadrant Wash-stand, de-
signed to stand in a corner of a bedroom, was sup-
ported on three legs, its front being designed on a
curve. The triangular-shaped drawer of these cor-
ner wash-stands always caused annoyance to an im-
patient user.
Water-gilt Mounts: Louis XV. See “Ormolu.”
Wicks: See “Lighting”; “Lamps.” -
Wheatsheaf: The broken wheatsheaf, decoratively
speaking a variant of the Prince of Wales feathers,
is distinctive of Hepeplwhite chairs.
Window-shades: Of gaily painted papers, were made
to roll up. Were made as early as wall-papers, about
I752. . . . - -
Windsor Chairs: Were advertised in 1768 as made
and sold by William Gautier in New York. The use
of shaved rather than turned back slats was charac-
teristic. -
Fan-backed Windsor Chairs had the slender rods of
the back more inclined than usual
and appearing to radiate from a
N centre at about the floor level.
- Sometimes the middle back
l . rods are carried up through
the common top rail at shoulder
height, and stop in a second top
rail, of less length and narrower,
*Windsor" with a scrolled upper outline at
the height of the sitter's head. A
chair of this form is called a Comb-back chair.
Sometimes the chair seat is carried out behind
the back rods for six or eight inches and from
the outer edge of this projection inclined bracing
rods are carried up to the top rail so as to stiffen
the back.
The wooden seat is of varied shape, both in plan
Windsor Chairs ( contiuued)
and section. Usually the upper surface is dished,
and Sometimes this dishing is so divided as to best
fit the human anatomy. º -
The legs are usually stiffened by three stretchers
only, one between each pair of fore and hind legs,
and these being connected by the third at their cen-
tral point. A Philadelphia pattern has three plain
rods connecting the back legs and the back legs with
the front, but leaving the front legs unconnected
with one another.
Wine-coolers: Were made of fine cabinet-work, to
match the sideboards under which they stood. Were
lined with metal and frequently had metal bands or
hoops and handles.
Woodenware: Many trenchers were hollowed out of
maple, apple-wood or poplar, to take the place of the
pewter plates and platters that had been melted
down to make bullets for the Revolutionary soldiers.
WOODS :
American furniture-makers used not only mahog-
any, cedar, ash, birch, elm, pine, maple, cherry, oak,
poplar and walnut, but, for veneers:–king; tulip;
rose; purple; snake; zebra ; panella; yew and bird’s-
eye maple. Oak and pine were the most common.
The earliest wood used for furniture in England
seems to have been oak. . .
At the close of the XVI century furniture was
inlaid with different colored woods; marbles; agates;
lapis lazuli; carved ivory; ivory-inlays; metals and
tortoise-shell.
Ash for some reason was little used.
Bilstead was the Colonial term for maple.
Birch, (especially red-birch), Cedar, Cherry and
Cypress were almost always stained to look like
mahogany or else a dead black, rarely being left with
their natural color or grain.
Black walnut came in late in the XVII century; was
used solid and as veneer.
Gum-wood for Pine.
Lignum-vitae: Cups made of it are mentioned in
Peter Faneuil's inventory in 1742. Since then it has
been in use for a limited number of special purposes,
as for bowling-balls and castors.
Mahogany: By 1727, mahogany is Occasionally
mentioned in inventories. The Spaniards were the
earliest users of it and were followed by the Dutch
and the English. The old growth mahogany came
from the West India Islands, especially from San
Domingo and San Jago. This was all cut long ago,
wherever accessible, and practically none has come
to market of recent years. To cut the trees far away
from the seashore is impracticable, there being
neither wagon-roads nor railways, and as the wood
is so heavy that it will not float, it has to be floated
down by attaching it to logs of some buoyant tim-
ber, or it has to be dragged through tropical forests
at a tremendous sacrifice of time and money. What
does get to the ports is taken by English and Euro-
pean steamers, who are gladt to get it as ballast for
their return voyages. -
A traveller who had spent several seasons in and
around San Domingo City, told the writer that thou-
sands of logs of mahogany lie at the bottom of the
sea off that place—it having got loose from the rafts
and at once sinking, between the shore and the
steamer. -
The largest dealers in New York and Boston now
have to get their San Domingo mahogany principally


16- - . Seats of one Colonists
Woods (continued):
from England or from a few Continental ports. We
do get Mexican mahogany, which is a second growth
and much less dense, less finely marked and much
lighter coloured; it stains and finishes though so as
to deceive an expert unless he may use a jack-knife
or somehow penetrate the surface. We also get in
the trade what is called “Bay-wood” or “White Ma-
hogany,” a very beautiful wood, but nearer to satin-
wood in color than to mahogany.
Nut-wood (hickory) was almost always stained ma-
hogany-color or black. -
Poplar was used only for drawers or very ordinary
work. - - - -
Rosewood (used by Chippendale solid) was gener-
ally used as a veneer. º
Woods (continued):
Teak-wood: Was brought in by the India packets,
but mostly already worked up into chests or furni-
ture. Its use as lumber was practically confined to
shipbuilding. -
Walnut: German- and Circassian- from the Baltic
ports were used in their natural colors, solid, but
more generally as veneers, being strikingly effective
and satisfactory to work and to wear. - -
Writing Desks: “Scrutoir” (French “Ecritoir”). Desks
with bookcases and desks fitted into the upper
drawers of bureaus were common about 1750 and
were found in every well-to-do home.
Zopfen-stil: See “Rococo.”
ſuitº
º º - -
witz:2}} ſ
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~~-F







IN T R O DU C to R Y
BY
HORACE. C. DUNHAM
FTER a lapse of one hundred years, the furni–
ture of the last half of the eighteenth century
has come to be a thing much admired and
Sought for by people of nice taste who appreciate the
value of good line, logical decoration, and simplicity in
all things. Doubtless there were pieces of furniture
made in that period to which we nowadays would give
Scarcely a second glance. It is comforting to think that
such things were short-lived, and deservedly so, no
doubt. We are to be congratulated that the better
types of eighteenth-century furniture have survived in
greatest numbers till our day, and their
influence is so strongly felt that they
are being routed out of their hiding-
places, restored and reproduced to meet
the demands of the modern market.
The cabinet-makers and upholsterers
of the half century under consideration
were numerous and fairly efficient.
Many of them were architects or deco-
rators, as well as designers of furni-
ture; and their productions range from
designs for room-decoration, through
mirror-frames and all varieties of
household furniture, to the elaborate
carriages of Royalty. But it is with a
few of the most prominent furniture
designers and, more narrowly, with
their chairs that we have to do at
present.
The name of Chippendale often
stands for the style of this period. This
does not by any means indicate that
he created the style. It was rather a
growth out of the past—a result of several influences.
The “Chinese” fashion, which had been prevalent for
some years before this time and which was somewhat
invigorated by Sir William Chambers about the middle
of the century, affected the work of Chippendale to a
considerable extent. Traces of the so-called “church-
warden’s Gothic,” then in its death throes, can also be
seen. But the style as we know it by its best examples
was a development and adaptation on English soil of
the art which France had produced during the reign of
Louis XIV. It was not long, however, before the
parentage was forgotten and the style became dis-
A Dutch Type.
tinctly English. A host of artists and cabinet-makers.
seemed to spring up in England about the middle of
the century and a little later, contemporaries of Chip-
pendale, who with him were to preserve to us the best
of the art of their time.
Son and father of carvers and cabinet-makers,
Thomas Chippendale, of St. Martin's Lane, London,
worked from the middle to near the close of the cen-
He was among the first of his trade to issue a
His pub-
Gentleman’s and Cabinet-Maker's
Directory,” bears date 1754, and the
third edition appeared in 1762. It is
not to be taken as an index of prevail-
ing styles, or even of the type of furni-
ture his workshop oftenest produced :
it was published with an eye to the
business it might bring him from the
wealthy nobility, and many of the de-
signs were probably never executed.
They include some chairs and settees
in the Chinese fashion (Plates 26 and
28), easily recognizable by the lattice-
work backs and the pierced legs and
stretchers; and he advertises some
pieces in the Gothic style which he
thinks would make “an exceeding
genteel and grand appearance,” but
which are not wholly pleasing from
our standpoint. For the rest, his de-
signs are for chairs, beds, bookcases,
etc., adorned with elaborate carving
which he expects will suit the taste of .
the nobility, but which he admits can be
omitted without injury to the design. Few of these types
can be found in this country, and seldom in England out-
side of museums and private collections. Chippendale
apparently saw no need to publish the simple, every-day
fashions most in use and best suited to the purposes
of the multitude, and of necessity unadorned by the
profuse carving that demanded skilled and expensive
labor. These less elaborate designs, however, were
really executed, and have been handed down through
generations, and so constitute what we of to-day know
of his style. His aim was confessedly to cultivate
English taste in the fashions of the day, and he could
tury.
book of designs for furniture and decoration.
lication,
“The
|
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17


18
Seats of Ghe Colonists
lay little claim to originality in the foundation princi-
ples of his work. He was primarily a wood-carver and
gilder, and it is in this line that he excelled.
It is a significant fact that his chairs, on which he
Somewhat restrained his passion for carving and
which reproduced the forms that
had developed gradually and sur-
§§
vived the vagaries of fashion, have gº
º
º
º
endured through these hundred
years, while the Gothic and Chinese
extravagances were SOOn forgoten.
The Chippendale chair, as we
know it to-day, differs but little in
general outline from the forms
already familar in Holland, France
and England. He of course could
not tolerate the solid centrepiece of
the Dutch chair-back. He pierced
it with more or less elaborate pat-
terns, and almost invariably finished
the top with the wave line.
chair-legs are often all straight and
#72 §
2. % § l º
§
§
º
§ º
%.
%.
º
º
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His ; % §
º
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of them are scarcely distinguishable from his. In 1773
the Adam brothers published their book entitled “The
Works in Architecture of Robert and James Adam,
Esquires.” In it were many plates of designs of furni-
ture, all in good Classic taste like the rest of their
work. But they were primarily
architects, and it is certain they
never made furniture, though their
work no doubt influenced the
national taste. Their chairs are espe-
cially graceful, being designed with
careful regard for proportion and
fitness.
The next book of importance was
“The Cabinet-maker and Up
holsterer's Guide,” by A. Heppel-
white and Co., 1789. There seems to
be less in this work than in Chippen-
dale’s to criticise unfavorably. The
pernicious Chinese and Gothic fash-
Sº Tº * .
º, Yºzº, 2 °. Tº
- - -
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ſ
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square in section. The bandy-leg %
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sº Ž%| ions had worn themselves out, and *
ºy %. w e -
* left only the French influences.
Heppelwhite's chairs are readily
%
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ſº
and ball-and-claw foot are rather ; 22%
characteristic of the period than of
Chippendale. In his book but one
identified by their shield or heart-
shaped backs, with the pierced splat
instance occurs of its use in his de-
signs, and that on an insignificant
tea-caddy. It was, however, famil-
iar both in France and England, and he no doubt used
it freely together with his fellow-craftsmen. The
stretchers of his chairs are often plain and Solid, but
sometimes pierced. The “ribbon backs” were a Source
of pride to him, but seldom appear now, and it is said
we are well rid of them. He worked chiefly in Solid
mahogany, which lends itself best to carving; and on
this he depended wholly for his decoration. Inlay is
never seen in true Chippendale types, and should
not be attributed to him. In general, a certain breadth
and solidity is felt in his work, with refinement of line.
º
Af
W l
*
%
A Chippendale Type.
in the centre and occasionally the
Prince of Wales plumes at the top ;
the straight, slender, tapering legs
- ending in the “terme * or “spade”
foot; the fluting or inlay on the legs, the favorite husk
or bell-flower being used for decoration. In Heppel-
white's models carving is employed comparatively
little. He depended instead on inlays of satinwood,
japanning and marquetry, and painting executed by
Cipriani and Angelica Kauffmann. -
Familiar as we are with Heppelwhite's chairs, we
perhaps know and admire quite as much his side-
boards. The front is usually serpentine in plan and
veneered with highly finished wood. The average
height is forty inches, and the legs tapering and square.
ar.
Heppelwhite Types.
Within a few years after the publication of Chip-
pendale's designs, several books appeared, by Edwards
and Darley, Ince and Mayhew, Lock and others of
more or less merit. Ince and Mayhew in particular
made designs strikingly like Chippendale's, and some
They were a development quite distinct from previous
fashions. He used on them the same type of decora-
tion as on his chairs, and they convey the same im-
pression of lightness, delicacy, and refinement, so in-
separable from Heppelwhite's designs. -




-
Introductory
19
The last name of prominence in the century is that
of Thomas Sheraton, whose “Cabinet-Maker and Up-
holsterer's Drawing Book”
(1791) looks down with
considerable scorn upon the
work of his predecessors.
Chippendale's book is “now
wholly antiquated and laid
aside,” and Heppelwhite's
work (published only two
years earlier) “has already
caught the decline.” He,
more than most of the other
decorators, shows the in-
fluence of the A d a m
brothers' work in the
Classic ornament, the sim-
plicity and the severity of
line of his furniture. -
His construction lines
are clearly marked and are
emphasized by the logical
and sincere decoration. His
material was Spanish ma-
hogany and the workman-
ship on his productions ex-
cellent. For ornament he,
like Heppelwhite, intro-
duced but little carving
and used a good deal of
inlay of satinwood, pear,
ebony or lighter woods
quently takes the form of the lyre.
chairs are straight, tapering and often turned, but
- -
-- - - -
- *
-
- -
T
=\
The legs of his
show sometimes a square
section. The cabriole leg
seems to have become a
thing of the past, like many
of the curved lines and
surfaces which belong to
the Chippen dale models.
The last decade of the
century, the period of the
French Revolution, wit-
nessed a marked deteriora-
tion in styles of furniture.
Sheraton and his contem-
poraries succumbed to the
French “Empire” influence,
and in the early years of
the 19th century produced
most atrocious designs.
The chairs were heavy
and ungainly, and the
favorite ornaments were
the heads and legs of ani-
mals, so arranged that
they amounted almost to
grotesques. One wonders
that Sheraton could have
so far departed from his
chaste early style, a
valuable heritage from
a long line of prede-
stained.
His chair-backs oftenest presented the
straight line at the top, and the central splat fre-
Chippendale Types
cessors to whom we owe the delightful old Colonial
furniture which is seen in many of our homes to-day.


C H I P P E N D A L E
By
R. DAVIS BENN
TT is a common practice with many who pose as
connoisseurs of old English furniture to describe
all that was produced in England during the
second half of the eighteenth century as “Chippen-
dale,” irrespective both of date and style. This is a
—N
/*
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|（º
|º
(§
º
==S
sº-
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t
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|Group 1.
practice which, let me say, at once reveals more than a
little ignorance on the part of those who indulge in it,
and, moreover, does injustice to the contemporaries
and successors of that famous old cabinet-maker, and
particularly to those masters of their craft, Heppel-
white and Sheraton. In dealing with the work of this
epoch, we must not fail to remember the fact that the
period in question was exceptionally rich in cabinet-
makers and designers of no small repute, and though
it is perfectly true that the great “upholder” of St. Mar-
tin's Lane was chief among the early pioneers of the
great revival that occurred in the cabinet and chair
making industries of the country between 1740 and
I78O, to credit Chippendale with being responsible for
all the progress associated with that period is, I repeat,
as absurd and unjustifiable as it is inaccurate.
Nevertheless, the old maxim “Honor to whom
honor is due” still holds good—or should—and though
Chippendale really could not lay claim to all, we must
See what that old master really did do to win the fame
that became associated with his name in after years,
and mete out as much praise as he may be entited to.
Prior to his appearance upon the scene, the “Queen
Anne’—a style that was, to all intents and purposes
nothing more nor less than an English adaptation of
the Dutch forms that came over with William and
Mary—had for long ruled the roast, but he set about
the task of overthrowing existing traditions, and form-
ing a new style with which his name should be in-
delibly associated. It is true that, prior to his coming,
Sir William Chambers, an architect, had endeavored,
Somewhat earlier in the century, to make a variation
by the introduction of Chinese decoration and furni-
ture, an attempt inspired by a visit he paid to the Land
of the Sun, to make a special study of the architecture
20
of the Celestials, but little or nothing came of his
labors in that direction.
Thomas Chippendale published his “Gentleman's
^
£).
* ºx. . §:
######
* 3×S º
- º
; - jº
ºsº
Biºli
{
Giroup 2.
and Cabinet Maker's Director” in 1754, and so suc-
cessful was he in carrying out his determination to do
his best to change the trend of public taste that he








Chippendale 21
rapidly gained distinction above all his contemporaries
in the same branch of industry, and it was not long
before he secured the patronage of the royalty and
nobility of his time, with the result that his establish-
ment in St. Martin's Lane, though only that of a
cabinet-maker, became quite a fashionable rendezvous
for the élite of the day.
In commencing the study of Chippendale's work, one
must recognize at the outset that that designer and
maker practically ignored the “Queen Anne” from the
first, and but slight traces of the influence of that style
are to be found in his productions. But on the other
hand, he did not for one moment hesitate to look else-
where for inspiration, copying, adapting and altering
whatever forms might take his fancy. I would not, of
course, contend that he was altogether devoid of orig-
inality; to do so would be altogether unjust and in-
accurate, for many of his creations were strikingly
fresh in conception; but, for the most part, he was
quite content to go no farther than put his own inter-
pretation on forms, and adapt enrichments which were
the product of other brains than his own.
This may appear to be a rather bold assertion to
make, and I am perfectly well aware that it will be
deeply resented by Chippendale worshippers, and
they are many l—but that it is justified we shall pres-
ently see, when the illustrations selected from his book to
accompany these notes come under our consideration.
“Chippendale” may broadly be divided into four
classes or phases—the Original, the French, the Chi-
nese, and the Eccentric, the second and third largely
predominating, and it is for us to discover now what
were the chief characteristics of each and tabulate
them so far as may be possible. When I describe the
first phase as “Original,” my meaning is that it par-
takes less of other styles than do any of the others, and
is therefore to a far greater degree imbued with fresh
thought. I need hardly say that for anyone, however
great they may be, to lay claim to absolute originality
Giroup 3.
in his or her work is too much, for it may be accepted
as an axiomatic fact that the development of old styles,
and the origination of new ones, are matters of evolu-
tion, and cannot be regarded as empirical. “There is
nothing new under the sun” is a trite and familiar say-
ing, the truth of which is constantly being proved
within the experience of all of us, and it must neces-
sarily follow that absolute originality is seldom, if ever,
to be expected.
In analyzing the style which we now have under
consideration, and endeavoring to trace it to its various
Sources, it behooves one to remember that, at the time
ſ
§
#|=
|
I.
--- |L
H |
*~t=}|_+=
2===
_Q}=== -
Giroup 4.
Of its inception, the cabinet-makers of France were de-
voting their attention to the development of the “Louis
Quinze,” which caught the fancy of Chippendale, and
is reflected, to a greater or less degree, throughout
nearly the whole of his work. Indeed so steeped did
he becomes in French ideas that, like King Charles's
head in “David Copperfield,” they would keep cropping-
up on the most unexpected occasions, even when he
was evidently doing his best to keep them out. As a
matter of fact, except in the case of his important
creations, denuded of the French element most of his
designs would possess but little interest, save and ex-
cept his lattice or Chinese chairs, which are compara-
tively free from this distinguishing feature. But, as
we shall see presently, this old maker was not by any
means the only one of his age who borrowed exten-
sively from the French, for his great successors and,
to some extent, rivals, Heppelwhite and Sheraton,
were, to employ a colloquialism, “tarred with the same
brush”; but of them later. In this, and two following
papers, I shall adopt the principle of dealing with the
chairs of the various designers first, as they possess
the most marked characteristics of the different styles,
and are, consequently, the easiest of all articles to
identify. Five thoroughly typical examples of “Chip-
pendale” are portrayed in Groups I, 2, 3, 4 and 5, and,
in all of these, evidences of the French influence are
sufficiently apparent to justify one or two of my pre-
vious remarks. Especially is this the case with the arm-
chair illustrated in Group 3. It is, of course, quite im-
possible for me in the space at my disposal in this con-
nection to illustrate every design shown in Chippen-
dale’s book, but those selected may be accepted with
confidence as types, by comparison with which others
may be correctly judged without fear of error.
A knowledge of the general form of the backs is, in
the first place, a most helpful guide to the tyro in dis-
tinguishing this style, as, although there are many
slight variations, the forms themselves very seldom






22 Seats of Ghe Colonists
differ to any appreciable degree, though, of course, the
Centre baluster, or splat, is subject to many changes.
It will be remarked at once that four out of five of
these chairs, though it would not be correct to describe
them as French in every respect, are clearly and un-
mistakably the outcome of Chippendale's penchant for
the style originated by the designers and craftsmen
who enjoyed the patronage of Louis the Fifteenth, and
the members of his court. Here we see how this de-
signer was unable to resist the temptation to introduce
little scraps of couqillage here and there whether they
were suitable or not, -indeed he did not even make the
attempt—while the legs are unquestionably based on
the “Louis Quinze” model, though in some cases the
"Queen Anne” cabriole leg pure and simple is adopted.
Of the arm-chair in Group 3, one can only say that,
strictly speaking, it is not “Chippendale” at all, but
French “all over,” and it is not unreasonable to sur-
mise that it may have been copied direct from one of
the actual productions of a Parisian chair-maker.
However, it appears in Chippendale's book, and so its
insertion here is justified.
I must not, by the by, omit to mention, while talk-
ing about chairs, that Chippendale produced a series
in the backs of which knotted, twisted, and fluttering
ribbons played an -
important part. One
of the least extrava-
gant of these appears
in Group 5. This is,
of course, in every
sense false art—if it
can be called art at
all—for the barest
suggestion of the
idea of a fluttering
ribbon serving as a
support for the tired
back is obviously ab-
surd. Here, I need
not point out, orna-
ment takes the place
of construction, in-
stead of being sub-
servient to it, and is
therefore, utterly indefensible. But, notwithstanding
this, some people, in their unreasoning approval of
every mortal thing that Chippendale put his hand to,
express unlimited admiration for those ribbon-back
chairs, and have even attempted to prove that their
ornamentation was inspired by the Old Celtic inter-
lacings; but, in my humble opinion, that contention re-
quires more than a little supporting to be entertained
for a single moment. The Celtic enlacement was
purely decorative, but the same cannot be said, in any
sense, of the Chippendale ribbons; in fact they are ex-
actly the reverse, and must be regarded as eccentrici-
ties pure and simple. - .
I have referred to the way in which Chippendale fol-
lowed the lead of Sir William Chambers in attempting
to adapt the Chinese style to Western requirements,
and it must be admitted that in this regard he was im-
measurably more successful than was his predecessor.
Chambers's rendering was, for the most part, wiry and
unsatisfactory, regarded from the cabinet-maker's
point of view, but that of the designer whose work we
are now considering was altogether more sturdy, and,
in many instances, far from being unpleasing, as will
Group 5.
be remarked from the examples given in Groups 6 and
7. It cannot be claimed with any degree of truth that
any of these Chinese chairs are ideals of comfort, but
with ample cushions they may at least be rendered
fairly tolerable to the tired body.
But it was not only in chairs that Chippendale aped
the Chinese of Chambers, as the pagoda-like pediment,
and frets, on the cabinet in Group I will indicate. Here
we have a curious mixture, a kind of potpourri, of
“Chippendale,” Chinese and French that is thoroughly
characteristic of one of this master's moods, and that
not by any means the most pleasing. It entirely lacks
consistency, and is certainly calculated seriously to
offend the eye of the purist, though, let it be said, it is
by no means so extravagant as were some of his later
creations, in which he out-Heroded Herod with rococo
atrocities, and committed greater absurdities than even
Meissonier himself. In the cabinet in Group 4, again,
the tracery in the doors seems to have been suggested
by the Chinese fret, as also the fret introduced in the
table.
In this connection it may be noted that the fret was
a favorite means of decoration with this designer, par-
ticularly as employed in the table in question, and
he originated a great variety of them for this and
similar purposes.
There is much to be
said in favour of the
employment of the
fret in this way, and
Chippendale appreci-
ated the advantages
associated with its
use to the full. In
the first place, its
production necessi-
, tates but small ex-
penditure, as a num-
ber of layers of wood
may be clamped to-
gether, and pierced
at One and the same
time to almost any
desired design, thus
reducing the cost of
the single strips to a minimum, and ensuring uniform-
ity of cutting. But, of course, the fret itself, being cut
out of very thin “stuff,” is extremely fragile, and liable
to break if submitted to the slightest rough usage. This
fact was fully recognized by Chippendale, so, to pre-
vent any possibility of mishap, he glued his frets.
Securely to a Solid, background, where, except under
very exceptional circumstances, they could not in any
way be damaged. The result was, in most cases, ex-
tremely rich, and pleasing to the eye, without being
marred by any suggestion of obtrusiveness. I have
emphasized this point somewhat, as no other of the old
eighteenth-century makers utilized the fret to any ap-
preciable extent, and when it is found on any old piece
of furniture of that period that piece may safely be
described as “Chippendale,” unless it has some striking
characteristic to prove to the contrary, which is not at
all likely to be the case. -
Returning for a moment to chairs, though all the ex-
amples illustrated, with the exception of the Chinese,
have legs of the cabriole type. it must not be imagined
that Chippendale particularly favoured that form, for
such was not by any means the case. Indeed, save in

Chippendale 23
chairs of the more expensive class, he almost invari-
ably introduced the square leg, sometimes perfectly
plain but often enriched with the applied fret. A
capital idea of these different varieties may be gained
by a careful examination of Group 8. Of the examples
Group 6.
shown here the first, fourth and fifth belong to the
second class mentioned, and the second and third to
the last. In the second we find the French influence
putting in an appearance again, indeed it is evidently
based on a “Louis Quatorze"
model, while the two last are
from “Chippendale-chairs.”
The lower part of the wardrobe
in Group 3, with its bombe front,
is more than a little reminiscent
of late “Louis Quatorze" or
early “Louis Quinze,” yet the
whole piece is characterized by
greater restraint than was usually
exhibited by Chippendale when
he started on French lines. We have the bombé front,
again, in the commode shown in Group 5, but treated
in a manner rather more elaborate than in the last in-
stance, and based on the “Louis Quinze' of a some-
2– - º
És
#=SS
Group 9.
what later period, indeed it might almost have come
out of a Parisian workshop. The last examples re-
vealing the French influence to which I shall draw
attention in this connection are the pole screen in
Group 5, with its claw-feet, a form of support after-
Group 8.
wards modified, and rendered far more graceful by
Heppelwhite and Sheraton, who anglicised it, so to
speak; the wardrobe with serpentine front, Group 9:
pedestal for a small bust or group of statuary in the
same illustration, and the cheval screen, wall mirro -
Group 7.
and bookcase in Group IO. The last named partakes
almost of a Gothic feeling, and is altogether a curious
mixture so far as enrichment is concerned.
I have remarked that when Chippendale was not ap-
propriating ideas from some-
where or another, but depended
Solely upon his own fund of orig-
inality, the results were, in the
majority of cases, not particu-
larly striking, though they must
not by any means be ignored.
Take the bookcase (Group IO)
and the table (Group 9) as illus-
trating this contention: they
are simple, inoffensive, and, in-
deed, the first-named is to a certain extent dignified,
but that there is any great amount of freshness about
them cannot for a moment be claimed. And yet, after
all, if one regards them from the critic's point of view,
-
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Group I0.
are they not much to be preferred before many of this
designer's more elaborate productions? In my opinion
they are, and that vastly. Must we not come to the
conclusion then, that, when all is said and done, Chip-
pendale is to be regarded as having been a skilful
















24 - Chippendale
adapter rather than a gifted originator? It may be
urged by Chippendale worshipers that the same might
be said of Heppelwhite and Sheraton, and, truly, the
remark does apply to them to a certain extent, but by
a rare power of originality, and, as a matter of fact,
produced their best work when they were depending
most upon themselves, and resisting the temptation t
appropriate the ideas of other people.
It will have been noted that Chippendale in the en-
richment of the furniture designed by him, provided
but little employment for the marquetry-cutter or the
turner, craftsmen who, had they depended upon his
patronage for a livelihood, would have fared but ill.
Lacquering and painting, too, were alike practically
ignored by him, and, as a natural consequence, save for
a little occasional gilding, his productions were, to all
intents and purposes, devoid of color. The explana-
tion of this is not far to seek. Chippendale was orig-
inally trained as a carver, and was really a carver at
heart through the whole of his career, as is fully evi-
dent in nearly all his work. One can see plainly that,
with him, form was almost a secondary consideration,
and was simply regarded as something to be decorated
to as great an extent as means would permit, the chisel
and gouge being brought into play wherever possible,
and when considerations of price limited their free em-
ployment recourse was had to the fret-saw instead.
One great disadvantage associated with much of the
carved ornament introduced by Chippendale, and par-
ticularly with that to be found on door-panels and
Other plain surfaces, was that it was not cut out of the
Solid wood but carved separately, being pinned and
glued on afterwards. It naturally resulted that, how-
ever securely it may have been fixed in the first place,
wear, tear and climatic conditions affected it in the
course of time, “perishing ” the glue or whatever
other adhesive may have been used, and loosening the
pins, so that, to-day, it is a common thing to find Chip-
pendale cabinets, wardrobes and similar articles with
a considerable portion of the original enrichment miss-
ing, necessitating more than a little careful restora-
tion. -
In concluding these notes I can only express the
hope that I have done no injustice to the memory of
this old master in placing his work before my readers
under the aspect as it strikes me. As a power in a
great revolution, and, withal, one who did much, we
must accord him his full measure of praise; but regard
him as the greatest designer and cabinet-maker of the
eighteenth century we cannot, when we consider whaf
was done by those who came after him.
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i
i
i
Cabriole Legs--1ate and early: with Stretchers and without.
Copyright,
1904, by American Architect Co.

Seats of 36e Colonists
Part I - - - Pſate 2
DUTCH Aanay-ºgged & first half of the 15th century |
12.
FEFEFE II).3.
E.P.M after measured drawings by H. C. Dunham -
Copyright, 1904, by American Architect Co.

Seats of 66e Colonists
Plate 3
Part I
English Chairs,
showing Dutch Influence.
Copyright by American Architect Co., 1904


Seats of G^e Colonists
Part I - - * - Plate 4
--~ |)UTCH Zanz/-/?dez CZăr |first half of the 18"century
+--- i.
E.P.M after measured drawings by H. C. Dunham :
Copyright, 1904, by American Architect Co.

Seats of 36e Colonists
Part I
Plate 5
:
:


Seats ef coe Colonists
Plate 6
Part I
cy CHIPDENDALE 2%.e. |last half of 18th century]
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| is -
===
E.P.M after measured drawings by H. C. Dunham -
Copyright, 1904, by American Architect Co.









seats ef cae Colonists
Part I Plate 6
G? CHIPPENDALE 2%.e. |last half of 18th century
l, *
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| % NºN
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− ~ – - - N
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- E.P.M after measured drawings by H. C. Dunham - º
24.2
\
Copyright, 1904, by American Architect Co.














Seats of 36e Colonists
Plate 7
Part I
Roundabout and Rocker:
Chippendale Types.
----
• • •
• • •
----
·
-
-
Copyright by American Architect Co., 1904

Seats of Ghe Colonists
Part I - - Plate 8
67 CHIDPENDALE Žellast half of 18th only
<-- — 3%"----
p”-
Detail at A-A.
2 slip seat.
º
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~
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A- Ż- º
(>{i(w, sº wº wºrdy, ocsőző CoCCPGCzów(2C2
T=s l “Scale . -
*~
*E.P.M after measured drawings by H. C. Dunham :



Seats of 36e Colonists
Plate 9
Part I
Straight=1egged Chairs:
Chippendale
Types.
Copyright by American Architect Co., 1904




Seats ef coe Colonists
Part I Plate 10
ran at 0-0 67 CHIDDENDALE Zºoe |last half of the 18th century
<-- – - - 1 $46"--——
|
- E.P.M after measured drawings by H. C. Dunham: - : : :*:::: ::::
—w
Copyright, 1904, by American Architect Co.


Seats
of 3%e
Colonists
Plate 11
Part I
& CHIPPENDALE Zizeſlast halfoſtle 18°century]
|
*
1–
)OOOOOOOOOCX)( ( (
+------- ºt-º º - - ºgº. º. º. º. - -
$$$
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euş
J
Ú)
#C2C2CACAGCaſarnob
-N
~||
L
E.P.M after measured drawings by H. C. Dunham:
Copyright, 1904, by American Architect Co.



Seats of 36e Colonists
Plate 12
Ear-tipped Chairs: Chippendale Types.
Part I
copyright by American Architect Co., 1904


Seats ef coe Colonists
Part I - Plate 13
tº *.
67 CHIPPENDALE Zºe'ſ last half of 18*century.
diagonal
View of
leg.
O 6
i. i*i; #8
E-T-M after measured drawings by H. C. Dunham
Copyright, I 904, by American Architect Co.



Seats of She Colonists
Plate 14
• • • • • • • • •
|- -
- -
|-
：： （）
----|- ----|--
Part I
Chippendale Types.
Copyright by American Architect Co., 1904


Seats of G^e Colonists
Part I
Plate 15
'ez CHIPPENDALE 2.2ellast half of the 18th century.
DOOOOOOC) 3 ) > X >
KOOO
.1%" |
|
*Nº.
2.
- 22 º
22 Zºº,”
manus as amm, a mºm an ºmºmº sº. = m, memº as mºms, as *-* * * * *-* * *-* *
0 6 *...* *.* : : ;.
#ins.
3Caſe.
E.P.M after measured drawings by H. C. Dunham •
Copyright, 1904, by American Architect Co




Seats of 36e Colonists
Plate 16
Part I
|
Ball-and-Claw Arm-chair: Chippendale Type.
Copyright by
American Architect Co., 1904



Seats of Ghe Colonists
Part I - - • * - - - Plate 17.
Gºz CHIPPENDALE Tºoe |last half of the 18th century|
1%
t
1%
i.
|;
!1%
-2.
—E= - ins. t
l— Tº | - . Scale .
E.P.M after measured drawings by H. C. Dunham:
Copyright, 1904, by American Architect Co.








Seats of G^e Colonists
Part I - Plate 18
cz CHIPPENDALE 2.22 ſlast half ºf the stºcentury
* -e
(ho 2OOOQ \ }
2-#f 1 %
L–s]] - º *======# ins.
. . " 3Cale .
*E*P.M after measured drawings by H. C. Dunham.
• - - - - ----r-, ---- - - . . . . . -- - - - - -- ~~ :----r * * * * * * r * ~ . . . ~~
Copyright, 1904, by American Architect Co.





Seats of 36e Colonists
Plate 19
Part I
ſae
ſae
，
Chippendale
Types.
Copyright by American Architect Co., 1904
|-|- -·



Seats of G^e Colonists
Part I
Pſate 20
reeds iſy flutes.
Gy CHIPPENDALE Żyże | last º of the 18th century.
~~1% -->
Ż % Ø
f i. %:5ection at
GSV% D-D.
! a
. *A Tºo
tº section at SS
tº D-B
1%
~ 1%
% 1%
*****
,”:
* ..."
b) & G). G. G. G. Gº Gº | 1
º 2\ : ;
Gº (5 G) (9 Go 3 Gº Gº O O C C, > , ,
Copyright, 1904, by American
: : • *e e s e :* •:
O '6 f2.
II)3.
'• Scale.
-EP.M after measured drawings by H. C • Dunham -
Architect Co.











Seats of 56e Colonists
Plate 21
• Gºz - CHIDDENDALE 23% | last half of * 18th century
section
at A-A.
; slip seat.
.5ection
at I – B).
\L -
Copyright, 1904, by American Architect Co.















i
f
| ".
Spanish Foot and Ball-and-Claw Foot: Chippendale Types.
Copyright by American Architect Co., 1904

Seats of Ghe Colonists
Part I. - - - . - - - - x - -- Plate 23
& CHIPPENDALE 2%a'ſ last half of the 18th century.
º
%
E)-
2.
B
- º
- 1%
- XXYOO } }_3 ) . -
//
|
º
12.
IIM3
E.P.M after measured drawings by H. C. Dunham: -
Copyright, 1904, by American Architect Co.






Seats of G^e Colonists
Part I, * - - Plate 24
dy CHIPPENDALE 22e last half of the 16*century |
slip seat.
£ZŽf
Copyright, I 904, by American Architect Co.



Seats of 36e Colonists
Plate 25
Part I
Arm-chairs: Chippendale Types.
---
Copyright by American Architect Co., 1904

Seats of Gae Colonists
Part I Plate 26
# } ºf N
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*Hºº
zºzº
\
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--~ --- ES Zºº accº. Tº
F. : ==
ET -
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i | SX\\Xy |||||
K % Z} sº
* Lºs /. % * * ** º
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§ - (Wy
SA: ". - —" . SA
º / v
Šá ºffles. \ ^
Ó Q. KX
One of six sold for 185 Guineas. - One of a Pair sold for 380 Guineas.-
Copyright by American Architect Co., 1904
English Examples of Chippendale Work.































Seats of 36e Colonists
Plate 27
Part I
• • • • • • •
--
--~~~~~~
Late Types of Chippendale Arm=chairs.
Copyright by American Architect Co., 1904


Seats of G^e Colonists
Part I
Plate 28
A Chippendale Double Chair, sold for 280 Giuineas.
A Chippendale Hall=chair. A Chinese Type.
º
§
O
º
§§ §
ſº
Hº
- &
#/º
#%%%
%
ſ %
English Examples of Chippendale work.
Copyright, 1904, by American Architect Co.,


UNIV
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