American
History
Through
American
Furniture
American Furniture at the Met
Material culture artifacts were “made at a particular
time and place, in response to a specific need, to
perform a socially meaningful function, expressing
values through design, ornament, symbol, and style,
which were a part of a definite cultural tradition.”
-E. McClung Fleming “Early American Decorative Arts as Social Documents,” The Mississippi Valley Historical
Review 45, Sep., 1958: 277.
What Can Furniture Tell Us About a Society?
• Trade: The origins of raw materials and finished products
tell us about the trade networks of a particular society.
• Function: The use of particular pieces of furniture tell us
about a society’s solutions to everyday problems.
• Standard of Living: The price of materials and degree of
workmanship in furniture tells us about the relative
wealth of members of a society.
• Everyday life: The purpose and design of decorative arts
tells us about how people spent their time.
• Values: The iconography of decorative arts tells us about
a society’s religious, political, and historical values.
(From: -E. McClung Fleming “Early American Decorative Arts as Social Documents,” The Mississippi
Valley Historical Review 45, Sep., 1958: 279.)
This chest was made by William Searle (1634-1667) and Thomas Dennis (1638-1706) of
Ipswich, MA. The chest, is an example of the continuity in furniture making because
it shares many details with British chests of the same period. Both British and
Colonial chests were made by panel construction with oak. In addition, the scroll
work and flower and leaf designs were popular design motifs in both areas. Dennis
and Searle were from Devonshire, England and likely brought their traditions of
furniture making and decoration with them to Massachusetts.
This tall chest from Philadelphia is an
example of the adaptation of
European styles to suit local
tastes. This chest is likely made
from mahogany imported from the
West Indies. The quality of the
carving indicates that it was
carved by a highly-skilled
craftsmen who was trained in
London. The MET website states,
“these makers took motifs from
London pattern books and
rearranged them to suit local
tastes. Thus, the scroll pediment
with finial bust and cornice
moldings were taken directly from
illustrations in Thomas
Chippendale's famous Gentlemen
and Cabinet Maker's Director
(1762), the serpent-and-swan
motif in the central bottom drawer
from Thomas Johnson's New
Book of Ornaments (1762).”
(from
http://www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/viewOne.asp?
dep=1&viewmode=0&item=18%2E110%2E4)
Desks like this one, made between 1770
and 1790 by the finest cabinetmakers
in Newport, the Townsends and the
Goddards, were symbols of their
owners’ business achievements and
wealth. Constructed primarily of
imported mahogany (with locally
available chestnut and pine as
secondary woods), the shape of this
desk was taken from German designs.
Its adornment a particularly American
interpretation of the leafy scroll work of
the Rococo style that was popular in
Europe. The unique contributions of
the Townsends and Goddards to
furniture designs include:
• Blockfront styling with plain vertical
sections that terminate in finely carved
shells
• The “cupcake” finial (a flattened ball
with a corkscrew extending from it)
• The bracketed foot with a small scroll
Chairs such as this one are part of the
Federal style of American furniture-making.
Federal style furniture was not a uniquely
American innovation. Instead, it drew on
European traditions that originated as early as the
1730s when the Enlightenment spurred interest in
Greek and Roman cultures. At this time, classical
motifs such as drapery, urns, and sheaths of
wheat become popular as furniture adornments.
After the American Revolution, classicallyinspired furniture became very popular. This was
due to an influx cabinetmakers from England,
Ireland, and Scotland who brought their current
European tastes with them. The popularity of
classical furniture in the new United States can
also be attributed to the Republic’s attempt to
connect itself to the traditions of Ancient Greece
and Rome.
This particular chair is consistent with the
work of Samuel McIntire, a Salem carver and
architect. The chair was owned by the prominent
Salem merchant Elias Hasket Derby. The chair’s
detail is a testament to Derby’s wealth and the
upholstered seat indicates an increased concern
for comfort. The design merges both regional,
local, and international tastes The main design is
based on a published Hepplewhite pattern. The
shield shaped back, however, is common for New
England furniture and the central urn with festoons
is particular to Salem. The carved grape designs
on the legs and splat draw on Greco-Roman
motifs and are associated with McIntire’s work.
.
This sofa (1810-1820) was owned by Thomas Cornell Pearsall, a wealthy New York merchant and
shipowner. Like the McIntire chair, this sofa is part of the American Federal style. The x-shaped
leg supports are derived from curules, an ancient Greco-Roman furniture form that was
described and published in the early 19th century. This particular sofa has been attributed to
Duncan Phyfe, a Scottish cabinetmaker who emigrated to New York in 1794. The reeded legs
of this sofa are classically-inspired ((think of columns) as are the swag and cornucopia
carvings.
Crafted of imported mahogany, this sofa exemplifies the owner’s wealth and the increased attention
to luxury that characterized the 19th century.
Bibliography
•
•
•
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Butler, Joseph T. American Antique Furniture. New York: Roundtable Press,
1985.
Fleming, E. McClung. “Early American Decorative Arts as Social
Documents.” The Mississippi Valley Historical Review 45, Sep., 1958.
Kirk, John T. American Furniture and the British Tradition to 1830. New
York: Knopf, 1982.
Website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
http://www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/viewOne.asp?dep=1&viewmode=
0&item=10%2E125%2E685
http://www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/viewOne.asp?dep=1&viewmode=
0&item=15%2E21%2E2
http://www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/viewOne.asp?dep=1&viewmode=
0&item=18%2E110%2E4
http://www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/viewOne.asp?dep=1&viewmode=
0&item=62%2E16
http://www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/viewOne.asp?dep=1&viewmode=
0&item=60%2E4%2E1
Artifact Analysis Worksheet
This NARA Resource is useful for analyzing material culture resources.
•
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/artifact_analysis_wo
rksheet.pdf
Seymour Story: a Former PEM
Exhibit
See http://www.pem.org/luxury/furniture.html for
video and audio descriptions of methods and
styles