A project from years ago was the restoration of this Philadelphia dressing table c. 1775 that had been significantly damaged and had undergone an extensive restoration in the past. The previous restoration, which included the creation of three new legs and their fluted corner columns, was well intended but the new parts did not match, … Continue reading Philadelphia Dressing Table Restoration, Part 1, First Look
Craft
“People like bonnets. I don’t think you can under-estimate that” Andrew Davies
A comment on a previous post about enclosed bonnets on mid-18th century high chests cited another solution to their design. Instead of a flat board running front to back supporting the superstructure, a round, a roughly shaped bolt of yellow poplar or white cedar could be fit between the tympanum and the backboard which had … Continue reading “People like bonnets. I don’t think you can under-estimate that” Andrew Davies
A Scriptor Re-discovered
Last month I attended the second session of Working Wood in the 18th Century, Desks: The Write Stuff, in Colonial Williamsburg. This was the 17th annual conference during which the staff of the Anthony Hay Cabinet Shop explore the design and construction of 18th century furniture through their reproduction of the objects, and the demonstration … Continue reading A Scriptor Re-discovered
Put A Bonnet On It
The covered scroll top of a high chest made in Philadelphia c. 1760 that is made as a third component of the chest, and lifts off, allows a rarely seen view of this form of construction. The top section rests on the upper case section. The lower element of the cornice moulding slightly overhangs the … Continue reading Put A Bonnet On It
Tea Table Pairs Addendum
Though the idea that tea tables were produced as pairs during the middle of the 18th century in America has been rarely touched on by furniture historians or cultural institutions - the marketplace has preferred and promoted the idea of a singular prestigious object - one of the earliest American references to the tilt-top tea … Continue reading Tea Table Pairs Addendum
In Proportion to the Trouble 