Spanning most of the first half of the 18th Century, the Queen Anne style was both influential and original, characterized by refined, flowing lines without excessive decoration. In chair and table making, the style spawned an important innovation: the cabriole leg. Queen Anne designs migrated to America after becoming well established in England. The style eventually found a home in Philadelphia, the colonies’ most important cabinetmaking center. Queen Anne furniture remained popular in America long after it was superceded in England by the early Georgian style.
CHIPPENDALE
Named after British master carver and furniture designer Thomas Chippendale, this style emerged in the second half of the 18th Century. It is often thought of as Queen Anne dressed up with ornamentation such as shell carvings, intricate fretwork, piecrust edging, and other elements of rococo or Chinese design. The style flourished in the American cabinetmaking centers of Boston, New York, Newport, and Philadelphia, with each center developing its own signature. Philadelphia Chippendale was the most extrav – agent in its carved detail, while in edging New York the style was more restrained. In Boston, the bombe – shaped chest was popular. Newport helped popularize a uniquely American form: the block-front.
SATINWOOD
COMMODE
The bombe shape was typical of the Soston style
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AMERICAN COUNTRY/COLONIAL
Using local wood species and unsophisticated construction methods, colonial America’s pioneers adapted traditional country designs from England to produce simple, practical furniture known as American Country.
Although more sophisticated styles supplanted these designs in prosperous colonial towns, rustic furniture prevailed on the ever-advancing frontier. With its simplicity, durability, and economy, traditional American Country furniture continues to appeal to 20th-Century furniture makers, particularly those living in rural America.
An ingenious response to cramped conditions, the chair table shown above serves double duty. With the tilted-up top against a wall, the piece can be used as a chair. Lowering the top transforms it into a table. |
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The Windsor chair (page 70) is often classified with American Country furniture because its simple and precise joinery and functional elegance harken back to the craftsmanship of a bygone era. But the Windsor is neither American nor rural. First made in late 17th-Century England, it is one of the most enduring and popular of all chair designs. The Windsor family also includes stools, cradles, stands, and tables.
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Although the Windsor chair has spawned countless variations, virtually all versions feature a solid seat, which anchors separate assemblies of turned legs and a spindle back.
Like the early settlers from England, newcomers to America from other parts of the world brought their unique cabinetmaking traditions with them. From the Dutch who founded New Amsterdam to the Zoarite Germans who settled in Ohio, the new arrivals
NEW MEXICAN CHAIR
Made by Spanish “Carpinteros," this chair reflects both Spanish and native – American influences; extensive chip carving served to lighten the look of the heavy timber used in the assembly.
ZOAR CHAIR
A simple country chair, based on models originally made in Germany, Austria and Switzerland; often called a “two-board chair”
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The Shakers were a puritanical religious sect that prospered in the 1800s, mainly in New England, New York State, and the Midwest. They lived in isolation from society on self-sufficient farms. Shaker furniture is practical, functional, and austere—without extravagance or ornamentation—but attractive in its simplicity. Shaker design principles continue to inspire modern funiture makers.
Like other Shaker pieces, the drop – leaf table shown above owes its beauty to its clean lines and complete devotion to function. With its leaves extended, the table can seat four people. When the entire surface is not needed, the leaves can be dropped down and the table stored compactly up against a wall.
STEP STOOL
Assembled with through dovetails, these mini- stepladders enabled Shakers to reach the top shelves and doors of floor-to-ceiling casework; three – and four-step ver- ] sions were also common
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The Mission style is an offshoot of the Arts and Crafts movement that evolved in England as a reaction to the stylistic excesses of the Victorian period and to the decline in craftsmanship caused by the Industrial Revolution. Led by designers like Gustav Stickley, American furniture makers adopted preindustrial work methods to create functional, unadorned furniture. Mission-style pieces featured exposed joints, native wood species (often oak) and a generally more rustic look. Mission furniture greatly influenced major architects such as Charles and Henry Greene and Frank Lloyd Wright
MISSION ARMCHAIR
Gustav Stickley sought to create simple, durable and comfortable furniture; this piece features straightforward, rectilinear designs, exposed joinery and modest materials
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