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COIXECHdN of AMEMC^A)
FRANCIS PATRICK GARVAN, B.A,i897
^ryaCe Wniversity^-)
SCHOOL OF THE FINE ARTS

THE FURNITURE
OF our &&m§ss
FOREFATHERS

THE FURNITURE
OF OUR
FOREFATHERS By ESTHER SINGLETON
WITH CRITICAL DESCRIPTIONS. OF PLATES
By RUSSELL STURCIS
ILLUSTRATED VOLUME I

T^S^sT

NEW YORK
DOUBLEDAX PAGE AND COMPANY
i 9 o I

COPYRIGHT, 19OO, 1901, BY
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY

CONTENTS Volume I

PAGE

Part I Early Southern .... 3
Carved Oak and Walnut of the Seven
teenth Century.
Part II Later Southern . . . 79
Oak, Walnut and Early Mahogany.
Part III Early New England . . . 155
Imported and Home-made Pieces of the
Seventeenth Century.
Part IV Dutch and English Periods . -235
New York from 161 5 to 1776.

For detailed Contents and List of Illus
trations of each Part see the front
matter immediately preceding the
above folios. Volume II con
tains a complete Index
to the whole
work.

BEDSTEAD
Carved oak iuood ; ivith columns, tester, and head-board of debased classic character, ornamented
in marquetry. English, dated ijpj. Height, J ft. f. in.;
length, 7 ft. n in.; width, j ft. 8 in.

THE FURNITURE
OF OUR
FOREFATHERS

By ESTHER SINGLETON
WITH CRITICAL DESCRIPTIONS OF PLATES
By RUSSELL STURGIS

ILLUSTRATED

JMEW YORK
DOUBLEDAX PAGE AND COMPANY
i 9 ° °

COPYRIGHT, 1900, BY
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & CO.

CONTENTS

7

9
10

The Early Settlers .....
Their arrival and manner of living; law regulating free grants
of land made; endeavours to improve dwellings; condition
of settlements in 1619; further measures taken toward ar
chitectural improvement, 1635; the effect ofthe Indian
massacre in 1622; gradual improvement of houses.
Contents of Dwellings Previous to 1650
General inventories of " necessaries for planters."
The Looking-Glass ......
Its price, make, and rarity.
The Trenchers .......
The Bed ........
Its importance ; price ; descriptions of bed and fittings belong
ing to various royal personages in England, 10-14; general
description, 14—18.
General character of furniture in middle of seventeenth cen
tury, 18; its make; style; wood; nationality; style of deco
ration; its gradual evolution, 18—21.
Thomas Deacon's Possessions . . . 21—22
The Wainscot . . . - . . 23
The Carpet ....... 24
Inventory of Leonard Calvert . . 24—26
Governor of Maryland.
Miscellaneous Information Regarding Indi
vidual Possessions of the Period . 26—29
Glass ........ 29
Various Old Letters . . , 30—34
To private persons descriptive of mode of life in 1686 and
thereabouts.
The Estate of Captain Stephen Gill . 34-36.

CONTENTS

• 38
¦ 4°
• 44
45-5 J

The Cupboard ....... 36
Similarity to each other in court-, standing-, livery-cupboard
and press ; examples from inventories with their prices, 37 ; its
variations in size and decoration.
Rooms in Houses of the Seventeenth Century
Inventory of Mr. Gyles Mode
of York County, Va., 40, and various other inventories, 44
The Advance of Luxury ....
The Chair ......
Its makes, prices, upholstering; favourite patterns; inventories
of various persons, including chairs, with valuations, 46— 47;
descriptions of illustrations of chairs, 48—51.
Further Increase ofLuxuryAmong the Planters 5 2—54
The inventory of the estate of Colonel Francis Epes.
The Box, Chest and Trunk . . . -54
General description, 54—56 ; description of personal ownership
of such, 56—57.
Inventory ...... 58—61
Contents of house belonging to Nicholas Wyatt, of Maryland.
The Cabinet ...... 61—62
Material used for construction ; design, decoration, style, etc.
The Table ...... 62—65
Evolution of different styles and shapes; ornamentation,
design ; prices, etc.
Books ........ 65
Their scarcity and prices, 65 ; libraries of Dr. John Wil
loughby and of Thomas Perkins, 65-66.
Table-Forks and Warming-Pans
Influence of French Renaissance
Home-Made Furniture
Furnishing of a Court-House .
of the late seventeenth century period.
Miscellaneous Information concerning
Virginian Settler
His mode of living ; average household goods ; the greatly
increased prosperity of the planter ; of settlements, etc., etc.

66-67
68-69 • 7°
• 7°
THE 7°-73

List of Illustrations

WITH CRITICAL NOTES ON MANY OF
THE PLATES BY RUSSELL STURGIS

ALL THE NOTES FURNISHED BY MR. STURGIS
ARE FOLLOWED BY HIS INITIALS, R. S.

Frontispiece ..... facing
Bedstead with very large tester supported on separate columns. The material is oak with
a little inlay of coloured woods in the headboard. Good taste and a feeling of appro
priateness is seen in the modification of such architectural features as the Ionic capitals ;
these being made unusually large and spreading to correspond with thaslenderness of parts of
what may be called the shafts. The free use of reedings is noticeable ; these becoming what
are called godrons (or gadroons) where they decorate a convexly rounded surface. R. S.
Oaken Cabinet .... facing
Closed cabinet in two bodies, with top also separate. Four cupboards, four drawers. The
strictly architectural character of the design marks it as of the sixteenth century. The
freedom of the sculpture and the peculiar forms of the scroll-work suggest a continental
origin. The piece is probably Flemish and of about 1580. R. S.
An Old Chair .......
Walnut with yoke-shaped top rail, turned tapering side supports under central panel
curved backwards. There is a beading around the lower curved edge ofthe seat of the
chair and the edges ofthe cabriole-shaped legs. The front and back legs are similar in
shape. The seat is covered with pile needlework of floral pattern. About 1710.
Oaken Stool ..... facing
Date early in the seventeenth century. The extremely simple decoration is similar to
that of the mirror frame (see page 16). Height, 8JE^ inches; length, 16 inches;
width, 11^ inches. R. S.
Seventeenth Century Chair ....
Painted, high back with top rail carved and pierced over a long panel rounded at top and
bottom. The seat is plain frame filled in with the original cane webbing. The legs are
carved with projecting knees and feet turned outward. A carved and pierced rail joins
the two front legs. The ornament is of scrolls and foliage.

Seventeenth Century Chairs
The chair to the left is said to have been used by Charles II.
hand was used by Robert Proud, historian.
Table with Two Flaps

facing
The one upon the right-

Oak, oval ; the new top stands on six baluster-shaped legs, two of which move in
sockets to support the flaps. A framework of plain bars strengthens the legs, and on
one side is a long drawer with carved front. Seventeenth century. Height, 2 feet, 4^
inches. Top, 2 feet, 9 inches by 2 feet, 7 inches.

PAGE iii

1 1

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Eighteenth Century Windsor Armchair . . 14
Birch ; the back is formed by a curved top rail, a curved central panel, two straight
pieces and spindle-shaped bars. The flat arm-rail is supported by four bars on each side.
Cabriole-shaped legs.
An Old Mirror .... facing 16
Dated 1603, undoubtedly English. The whole is of oak. This piece, dating from the
year of Elizabeth's death and the accession of James I, was put together in the simplest
way with mortise and tenon joints held by pins, but there is a little elaboration in the
ornament secured by inserting little tesserae of oak alternately light and dark in the flat up
rights of the frame. Otherwise the carving is of the most obvious and simple descrip
tion, effective enough, but neither choice nor delicate in its lines. The bounding out
line of the frame is certainly not happy. Height, 2 feet, 3^ inches; width, 2 feet,
3/% inches ; the dimensions being taken over all. R. S.
Chair of Walnut . . . . . .16
It is supposedly Flemish. The turning and moulding are skilful, but the sculpture is
hasty and unmeaning ; dated 1678.
Small Chest and Table of Oak . facing 18
Table and small chest; the table dated 1622. These pieces have been painted. They
were formerly a part of the furniture of Montacute Priory (Somersetshire) and probably
the box was intended for offerings. The simple sculpture of the panel on the front of
this receptacle may be compared with that of the other cabinets ; it is more
pictorial and descriptive than they and reminds the student of the inlaid Dutch work of
the epoch in the preference shown for floral forms. There is nothing attractive about
the table except the graceful outline given to the turned and carved legs. R. S.
Seventeenth Century Chair of Oak . . 20
High-backed chair bearing arms which are thought to be those of Thomas Went
worth, the first earl of Stafford, minister or Charles 1, and beheaded in 1641. The
chair is of about 1630.
Butter Cupboard of Oak . . facing 22
Cabinet entirely enclosed, with two cupboards and a secret below, and another large cup
board with two doors above, and two large drawers. The material in the present instance
is entirely oak, and in the sides there are perforations to admit air. Pieces of this pattern
are often called in England butter cupboards. The decoration is all of the simplest rural
character, done by clever village carpenters skilled in the use of simple tools and enjoying
the humble decorations which they appUed to the rough pieces they made. As the fram
ing ofthe present cupboard is ofthe simplest and most obvious sort, the tenons held in
their places by two pins to each, so the carving is a mere varying of the surface by em
bossed figures alternating with slight sinkings ; but nearly all applied with excellent taste,
and an admirable sense of what figures would truly adorn the panels and solids. The
very curious framing ofthe upper doors may be noted. There are no pieces which can
be called stiles or rails, and the piece which has a tenon cut at one end has a mortise cut
in its side near the opposite end. Total height, 4 feet, 8^ inches; width, 4 feet, 4
inches, R. S.
Seventeenth Century Chair
Armchair of walnut wood.
Oaken Coffer ..... facing 24
Chest bearing the curious inscription "This is Esther Hobsonne chist, 1637." It is of
oak and unquestionably English. As is common in large coffers of the time in England,
there is little attempt to make the piece a complete parallelogram on each of its four
sides with a continuous base of parallel mouldings and a cap or edge of cover to cor
respond. Almost any French or German chest of the time would be built on those
lines, and the horizontal members of top and bottom would have been the controlling

23

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
elements of the design ; while the feet would be additional balls or baluster-shaped
terminals. The English chest, however, frequently had, as in this case, the four up
rights which form the two ends of its principal sides carried down beyond the horizontals
to form feet for the whole box. This is to a great extent destructive of the dignity of
the piece, which, accordingly, has a much more familiar and carelessly designed look.
This, however, is abundantly made up in the case before us by the admirably adapted
sculpture. It is seldom that a piece of furniture is found which, covered all over with
carving, has still that carving so well fitted for its place, in every part, and so spirited in
detail. The very simplicity and rustic character ofthe carving increase this appearance
of attractiveness of purpose and fitness of all its parts. Height, 2 feet, 6 inches ; length,
S feet, I inch ; depth, 2 feet, 2^ inches. R. S.
Seventeenth Century Chair . . . ' . 27
Chair ofthe type known as " Curule chair," about 1660. It is in walnut except the
seat, which is temporary and covered roughly with a piece of velvet. The carving is of
extreme rudeness and seems to be not merely hasty but also the work of an unskilled
hand. R. S.
Two Armchairs in Jacobean Style . facing 32
Two armchairs, Jacobean in style and to be dated about 1630 although the upholstery
and the very carefully made cane work may well be later. R. S.
Bedstead with Tester and Hangings . facing 34
The visible woodwork is of about 1620—30 ; the upholstery probably fifty years later ;
curtains running easily on rings ; very well designed hand-made fringes. R. S.
Oaken Cupboard .... facing 36
Cabinet dated 1603. Undoubtedly English work. The material is oak except where a
tulip plant is coarsely inlaid and where, below the date and below the drawers and the
inlaid tulip, is a band of alternating squares, light and dark wood. The sculptured bust
of the lady is of singular grace and delicacy although it shows a hand unpracticed in the
use of relief in figure subject. That is to say. it is rather the front part of a statue
copied in the wood than a deliberately made design in relief. The treatment
of the costume even in its minutest details is unusually effective. The purely dec
orative sculpture is peculiar in the careful avoidance of massive or surface covering
leafage ; it is all reduced to very narrow ridges and terminal sprigs hardly broader, in this
closely resembling much of the sculpture of peasant furniture in the far south of France dur
ing this and the succeeding century. The wrought iron work is interesting especially be
cause of its evident rudeness. It is apparently the work of a country blacksmith. Height,
4 feet, -2.y2 inches; length, 3 feet, 10% inches; depth, 1 foot, 9^ inches. R. S.
Armchair ..... facing 38
Of about 1650, with upholstering either of the same date or renewed in the original
style.
Walnut Chair ....... 39
Belonging to Sir William Gooch, Governor of Virginia 1727-47. From the original
in the possession or the Virginia Historical Society, Richmond.
Armchair Dated 1670 . . . facing 40
Of oak and apparently of English work. The initials I. P. cannot now be identified.
Although so much later than the cabinet facing page 3 the sculpture is of almost ex
actly the same character ; indicating, perhaps, the rural or remote origin of the piece.
In days of slow and difficult communication the workmen of an out-of-the-way country
side would be following the traditions of their fathers at a time when' the carvers of the
metropolis and its neighborhood had better advantage from over seas or from the influence
of the court. This piece can hardly be praised for its design or workmanship. It is the
rude work of unskilful and not over-tasteful artisans. R. S.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Seventeenth Century Cromwell Chair . . 42
Armchair of about 1650 with upholstery either of the same date or renewed in the
original style.
An Oak Chair of 1649 . . . . -43
The stuffed seat is covered with maroon leather over which is a piece of canvas worked
with colored wools in the manner of a carpet.
Two Armchairs . . . . . • -45
Two armchairs of about 1660, the description in the museum catalogue stating them
to be of the north of England, Yorkshire and Derbyshire. The one at the right should
be compared with the " Curule chair" (page 27), which shows a similar handling of
the rough ornamentation. R. S.
Two Seventeenth Century Armchairs . facing 48
Armchair ; dated 1668. Of oak. Armchair of about the same period, of walnut. The
oak chair has a little very well designed scrollwork and incised ornamentation in the
panel of the back which corresponds with and repeats the incised figures of the date.
The walnut chair has no wooden back, not even a top rail, and the seat and back are
made alike of stamped and figured leather. This leather is of elegant design, the semi-
heraldic decoration filling the surface of the broad strap very perfectly and with a true
sense of its significance. On the other hand, the woodwork of the piece is absolutely
without character, even the little balusters which unite the two straining-pieces beneath the
seat, having all the appearance of much later work, are simply turned in the lathe. R. S.
Seventeenth Century Chair . . . -49
Painted ; high back with carved and pierced top rail. Back framing and lower rail
carved and incised, the central panel of the back and seat filled in with cane webbing.
The legs and two straining rails are spirally turned. Carved and incised front rail.
About 1660. Owned by W. H. Evans, Esq., Forde Abbey, England.
Seventeenth Century Chair . . . 49
Walnut, high back, with a long panel rounded at each end and filled in with cane web
bing, surmounted by a pedimental piece carved and pierced, supported by two turned pil
lars continuous with the cane webbing. The seat is plain frame filled in with cane web
bing. The front legs and straining rails are turned. Owned by C. H. Talbot, Esq.,
Lacock Abbey, England.
High-backed Chair ......
Covered with stamped Spanish leather of a tawny colour fastened with brass studs. The
front rail consists of two interlacing scrolls. From the original in the Memorial Hall,
Philadelphia.
Oaken Cradles .... facing 50
Cradle (i), dated 1687, of oak; (2) cradle, also of oak and of about 1660. Each of
these very interesting pieces is a simple box with four upright posts at the corners, which
posts are framed into the rockers in one case by mortise and tenon, in the other by hav
ing the end of the post saw-cut for a depth of three or four inches, and the much thinner
rocker let into this and pinned fast. No. 1 bears its date on the panel of the foot, the
lines and the moulding around them being in low relief ; the panels on the sides are carved
with very simple bands of scrollwork with stars and similar decorations, all in slight re
lief. No. 2, much more elaborate, is carved all over, framework and panels alike ;
this also has a covered head-piece apparently for no purpose except greater display. This
latter has preserved its original velvet cushions. R. S.
Seventeenth Century Armchair of Carved
Black Walnut ...... 50
The legs are turned, the seat is of wooden cane. The back and front rail are highly
carved.

5°

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Seventeenth Century Chair . . . 51
Armchair of uncertain date, probably beginning ot seventeenth century. Pieces so devoid
of ornament are impossible to date accurately. Such furniture, intended to receive its
sole decoration from the upholstery, or, as in this case, stamped leather-work and wrought
nail-heads, were made from 1550 to 1800 ; and during all this time their forms did not
change in any definite way. R. S.
Cabinet of Oak ..... facing 54
Cabinet with drawers ; not dated, but apparently of the closing years of the seventeenth
century. This is an elaborate piece intended for the drawing-room or long gallery of a
mansion ; the outer doors are of oak veneered on the face with hexagonal pieces of wood
described in the original inventory as "Thorn Acacia," and the inside also veneered, but
with oak, except for the border of dark and light squares, which are of rosewood and
sycamore. The drawers within, eleven in number, are veneered with walnut, with an
edging of sycamore, but the edge of the framework which supports and encloses them
is of walnut. The cornice of the cabinet is of pear wood with walnut inlaid in front, the
separation hardly visible in the picture ; and the cushion-like frieze of the top is the out
side of the drawer of which the face is of walnut. The cabinet proper, that is to say,
the enclosed box-like piece, rests upon a table entirely of oak. The pulls of the drawers
are probably later than the woodwork, and are not of importance. Such pieces were
easy to make in the country in the neighbourhood or, perhaps, in the buildings themselves
of any estate, and a singular tradition exists to the effect than an attempt was made to in
clude in the decoration specimens of all kinds of wood found on the estate ; but this
legend has rather the air of having been deliberately invented at a later date. What is
noticeable is the willing abandonment of all free and untaught decoration on the part of
the workmen. Evidently a more sophisticated age had come when the only carving al
lowed was in the form of cable twisted uprights and horizontals. Height of table, 2 feet,
3 inches ; height of box, 2 feet, 5 inches. R. S.
Oaken Chest of Drawers . . . . -55
Cabinet or upright chest of drawers ofthe time of William III (1688 to 1702). The
vicious habit, ultimately destructive of all sincerity and character in cabinet work — the
habit of planting on mouldings — had made some headway in France even at a much
earlier date, as before the accession of Louis XIV ; but in England the tradition of solid
oak and of straightforward carpenter work was slower to give way. The piece is of oak
with the rosettes and drop handles of brass. Its dimensions are: 4 feet, 4^ inches in
total height, and 3 feet, 2 inches in width. R. S.
Cabinet ...... facing 56
Cabinet, the panels of 1630 or the following years and undoubtedly of English work ;
though the minor decorations ofthe piece indicate a date of 1670 or thereabout. Such
remounting of carved panels is not uncommon. The cabinet is entirely in walnut ; the
carving of the large panels is extremely interesting because of the frank treatment of a
complicated subject, in each case, by a hand of but little skill. It is this willingness of
skilled artisans, who were yet not artists of knowledge and power, to do work of decora
tive character which makes the furniture as well as the architecture, the silverware and
the textiles of the seventeenth and the previous centuries so attractive. In our time
these panels would have to be bare of ornament or carved with the most conventional
foliage, or else entrusted to a sculptor who would charge $200 apiece for them.
On the other hand, the purely decorative parts are of but little value. The heads are
poorly modelled, the seated figures in the spandrels are wretchedly composed, and the
leafage has but little character. An exception may be made in favour of the upright
pilasters beyond the baluster columns of the upper section. It may be thought that the
three figures in low relief are portraits ; the uppermost one might well be James I of
England and the two lower ones his sons, the Prince of Wales, afterwards Charles I,
and the Duke of York, afterwards James II. Total height, 5 feet, 8 inches; width
over all, 4 feet, 5 inches. R. S.
Cabinet ........ 60
The upper part is a cupboard with two doors, inclosing shelves, and the lower part filled

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

with four drawers. It is of oak, veneered with various woods, chiefly walnut, and has in
several panels figured and floral ornament in pear wood inlaid in ebony. About 1 670-8 o .
Height, 6 feet, 9 inches ; width, 4 feet, 6 inches ; depth, 21^ inches.
Sections of Seventeenth Century Cabinet
Decorations similar to the English late Elizabethan or Jacobean style. Flemish, about
1620. Height, 3 feet, 6 inches; length, 4 feet, 1 inch ; width, 1 foot, 8 inches.
Seventeenth Century Oak Table with Extend
ing Top ..... .
Table and stool or short bench ; the table about 1605. It is an extension table ; the
top in two pieces united by a hinge. The godrons noticed in the bedstead (frontispiece),
are here relieved, each upon its own fillet ; a kind of combination of Elizabethan " strap-
ornament" with the Jacobean reedings. R. S.
Table with Three Flaps . . facing
Table with triangular top and three leaves. Its extremely small dimensions indicated
its use as an ornament, or perhaps, as apiece of furniture especially made fora child. It
is entirely of oak, probably of English make, and its simply turned legs seem to indicate
a date as ofthe close of the seventeenth century. Height, 2 feet ; top, 2 feet, 5 inches
in greatest dimensions when the leaves are raised. R. S.
Walnut Chairs ......

Originally belonging to Ralph Wormeley of Virginia.
Tayloe Perrin of Baltimore. (See page 51.)

Now owned by Mrs. John
Chair Showing the Renaissance Influence
Originally belonging to Colonel William Byrd of Westover, now owned by Miss Elizabeth
Byrd Nicholas, Washington, D. C. The back and seat are stuffed and upholstered in
velvet. The back legs terminate in the hoof form and the front in the ball and claw.
The leg curves outward from the cover of the seat and is boldly and gracefully carved
with the acanthus.
Black Oak Sideboard . . . facing
Said to have belonged to Lord Baltimore, and to have been brought by him from England,
when it fell into the possession of Charles Carroll of Carrollton. It is now owned by
Mrs. Edward C. Pickering ofthe Observatory, Cambridge, Mass. (There seems to be
doubt as to the authenticity of this piece. Experts have stated that it is of a later
date than that credited to it. )

6l
63
64
65
7°

THE FURNITURE OF
OUR FOREFATHERS Part 1

OAKEN CABINET
In tivo bodies with top also separate. Four cupboards, four drawers. The character of the sculpture
and scroll-work suggests a continental origin- — probably Flemish. Sixteenth century.

0^£^ S^i^m

THE FURNITURE OF
OUR FOREFATHERS
Part I: Early SoutKern
CARVED OAK AND WALNUT OF THE XVIITH CENTURY
BEFORE describing the household furniture
used by the early English settlers in this
country, it will be well for us to form a
7 clear idea of the houses in which they lived.
The First Plantation of one hundred
gentlemen-adventurers and labourers brought
with them nothing but the bare necessaries of life —
food, clothing, and tools. They wasted valuable time in
hunting for mythical gold ore ; and when the First Supply
(equally poorly provided), consisting of two ships with one
hundred and twenty persons, arrived (1607), nine months
later, it found only forty survivors, and of these " ten only
able men, all utterly destitute of houses, not one as yet built,
so that they lodged in cabins and holes within the ground."*
Captain Newport, who was in command of the First
Supply, had a church and a storehouse built by those under

*A Briefe Declaration, etc. (1625).

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

him, and the cabins of Jamestown were enclosed within a
palisade. However, fire broke out in the storehouse and
reduced the whole place to ashes, including the stockade.
Fortunately, the entire cargo had not been landed, but aid
was badly needed. Rebuilding was soon begun ; church,
storehouse, and forty houses of rafts, sedge and earth were
completed in 1608, and twenty more houses were built in
1609. All of these, however, were
hopelessly decayed in 1 6 1 o, as might be
expected from their construction.
Sir Thomas Smith, who was now in
charge, seems still to have directed his
efforts towards the immediate profit of
the Virginia Company, rather than the
safety of the plantation, should supplies
fail. We learn that the colonists were
" wholly employed in cutting down of
masts, cedar, black walnut, clapboard,
etc., and in digging gold ore (as some
thought), which, being sent to England,
proved dirt." The Third Supply, car
rying food and clothing, was sent in
wards. There is a beading around !6o8, but, aS mOSt of the provisions
the lower curved edge of ihe seat „,Q„^ 1„„^ .1 1 r 1 1
of the chair and round the edges were lost ln the wreck of the principal
andbLkiegstrelimiiarkshape! ^P i*1 the Bermudas, the colonists
The seat is covered with pile re 1
needlework of floral pattern. were worse off than ever, and the
zouche' Puiborough, England! dreadful Starving Time, with its can
nibal horrors, followed.
In 1610, Lord Delaware arrived with some relief,
and was followed by Sir Thomas Dale and Sir Thomas
Gates, each with three or four ships.
On taking charge, Lord Delaware undertook construe-

AN OLD CHAIR
Walnut with yoke-shaped top
rail, turned tapering side supports
under central panel curved back

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
tions of a less flimsy character than before, covering the
roofs with boards and the sides with Indian mats. On his
departure, on account of ill-health, Dale succeeded him
and still further improved the buildings. He erected a
wooden church, storehouses, and many dwellings, with the
lower story of brick. Dale made a law by which every
arriving father with a family was to have, rent free, a
house of at least four rooms, with twelve acres of fenced
land, upon which he must grow grain. Dale's efforts bore
little fruit ; the houses constantly fell to ruin, and Sir
Thomas Gates was no more successful when he tried to
rejuvenate the town ; for when Argoll took command, in
1 6 17, only five or six habitations were standing. The
other settlements had fared no better.
In 1 6 1 9, " arrived Sir George Yardley to be Governor.
For forts, towns and plantations, he found these : James
City, Henrico, Charles City and Hundred, Shirley Hun
dred,. Arrahattock, Martin Brandon and Kicoughton, all
which were but poorly housed and as ill-fortified; for in
James City were only those houses that Sir Thomas Gates
built in the time of his government, with one wherein the
Governor always dwelt, an addition being made thereto in
the time of Captain Samuel Argoll, and a church, built of
timber, being fifty foot in length and twenty foot in
breadth; at Paspahayes also were some few slight houses
built; at Henrico, two or three old houses, a poor, ruin
ated church, with some few poor buildings in the island ;
Coxen Dale and the Maine, and at Arrahattock one house ;
at Charles City, six houses, much decayed, and that we
may not be too tedious, as these, so were the rest of the
places furnished."*
*A Briefe Declaration, etc. (1625). 5

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

Amid the struggles and miseries of all these years, we
may conclude that there was no temptation to import good
furniture ; and that made by the resident carpenters and
joiners would be of the barest de
scription. We find evidence in the records
that measures were taken to substi
tute substantial structures for the
"poor ruinated" churches referred
to in the Briefe Declaration. At the
first vestry meeting of the church
in Northampton County, Va., Sep
tember 29, 1635, it was resolved to
build a "parsonage house upon the
Glybe land by Christyde next, and
that the syd house shall be forty foot
long and eighteen foot wide, nyne
foot to the wall plates ; and that ther
shall be a chimney at each end of the
house, and upon each syde of the
chimneys a room, the one for a
study, the other for a buttery; alsoe
a partition neere the midst of the
house, with an entry and tow doors,
the one to go into the Kitchinge, the
other into the Chamber."
In 1622, the Indian massacre
practically wiped out the outlying
settlements, and the next year Jamestown contained only
one hundred and eighty-two individuals. However, the
successful planting of tobacco in Virginia in 161 2 had
insured the permanent settlement of the colony through

I7TH CENTURY CHAIR
Painted, high back with top
rail carved and pierced over a long
panel rounded at top and bottom.
The seat is a plain frame filled in
with the original cane webbing.
The legs are carved with projecting
knees and feet turned outward. A
carved and pierced rail joins the two
front legs. The ornament is of
scrolls and foliage. Owned by Mrs.
McClure. See page 48.

OAKEN STOOL
Carved all round with a beaded band and inlaid between the baluster-shaped legs with narrow borders of wood, alternately light and dark. English, 160J

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
almost any calamity. In 1623, George Sandys wrote home
to the authorities that the massacre had produced one good
result in making the people live closer together for mu
tual protection, and would induce them to build frame
houses. However, they soon scattered again, and, a year
or two later, Governor Butler testified, from personal
observation, that the meanest English cottages were more
sightly and comfortable than the best dwellings in Vir
ginia, which were the worst in the world. This, how
ever, was denied by the Governor and Council of the
Colony. The buildings undoubtedly gradually improved
thenceforward, and the log cabin gave way to the framed
house. The latter usually had no cellar, but rested on
sills ; and had a brick chimney at one and sometimes both
ends. After the arrival of Governor Berkeley, in 1642,
brick entered more largely into the construction of the
houses. In Jamestown, town lots were granted on condi
tion of building a brick dwelling with a cellar, measuring
sixteen feet by twenty-four, but for long afterwards the
dwelling of the ordinary planter had only the first story
and chimney of brick.
We will now proceed to examine the contents of the
dwellings previous to 1650.
In the latter year, E. Williams, in Virginia Truly Valued,
gives a list of " Necessaries for planters." Here we find
little more than the Company provided its servants with at
the first settlement. There is a list of "Armes" and
"Tooles"; and then comes "Aparell," under which head
we find " Canvase to make sheets, with Bed and Bolster to
till [fill?] in Virginia, 1 Rugge and Blankets." Last comes
"Household stuffe," including "one great Iron Pot, large
and small kettles, Skellets, Frying Pannes, Gridiron, Spit,

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Platters, Dishes, Spoons, Knives." Thus they took no
furniture with them. The inventories, moreover, show
that the dwellings were almost bare. Thus, in 1637,
Adam Lindsay, of York, died possessed of only " one mock
bed and covering," valued at 80 pounds in a total of 2036
pounds tobacco. In the same year, Anthony Panton's
estate was appraised at 1070 pounds tobacco, and here we
find only " one bed-board, one brush, one chest." In 1638,
"Edward Bateman, carpenter of St. Maries," possessed a
boat, tools, two bands, a tinderbox, a brush, a rope, an old
doublet, a bearskin and a chest. These were valued at 345
pounds tobacco. These instances are typical of servants
who had served their indentures, and reveal an almost
incredible lack of household furniture ; and yet the inven
tory of the estate of " Justinian Snow, late of St. Mary's,
planter," May 24, 1639, shows a most modest state of
luxury, although he was one of the richest planters in
Maryland. In addition to knives, nails, smoothing-irons,
tools, spades, pins, line, thread, ribbon, stuff, " friz," can
vas, buttons, hooks and eyes, shot, nets and lines, boats,
weapons, trunks, chests, wearing apparel in all stages of
decay, pipes, beads, household linen, provisions, cooking
utensils and live stock, we find only: Tobacco
2 Looking-glasses  0040
3 dozen of trenchers  0006
One bed standing in the Parlor .... 0500
The Bedde and the Appurtenances in the
littell Parlor  02C0
a parcell of Bookes  0010
A parcell of odd household stuff . . . 0100
3 kettells a chest and Chayer wt other house-
holde stuff  0100
the Beddinge Chest and tubbs in the
Chamber  0160

SEVENTEENTH CENTURY CHAIRS
The chair to the left is said to have been used by Charles II. The one upon the right hand was
used by Robert Proud, historian.
Both specimens are in the Pennsylvania Historical Society.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
The total inventory amounted to 29,766 pounds tobacco,
and tobacco was then ^3 1 9s. 1 od. per hundred pounds.
The looking-glasses would cost about $20 each in
present money. At this date, 1639, looking-glasses were
found in very few houses, even in England, though, of
course, metal mirrors were common enough. There they
did not come into general use until after the Restoration,
in 1 660. They were imported from Venice. As we shall
see, the looking-glass with gilded or olive-wood frame is
frequently mentioned henceforward. The olive-wood alone
would show its Italian origin. Though anticipating some
what, it may be as well to note here that looking-glasses
were small in the seventeenth and early part of the eigh
teenth century. When they exceeded four feet in length
or breadth they were made up of separate pieces, gener
ally with gilt mouldings at the divisions. When of Eng
lish make, they came from the VauxhaU factory, founded
by the second Duke of Buckingham, that " chemist, states
man, fiddler, and buffoon," who introduced workmen from
Venice to teach the art of making plate-glass, bevelling,
etc. Early examples of mirrors are plentiful, and show
that the frames at the beginning of the seventeenth cen
tury were of oak, sometimes ornamented with carving and
narrow bands, inlaid with small alternate light and dark
squares of wood, the stand consisting of baluster-shaped
uprights and claw feet. The looking-glass was sometimes
fixed on the top of a chest of drawers. Besides the woods
mentioned above, the looking-glass frame was sometimes
formed of ebony. In 1653, we find Stephen Gill, in Vir
ginia, in possession of one of this material.
The trenchers, of which Mr. Snow possessed three dozen,
were wooden platters, the name being derived from the
French tranche, a slice, when the platter was a slice of bread.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
The "household stuff," mentioned in Mr. Snow's
inventory, undoubtedly included rough tables and benches.
The "bed standing in the parlour" must have been a
respectable article of furniture, since its value is set down
at five times that of three kettles, the chest, the chair, and
other household stuff. The 500 pounds of tobacco repre
sented at least $500 in present money at the valuation
given. Thus we may conclude that the bed was a luxuri
ous piece of furniture.
Our ancestors liked to lie soft, and, therefore, the
feather bed is ever in evidence, or, in default of that, the
flock bed. The importance of the bed during the period
of which we are treating can hardly be overestimated.
The "bed" is sometimes mentioned apart from the bed
stead, but frequently the word is used to include the bed
stead and all its furnishings, as it manifestly is in the inven
tory under consideration. We may pause here to describe
the beds that had been used in England for many centuries,
and were still in favour there.
It must be remembered that in Europe the bed-cham
ber was a room of great importance, for kings and queens
received their courtiers in their sleeping apartments. The
heavy, imposing four-poster was made a thing of beauty,
as well as luxury. The framework was often superbly
carved, while the bed was of softest down, the sheets of
finest linen, the blankets fine, and the outer covering of
cloth of gold, samite, damask, or some other costly mate
rial, richly embroidered in heraldic devices, or with some
appropriate emblem. For example, Shaw tells us:
"Thomas de Mussendun, by will dated 20th July,
1402, bequeaths to his wife a bed, with a coverlet made
of velvet and sattin, and paned with ermine in stripes or

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

borders." In 1356, Elizabeth, Countess of Northampton,
bequeaths to her daughter a bed of red worsted and em
broidered. In 1409, Elizabeth, Lady Despenser, does the
same ; as does Lady Elizabeth Andrews in 1 474. King
Edward the Third, in 1377, leaves to Richard, son of the
Black Prince, "an entire bed marked with the arms
of France and Eng
land, now in our
palace of Westmin
ster." Humphrey de
Bohun, Earl of Here
ford, wills, in 1 3 6 1 ,
to his niece a bed with
the arms of England.
Agnes, Countess of
Pembroke, in 1367,
gives to her daughter
" a bed, with the fur
niture of her father's
arms" ; and William,
Lord Ferrers of Gro-
by, in 1368, leaves
to his son " my green
bed, with my arms
thereon"; and to his daughter "my white bed, and all
the furniture with the arms of Ferrers and Ufford
thereon." Edward the Black Prince, in 1376, makes
bequests "to our son Richard, the bed which the King
our father gave us : to Sir Roger de Clarendon, a silk
bed: to Sir Robert de Walsham, our confessor, a large
bed of red camora, with our arms embroidered at each
corner, also embroidered with the arms of Hereford:

TABLE WITH TWO FLAPS
(Oak, oval ; the new top stands on six baluster-shaped legs,
two of which move in sockets to support the flaps. A frame
work of plain bars strengthens the legs, and on one side is a long
drawer with carved front. 17 th century. Height, 2 ft. 4^ in.
Top, 2 ft. 9 in. by 2 ft. 7 in. )

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
to Mons. Alayne Cheyne, our bed of camora, powdered
with blue eagles." His widow, in 1385, gives "to my dear
son, the King [Richard the Second], my new bed of red vel
vet, embroidered with ostrich feathers of silver and heads
of leopards of gold, with boughs and leaves issuing out of
their mouths : to my dear son, Thomas, Earl of Kent, my
bed of red camak, paied with red and rays of gold : to my
dear son, John Holland, a bed of red camak." In 1368,
Robert, Earl of Suffolk, bequeaths his "bed with the
eagles"; Sir Walter Manney, in 1371, "all my beds and
dossers [dossers were put at the backs of chairs and tables]
in my wardrobe, excepting my folding bed, paly of blue
and red" ; and Edmund, Earl of March, "our large bed
of black satin, embroidered with white lions and gold
roses, with escutcheons of the arms of Mortimer and
Ulster," in 1380. Margaret, Countess of Devon, in 1391,
leaves to her son Peter, "my bed of red and green paly";
Richard, Earl of Arundel, in 1392, to his wife, Philippa,
"a blue bed marked with my arms and the arms of my
late wife, also the hangings of the hall, which were lately
made in London, of blue tapestry with red roses, with the
arms of my sons, the Earl Marshall, Lord Charlton, and
Mons. Willm Beauchamp ; to my son Richard, a standing
bed, called Clove ; also a bed of silk, embroidered with the
arms of Arundel and Warren; also, to my said son, the
hangings of the large hall, of the arms of Arundel and
Warren quarterly: to my dear son Thomas, my blue
bed of silk, embroidered with griffins: to my daughter
Charlton, my bed of red silk : to my daughter Margaret,
my blue bed." Sir John Cobham, in 1394, "a red bed
embroidered with lions, also a bed of Norwich stuff em
broidered with butterflies " ; and Alice, Lady West, in 1395,

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
"a bed paled black and white" and "a bed of tapiter's
work." John, Duke of Lancaster, in 1397, disposes of
"my large bed of black velvet, embroidered with a circle
of fetter-locks [the badge of the house of Lancaster] and
garters, and the beds made for my body, called in England
trussing beds, my white bed of silk with blue eagles
displayed"; and Thomas, Earl of Warwick, in 1400, "a
bed of silk, embroidered with bears and my arms with all
thereto appertaining." In 141 1, Joanne, Lady Hunger-
ford, leaves "a green bed embroidered with one grey
hound"; and in 141 5, Edward, Duke of York, "my bed
of feathers and leopards, with the furniture appertaining to
the same ; also, my white and red tapestry of garters, fetter
locks, and falcons [badge of the house of York], my green
bed, embroidered with a compas." In 1434, Joanne,
Lady Bergavenny, devises "a bed of gold swans, with
tapettar of green tapestry, with branches and flowers of
divers colours, and two pair of sheets of Raynes, a pair
of fustians, six pairs of other sheets, six pairs of blankets,
six mattresses, six pillows, and with cushions and bann-
coves that longen to the bed aforesaid; a bed of cloth of
gold with lebardes, with those cushions and tapettes of my
best red worsted that belong to the same bed, and ban-
cours and formers that belong to the same bed; also, four
pairs of sheets, four pairs of blankets, three pillows, and
three mattresses; a bed of velvet, white and black paled,
with cushions, tapettes, and formez that belong to the same
bed, three pairs of sheets, three pairs of blankets, three pil
lows, and three mattresses; a bed of blue baudekyn (the
richest kind of stuff, the web being gold and the woof
silk, with embroidery), with cushions, tapettes of blue
worsted, the formez that belong to the same bed, four

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

pairs of sheets, four pairs of blankets, four pillows, and
four mattresses ; my bed of silk, black and red, embroid
ered with woodbined flowers of silver, and all the costers
and apparel that belongeth thereto, twelve pairs of sheets,
of the best cloth that I have save Raynes, six pairs of
blankets, and a pane of menyver; and my best black bed
of silk, with all the apparel of a
chamber, of the best black tapetter
that I have, six pairs of sheets,"
etc. The pane of minever or fur
was succeeded by the counterpane
(see page 17). Raynes sheeting
was a linen fabric originating at
Rennes. It will be noticed in
the above that one bed is called
"Clove." It was a practice to
name beds in the Tudor period ;
for example, Wolsey had one called
" Infantilege " and another called
" The Sun."
Camak was a fabric, of silk
and fine camel's-hair, sometimes
called also camoca. Bancours (Ger
man, bank were}, a kind of tapestry.
"Green and red paly" is the
heraldic term for vertical, equal alternate stripes of those
colours. The heads of the most ornate bedsteads were frequently
carved. Sometimes grotesque figures were employed on
each side to hold the curtains when they were drawn back.
Frequently shelves were placed in the headboard, an old
custom, for Chaucer alludes to them when, in speaking of
>4

l8TH CENTURY WINDSOR
ARMCHAIR
Birch ; the back is formed by a
curved top rail, a curved central panel,
two straight pieces and spindle-shaped
bars. The flat arm rail is supported by
four bars on each side. Cabriole-shaped
legs. Lent by C. H. Talbot, Lacock
Abbey.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
the studious taste of the scholar in The Clerke's Tak,
he says :
" For him was leber ban at his beddes bed,
A twenty bokes clothed in black or red."
On this narrow shelf were placed medicine bottles,
books, and candlesticks, and occasionally a secret cupboard.
In some cases these cupboards contained a shrine. Reli
gious sentiment was always bestowed upon the bed in
mediaeval days, for not only were angels and cherubs dis
posed about the canopy or tester and the carvings Biblical
or allegorical, but people taught their children this rhyme :
" Matthew, Mark, Luke, and fohn,
Bless the bed that I lie on ;
Four corners to my bed,
Four angels round my head;
God within, God without,
Blessed fesu all about."
Another version is as follows :
" Matthew, Mark, Luke, and fohn,
Bless the bed that I sleep on,
Two angels at my head,
Four angels round my bed;
Two to watch and two to pray,
And two to carry my soul away."
Sometimes the central panel of the bedstead had a
secret spring so that it could be used as a means of escape
into the adjoining chamber or into a secret passage. Also
cupboards were sometimes concealed artfully in the bases
of the footposts, which were often ten or fourteen inches
square. The " sixteen-post " bedstead had five small posts on
the two footposts, which count as twelve, and the two
headposts as two each. "5

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

The famous " Great Bed of Ware," still in existence, is
one of these. This is seven feet six inches high, ten feet
nine inches long, and ten feet nine inches wide.
In olden times the
mattresses of the beds
rested upon ropes, which
were laced from side to
side, and these ropes were
in time succeeded by a
"sacking bottom" that
could be stretched as
tightly as was needed.
These beds,in a more
or less elaborate form,
still existed during the
seventeenth century, and
our forefathers in the
Southern States regarded
them with great affec
tion. We know that the
wealthy English planters
of Maryland and Vir
ginia set quite as much
store by their beds as
they did at home. We
have evidence of this in
the wills, as well as in the prices at which these articles of
furniture were appraised.
As we have seen, the beds were quite luxurious, and,
in families who were at all comfortably situated, the cur
tains and valance always appear. Against the strong
16

CHAIR OF WALNUT
(The back is composed of two rows of arcades, and
the legs are baluster-shaped. Flemish; dated 1678.
From original in the South Kensington Museum. )

AN OLD MIRROR
Glass in oak frame with carved scroll outline and narrovj bands inlaid with small squares of wood,
alternately light and dark. The uprights and feet of the stand are baluster-shaped. English.
The frame dated 1603, but the glass nineteenth century. Height 2 ft. 3^ in., Width, 24^ in.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
draughts the valance, derived from the French avaler, to
let down, was always of the same material as the curtains.
Bright colours were preferred to white. The favourite
materials were : drugget, a cloth of wool, or wool mixed
with silk; serge, another woolen cloth, frequently scarlet
in hue; green and flowered Kitterminster, or Kiddermin
ster ; coarse linsey-woolsey ; and dimity, a stout linen cloth,
originally made at Damietta, interwoven with patterns.
Another material is darnick (see inventory of Nicholas
Wyatt, page 60). This was a coarse kind of damask, origi
nally made at Dorneck (the Dutch name for Tournay). It is
also applied to certain kinds of table linen, and " silke dor-
nex" also occurs. Perpetuana was a woolen fabric that
received its name because of its durable qualities. Ben
Jonson mentions it in Cynthia's Revels (1 601), and Dekker
in Satiromastix (1602). Calico was originally a somewhat
coarse cotton fabric. As we know, it took its name from
Calicut in India, where it was first manufactured. We
find many examples of calico curtains that were printed
with variously coloured floral and other designs.
Before finishing with the bed, we may mention that
the "counterpoint," or "counterpane," was so called from
its being worked in square or diamond-shaped figures.
Shaw says that the pane of minever or fur was succeeded
by the counterpane, i. e., one that was contrepointe, or
having knotted threads stitched through. He derives the
word from the Latin pannum, a cloth, a garment, a rag.
The beds were sometimes the cause of dispute. Thus
the Maryland Provincial Court had to settle one in 1642.
"Edward hall demandeth of mr. John Langford, Esq. 500
lb. tob. for damage for non-pformance of a bargaine for the
delivery of a flockbed and a rug, the said mr. Langford
17

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
denieth the non performance." The plaintiff got judg
ment for ioo pounds tobacco, and the " Secretary adjudged
one of the bedds to be delivered that ffrancis the carpenter
or John Greenwell lay upon at Pinie neck within 7 daies
or els 100 lb. tob."
The settlers soon found a native substitute when they
could get neither feathers nor flock. The latter was wool,
or ravelled woollen material. In 1645, John Eaton,
of York County, Virginia, died possessed of an "old
bed stuffed with cattayles and old rugg," and nothing else
in the nature of furniture. Cat-tail beds and cat-tail mixed
with feathers are frequently found in the inventories after
this. In 1685, for example, we find John Clayborn with
a canvas bed filled with cat-tails and turkey feathers.
It must be remembered that we are still in the period
prior to the Renaissance, which is just about to dawn in
France. The prevailing furniture has no graceful curves,
and depends almost entirely on carving for its decorative
effects and on cushions for its comfort. Many a Virginian
planter's house has the atmosphere of an Elizabethan manor
house. We feel that English homes have been trans
planted, but have suffered no change. This will appear
more clearly from a consideration of the household posses
sions of Thomas Deacon, of York County, Virginia, in 1647.
We may pause here to consider the general character
istics of the furniture of this period, which, as we have
seen, was Elizabethan and Jacobean.
There is not any radical difference in the two styles
prevalent in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as an
English authority thus explains : "When the Stuart period
succeeded the Tudor, it retained the latter's general charac
teristics, but the forms of carving grew heavier and the
18

SMALL CHEST AND TABLE OF OAK
Both of these pieces have been painted. The table is carved in high relief round the sides of the framing, with
heavy baluster legs, carved and fluted. Dated 1622. The chest is Dutch in design and pattern.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
execution coarser. The table legs, baluster newels, and
cabinet supports had enormous acorn-shaped masses in the
legs in the middle. The great hall tables, instead of being
moveable on trestles, became of unwieldy size and weight.
The scroll-work had been bold but light, and the general
surface of important mouldings or dividing members not
cut up by the ornamentation. The panels were generally
covered with graceful figure subjects, commonly Biblical.
As the years advanced into the seventeenth century, Flem
ish work became bigger and less refined. Diamond-shaped
panels were superimposed on square ones, turned work was
split and laid on, drop ornaments were added below tables,
and from the centres of the arches of arched panels — all
unnecessary additions and encumbrances. The Jacobean
style had borrowed its style of carving from the Flemish.
The Flemings and the Dutch had long imported wood
work into England, and to this commerce we may trace
the greater likeness between the late Flemish Renaissance
carving and corresponding English woodwork than between
the English and the French. Though allied to the Flem
ish, Dutch designs in furniture were swelled out into
enormous proportions." *
One of the patterns characteristic of the period is the
"interlaced strapwork." This is made by sinking the
groundwork a quarter of an inch below the surface. Fre
quently this strapwork is used to encircle the coat-of-arms,
which the Elizabethan carvers were fond of introducing on
bed, chest, cabinet, chair, and, in short, wherever an oppor
tunity was afforded.
In almost every case, hammered iron was used for the
furniture-mounts, i. e., lock-plates, hinges, and handles.
*W. H. Pollen. 19

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

Not only are these hints
as to the general appearance
ofthe Elizabethan and Jacob
ean furniture, but the knobs,
and bosses, and panels, cut
in the shape of diamonds
and lozenges, suggest the art
ofthe lapidary in their facet
like effects, and the constant
use of the table-cut facet and
the symmetrical arrange
ment of the ornaments are
not unlike the work pro
duced by the tailors and
dressmakers of the period in
gowns and doublets.
However, in England,
during the reign of Charles
II and James II (1660—
1690), although French fur
niture was being sent across
the Channel, the carved oak
furniture still lingered, es
pecially in country houses,
where fine specimens may
be seen to-day.
" The material of which
the old furniture was constructed," says William Bliss
Sanders,* " was, almost without exception, good English
oak, than which few woods offer greater advantages to
* Examples of Carved Oak Woodwork in the Houses and Furniture of the Six
teenth and Seventeenth Centuries (London, 1883).

I7TH CENTURY CHAIR OF OAK
(The panels of the back are carved with floral
ornament and the arms of Thomas Wentworth,
first Earl of Strafford. From the original in the
South Kensington Museum. )

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
the cabinet maker, from the beauty of its colour and
markings, its suitability for most domestic purposes, and
its strength and durability. Nor was any labour or ex
pense spared by our ancestors in giving to the English
wood the full advantage of its natural good qualities.
Instead of sawing the timber required for paneling into
thin parallel pieces (as is now done with the view of
saving the timber), it was the old custom to rive the
wood used for this purpose. This made it impossible to
use any but the best parts of the tree, viz.: that portion
of it which grew between the ground and the commencement
of its branches. After the knots began to appear — which,
as the feeders of the branches, follow their direction to
the heart of the tree — the planks could no longer be riven.
Evidence of the custom of riving the wood may be found
in the woodwork of most old buildings, where the panels
may often be seen inserted in the framing in the wedge
like form in which they were riven. In these cases, a
thick shaving was cut off the thicker edge of the panel to
make it thin enough to fit into a narrow groove in the
framing formed to receive it — one side of the panel being
wrought fair, and the other generally left rough, as riven.
A certain quantity of foreign oak was also imported for
cabinet-work at this time, but this was chiefly for the use
of the wealthier classes, and by far the greater part of the
oak used in the houses of the country squires and well-to-
do yeomen was cut from trees of English growth. Many
of the larger pieces of furniture, indeed, were not unfre
quently put together in the rooms they were destined to
occupy, and constructed of oak grown upon the estate to
which the house belonged."
And now let us see what Thomas Deacon owned.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
His house seems to have contained only two rooms,
though he was by no means poor.
In the Hall. lb. tob.
One long framed table and forme and a stript
Carpet,  2°°
One short framed table and one low forme
and carpet, one old cort cubbert and small
carpett,  IO°
One long wainscott settle a wainscott cheare
an old turned couch 4 old joynt stools and
trundle bedstead, . 2°°
In the Chamber.
One frame table and carpet, a framed couch
and old cort cubbert and a carpet and a
very old chair, ..... 200
Four old chests, 1 old trunks 5 old cases and
1 small boxes, ..... 200
Two feather beds and appurtenances incld
curtains and vallence, .... 500
1 old bedsteads 3 old certains and vallence
one couch flock bed another couch bed of
cattails and two old coverings, a frame table
and form,  350
(dishes, plates, spoons, plate, &c.) . . 400
(Cooking utensils, etc.) .... 900
(pans, kettles, andirons, tools, etc.) . . 1000
The court cupboard mentioned in the above inventory
and long used in England was a kind of sideboard or cabi
net, composed of light, movable shelves. Plate was gen
erally displayed upon it. We read in Romeo and Juliet
(1578) : "Remove the court cupboard, look to the plate;"
in Chapman's Mons. D' Olive (1606): "Here shall stand
my court cupboard with its furniture of plate;" and in

BUTTER CUPBOARD OF OAK
In two parts. The upper portion has two doors divided by a framed panel. The doors and framing are
incised with conventional designs. At the sides there are perforations to admit air to the inside of the
cupboard. The lower part ofthe. cupboard is also carved. About 1620.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

Cogan's translation of Pinto's Travels, xxiii (1653):
"Three court cupboards placed, upon the which was a
great deal of fine pourcelain." Sometimes these court
cupboards were ornamented with carvings in low relief,
and we find Corbet describ
ing a man "with a lean
visage, like a carved face
on a court cupboard."
The " wainscott settle "
and "cheare" were evi
dently of oak, the name,
according to Skeat, being
derived from the Low
Danish wagenschot, " the
best kind of oak-wood,
well-grained and without
knots." The same au
thority tells us that
"wainscot in the building
trade is applied to the best
kind of oak timber only,
used for panelling because
it would not ' cast ' or

i8th century chair
Armchair of walnut wood.

warp. That wainscot was ap
plied to the wood rather than to the panelling we learn
from Harrison's Historicall Description of the Hand of
Britaine, prefixed to Holinshed's Chronicles (1587), where
he says that the oak grown in Bardfleld Park, Essex,
"is the finest for joiners' craft, for oftimes have I
scene of their works made of that oke so fine and
fair as most of the wainscot that is brought hither

23

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
out of Danske, for our wainscot is not made in Eng
land." It will be noticed in the above inventory that several
carpets are mentioned. The reader must remember that
these are not floor-coverings, which were not in general
use till nearly a century later, but merely table-cloths and
cupboard-cloths. Sometimes, also, we find that the cup
board was covered by a cushion. We learn from an old
authority that the carpet, "a coarse hanging for a table,
made of rough woollen material and of patches, of motley
colours," was known as early as 1291, while Sir H. Guild
ford's goods included "a carpet of green cloth for a little
foulding table " (1527).
The carpets in this country were of leather in many
cases; we also find them of calico, and there is frequent
reference to striped and "streked" carpets. Elizabeth
Butler bequeathed to her daughter Elizabeth (1673) a
"Turkey carpett."
The inventory of the possessions of Leonard Calvert,
Governor of Maryland, who died in 1 647, will give a clear
idea of the domestic luxury of a gentleman of importance
in the infant days of the colony. We should conclude
that he belonged to the Roman Catholic Church, even if
history told us nothing about him. (The rug that gen
erally accompanies the bed and bolster was a kind of heavy
coloured blanket. The colours are frequently mentioned
in the inventories. It will be noticed that his lordship did
not sleep in sheets.) in Tob: & Cask. lb.
Imp 13 Bookes, . . . . .0160
8 old napkins, ...... 0024
6 towells,  „ . 0018
2+

OAKEN COFFER
The four front panels and the framework are carved with conventional floral pattern. The sides, top and back are plain. On either side ofthe key-hole is
incised: " This is Esther Hobsonne Chest, i6j/.'" English, seventeenth century.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

in Tob : & Cask.

lb.

i lbs. y2m Pinns, ....

.

0004

It Yzx of white thread,

.

0008

2 pr of new Holland socks & y2 ells of

Hollan, .....

.

0018

i pr Shoes, .....

0040

A Table Booke & a Discipline,

0030
iz of Sweet head powder, .
0004
A bone Crosse, ....
0020
3 small bitts of Syluer plate,
.
0030
A small payre of brasse Compasses and a
Violl glass, .....
.
0004
A syluer sack cup, ....
0150
i old Bed & bolster & i old greene Rl
g> •
0350
i uery old feather- Bed,
0060
i old fflock Bed & Bolster & i old
Red
Rug, 
.
0080
•i cloake bag, .....
.
0010
An empty case wthout bottles & another
old Case wth 4 bottles, .
0010
A Blew Jugge, ....
0006
A white box wthout lock or key,
.
0030
A red-leather-ire case,
0002
An old trunk wth a lock & key,
0040
An iron Pott, .....
.
0050
5 old Pewter dishes 1 bason 5 plates,
.
0150
12 pewter spoones, ....
0024
A Joyned Table, 2 chayres, & a forme,
.
0200
An old brasse kettle,
0100
A gold Reliquary case,
0150
A uery little Trunck,
0020
A great old square chest, .
0030
A kneeling desk & a picture of Paules,
.
0050
An old frame of a chayre, 2 combs, & a
hatt
brush, ......
.
0022
one Rugge, ..... *5
•
0050
THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
in Tob: & Cask.

lb.

Tools, arms, nails, horses, harness, sugar and
tobacco in addition, and a large howse wth
3 Mannors belonging to it att Pyney neck, 7000
A large framd howse, wth 100 Acres of Town
Land,  4°°°

Amounting to 25,494 in all.
Though it is safe to conclude that most of the gentry
brought no furniture with them originally, we have evi
dence that as soon as they had built a suitable house on
their plantation they imported from England the things
they were accustomed to have about them at home. Pory
bears witness that it was possible to get rich quickly in
Virginia as early as 1 6 1 7. " The Governor here [George
YeardleyJ who at his first coming, besides a great deal of
worth in his person, brought only his sword with him,
was at his late being in London together with his lady,
out of his mere gettings here, able to disburse very near
three thousand pounds to furnish him with the voyage."
He also shows us that fashion was by no means neglected
or despised : " We are not the veriest beggars in the world.
One cow-keeper here in James City on Sunday goes
accoutred in fresh flaming silk, and a wife of one that in
England had professed the black art, not of a scholar but
of a collier of Croydon, wears her rough beaver hat with
a fair pearl hat-band and a silken suit thereto correspon
dent." Some of the planters came here to try the country, and
when they liked it and prospered they then brought over
their household goods and settled permanently. Some had
26

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

estates in both countries and returned to die at home,
while others died here possessed of estates in England.
When we read of the length, dangers and miseries of the
Atlantic passage at that day we are astonished to find that
it was by no means an
uncommon thing for a
planter to make several
visits to England. In
spite of the wretched
accommodations on
board, the passage was
often very expensive.
In 1659 we find: "To
Mr. John Whirken
who went over in the
Thomas and Ann ship
^22-11-0." It must
also be remembered
that the purchasing
power of money was
about five times what
it is now. It would
naturally be the better
class of furniture that
the planter would bring with him on his return. In
his absence he left his plantation in charge of an agent,
and sometimes he did not find things as he left
them. There were turbulent spirits in the colony.
The court records of March 22, 1652, give an instance
of this :
" The humble complaint of Thomas Cornwallis, Esq., —
Showeth

I7TH CENTURY CHAIR
(Carved walnut wood, a child's folding chair. Flemish.
About 1660. Height, 2 ft. 1 in.; width, 14^ in.)

27

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
" That whereas it is well knowne that the Complt was
one of the Chiefe and first Adventurers for the planting of
this Province, and therein besides the danger and hazard of
his life and health, Exhausted a Great part of his Estate not
only in the first Expedition, but also in yearly Supplyes of
Servants and Goods for the Support of himself and this
then Infant Collony by which and God's Blessing upon
his Endeavours, he had acquired a Settled and Comfortable
Subsistence haveing a Competent Dwelling house furnished
with plate, Linnen, hangings, beding, brass, pewter and all
manner of Household Stuff worth at the least a thousand
pounds, about twenty Servants, at least a hundred Neat
Cattell, a Great Stock of Swine and Goats, some Sheep and
horses, a new pinnace about twenty tunn well rigged and
fitted, besides a New Shallop and other Small boates, with
divers debts for Goods Sold to the quantity of neare A
Hundred thousand weight of Tobacco, all which at his
going for England in or about April 1644 he left and
deposited in the care of his Attorney Cuthbert ffenwick,
Gent, who in or about ffebruary following comeing from
the Ship of Richard Ingle Marriner, was, as Soon as he
Came ashore, Treacherously and illegally Surprized by the
said John Sturman and others, and Carryed aboard the said
Ingles Ship, and there detained and compelled to deliver
the Complts house, and the rest of the premisses into the
possession of Divers ill disposed persons whereof the Said
Tho. and John Sturman and Wm. Hardwick were three
of the Chiefe, who being Soe unlawfully possest of the
Said house, and the premisses, plundered and Carryed away
all things in It, pulled down and burnt the pales about it,
killed and destroyed all the Swine and Goates, and killed
or mismarked almost all the Cattle, tooke or dispersed all
28

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
the Servants, Carryed away a great quantity of Sawn Boards
from the pitts, and ript up Some floors of the house. And
having by the Violent and unlawfull Courses, forst away
my said Attorney, the said Thomas and John Sturman
possest themselves of the Complts house as theire owne,
dwelt in it soe long as they please, and at their departing
tooke the locks from the doors, and the glass from the
windowes, and in fine ruined his whole Estate to the dam
age of the Complt at least two or three thousand pounds
for which he humbly craves," etc.
This gives us an interesting glimpse of a wealthy plan
ter's house. The above Thomas Cornwallis finally re
turned to England and died there.
We have now completed our rapid survey of the houses
and their contents during the first half of the seventeenth
century. The colony had become prosperous and immigra
tion was greatly stimulated. As the author of Leah and
Rachel (1656) maintains, Virginia and Maryland were
pleasant in many ways, one of which was :
" Pleasant in their building, which although for most
part they are but one story beside the loft and built of wood,
yet contrived so delightful that your ordinary houses in
England are not so handsome, for usually the rooms are
large, daubed and whitelimed, glazed and flowered, and if
not glazed windows, shutters that are made very pretty and
convenient." Glass was scarce and costly. As we have
just seen, Ingle's piratical crew stripped Mr. Cornwallis's
windows of their panes and we have a means of arriving
at the actual value since in the hall of Mr. William
Hughes, in 1661, there was "ten paine of glass abt. 23^
foot " appraised at twelve shillings.
The above quotation from Leah and Rachel of course
29

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
refers to the humbler abodes. The richer planters' houses,
as we have seen, were larger and better furnished. Every
plantation became a little settlement with its wharf, at
which ships loaded and discharged direct from abroad.
Clothing, furniture and all kinds of merchandise were im
ported direct and paid for in the tobacco raised on the spot.
The bountiful rivers of Virginia facilitated this system.
" No country in the world can be more curiously wa
tered. . . . The great number of rivers and the thinness
of inhabitants distract and disperse a trade. So that all
ships in general gather each their loading up and down an
hundred miles distant ; and the best of trade that can be
driven is only a sort of Scotch peddling ; for they must
carry all sorts of truck that trade thither having one com
modity to pass off another." *
The orders sent by the planters to their agents in Eng
land were many and various. The letters of William
Fitzhugh and William Byrd afford many examples. We
find the former writing for a new feather bed with curtains
and valance and an old one as well, since he had heard
that the new ones were often full of dust. In July, 1687,
he writes to his brother-in-law in London :
" Please to mind the things sent for by you, as also
add a large looking-glass with an olive wood frame and a
pewter cistern." Again, in August, he writes to his
brother :
" I heartily thank your mindfull care and your Lady's
great kindness in those welcome glasses which came well
and safe to hand."
William Fitzhugh, under date of April 22, 1686, de
scribes his estate in the following letter :
* Clayton's Virginia (1688). 30

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
" Doctr. Ralph Smith : In order to the Exchange you
promised to make for me and I desire you to proceed
therein to say to the Exchange an Estate of Inheri
tance in land there of two or three hundred pound a
year, or in houses in any town of three or four hundred
pound a year, I shall be something particular in the relation
of my concerns here that is to go in return thereof. At
first the Plantation where I now live contains a thousand
acres, at least 700 acres of it being rich thicket, the re
mainder good, hearty plantable land, without any waste
either by marshes or great swamps the commodiousness,
conveniency and pleasantness yourself well knows, upon
it there is three-quarters well furnished with all ne
cessary houses ; grounds and fencing, together with a
choice crew of negro's at each plantation, most of them
this country born, the remainder as likely as most in
Virginia, there being twenty-nine in all, with stocks of
cattle and hogs at each quarter, upon the same land is
my own Dwelling house furnished with all accommoda
tions for a comfortable and gentile living, as a very good
dwelling house with rooms in it, four of the best of them
hung and nine of them plentifully furnished with all things
necessary and convenient, and all houses for use furnished
with brick chimneys, four good Cellars, a Dairy, Dovecot,
Stable, Barn, Henhouse, Kitchen, and all other conveni-
encys and all in a manner new, a large Orchard of about
2,500 Aple trees most grafted, well fenced with a Locust
fence, which is as durable as most brick walls, a Garden, a
hundred foot square, well pailed in, a Yeard wherein is
most of the foresaid necessary houses, pallizado'd in with
locust Puncheons, which is as good as if it were walled in
and more lasting than any of our bricks, together with a
3'

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
good stock of Cattle, hogs, horses, mares, sheep, etc., and
necessary servants belonging to it, for the supply and sup
port thereof. About a mile and half distance a good
water Grist miln, whose tole I find sufficient to find my
own family with wheat and Indian corn, for our necessitys
and occasions up the River in this country three tracts of
land more, one of them contains 21,996 acres, another 500
acres, and one other 1,000 acres, all good, convenient and
commodious Seats, and wch in a few years will yield a con
siderable annual Income. A stock of Tob° with the crops
and good debts lying out of about 250,000 lb. beside suffi
cient of almost all sorts of goods, to supply the familys and
the Quarter's occasion for two if not three years."
On June 28, 1684, he sends the following order:
" Mr. John Cooper: I have occasion for two pair of small And
irons for Chamber Chimneys, one pair of brass ones with fire shovel
and tongs, and one pair of iron ones well glazed ; with fire shovel,
and tongs, also two indifferent large Iron backs for Chimneys wch I
would have you send me by the first ships. Yo'r WfF."
In 1698, he orders a table, a case of drawers, a looking-
glass and two leather carpets. In 1688, he writes :
" I have in my two former given you an account of
money sent to Mr. Cooper with relation to laying out the
same which now upon second thought I wholly design for
an additional supply for now my building finished, my
plantations well settled and largely stocked with slaves,
having added about five more than when I gave you an
account thereof and purchased at least three plantations
more than is there mentioned and being sufficiently stored
with goods of all sorts I esteem it as well politic as reput
able to furnish myself with an handsome cupboard of plate
which gives myself the present use and credit, is a sure
32

¦'«%>

¦im ^

Q

®5 ' r-
I

1-1 h
co

pq ^
ri s
< «
co C|
I — I
<UPi<
o h

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
friend at a dead lift without much loss, or is a certain por
tion for a child after my dicease, and therefore last year I
had a small quantity from you and about a like quantity
from Bristol and did expect some from Plymouth but that
miscarried." He wants it strong and plain as being less subject to
bruise. Colonel William Byrd settled at Westover on the
James River, and while his house was in course of con
struction in 1685 he wrote to England for a bedstead, bed
and hangings, a looking-glass, a small and medium-sized
oval table and twelve Russia leather chairs.
Colonel Fitzhugh writes an interesting letter in January,
1687, to the Hon. Nicholas Spencer. It gives his views
on the question of housebuilding and will bear quoting.
" My experience in concerns of this country, especially
in building and settling plantations, prompts me to offer
my advice, having had sufficient trial in those affairs at the
expense of almost 300,000 pounds of Tob°. I shall pro
pose no other than what I would follow myself, that is if
you design this land to settle, a child of your own or near
kinsman, for whom it is supposed you would build a very
good house, not only for their comfortable but their credit
able accommodations ; the best methods to be pursued
therein is to get a carpenter and Bricklayer servants, and send
them in here to serve 4 or five years, in which time of
their service they might reasonably build a substantial good
house at least, if not brick walls and well plaster'd, & earn
money enough besides, in their said time, at spare times
from your work, having so long a time to do it in, as
would purchase plank nails and other materials, and supply
them necessarys during their servitude, or if you design to
33

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
settle tenants on it, as your letter purports, in my opinion
its needless for you to be at the charge of building for
their accommodation, if you intend any time, if it is but
seven years, for there's several that may be found that for a
seven years' Lease, will build themselves a convenient dwell
ing, & other necessary houses, and be obliged at the expi
ration of their time to leave all in good repair, but if you
at your own charge should build an ordinary Virginia house
it will be some charge and no profit. . . But should not ad
vise to build either a great or English framed house, for la
bour is so intolerably dear & workmen so idle, and negli
gent that the building of a good house to you there will
seem insupportable, for this I can assure you when I built
my own house and agreed as cheap as I could with work
men & as carefully and as diligently took care that they
followed their work, notwithstanding we have timber for
nothing, but felling and getting in place, the frame of my
house stood me in more money in Tob° @' 8' sh.p.Cwt.
than a frame of the same dimensions would cost in London
by a third at least."
A good example of the household furniture in York
County in the middle of the seventeenth century is that of
Captain Stephen Gill, August 2, 1653, whose estate was
appraised by Mr. F. Hy. Lee et al at 33,559 pounds to
bacco, including seven servants valued at 3,760 pounds.
In the Hall there was a feather bed and bolster,
flock do, blanket, bedstead, pair of striped curtains
and valance ; two couches with flock beds, four fea
ther pillows and two coverlets ; a hammock ; a
table and "carpet," two "chaises," two stools covered
with striped stuff, and five cushions ; a small side
table and striped carpet, a small pewter cistern and
bason, and a bason stoole ; a " livery cubbard " with
34

BEDSTEAD WITH TESTER AND HANGINGS
The woodwork oj about 1620-30; the upholstery probably fifty years later.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
glasses and earthenware upon it, a close stool and
pan, an ebony looking-glass ; bellows, snuffers,
dogs,* table, fire shovel, tongs, small dark lantern and
chafing-dish, a drum and sticks, a parcell of old pic
tures, an old target; firearms; steelyards and a "par-
cell of old books"; two small chests, a trunk and a
little box ; an old " Phisick chest with druggs in," etc.
and a " small box with Phisick "; two old plaister
boxes,one old "salvatorie," some instruments, a razor,
six lancets, two pairs of scissors and three tobacco
tongs ; two swords and a leather belt ; a sack, a
drum and some silver; 14 doz. gold and silver
breast buttons, 3 doz. silk points, a parcel of silk
breast buttons, a parcel of colored silk, a parcel of
ribbon, a pair of gloves and three brushes.
In the Chamber we find an old bedstead with
" vallance " curtains, feather bed, blanket, rug and
pillows; a bedstead with fringed "vallance," flock bed,
bolster and rug ; one " old hamock " and one "ham-
acka"; two chests, a trunk, box and desk, all old ;
one old melted still, fire-irons and dogs; and a great
deal of linen consisting of bed linen, table cloths,
and napkins, as well as underclothing. In the
" Inner Chamber" there were two bedsteads, feather
beds, curtains and "vallence," an old table, an old
chest, a new trunk, a joint stool, a table basket and
clothing. In the "Shedd" there was a small "runlett
honey," a small " runlett treele, three bushell wheat,
4lb hops, i6lb soap, ioolb Butter, 6 old Cases, 1 old
low stoole, 1 old dripping pan, 1 old Tinn Cove'
Dish, 24 Trenchers, and 3 old Calk.
In the " Loaft," we find Wheat, salt, meal, can
vas, nails, scythes, axes, hoes, reaping hoops, pot
hooks, hinges & Casks amtgto 0120 tob.
In the " Kitching," 1 Copper Kettle, 1 old brass
Kettle, 1 brass pott, 3 brass Candlesticks, 1 brass
35

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Skillitt, i smali brass Morter & Pestle, i brass
Skimer, i brass Spoone, 3 old Iron Potts, 1 small
Iron Pott, 3 Pestles, 1 ffrying Pann, 2 Spitts,.2 pre
of Potthangers, 3 pre pothookes, and 1 Iron Ladle,
fflesh hooke, 3 Tinn Cullende", 46lb Pewter att 3d
per 1 lb. (0700 tob.), 4 Old Porringers, 19 Pewter
Spoons, 3 old 1 new Chamber Potts, Pewter, 4 old
Pewter Tankards, 1 fflaggon, 2 Salt selle", 6 Tinn
Candlesticks, 2 doz. old Trenchers, and 2 Sifte".
In the " Milk House" there are 24 Trayes arid
one Cheesepress, 300 stores, boat, sail, live stock, pil
lion harness, and 1 old rugg, 30 lb. The seven serv
ants are valued at 3760 lbs., and his personalty
amounts to 33,559 lbs.
The varied contents of the three rooms are typical of
all the houses of the period, though it seems strange to find
accommodations to sleep three people in the hall. The
general hospitality of the community accounts for this and
it is usual to find beds in every room until the end of the
century. The livery cupboard that stood in this hall was some
what similar to the court cupboard already described on
page 22. It consisted of three shelves, or stages, standing
on four turned legs. The livery cupboard seems to have
had a drawer for the table linen but no doors, as we learn
from a MS. in the British Museum giving the charges
for the work of a joiner in the early days of Henry VIII's
reign :
"Ye cobards they be made ye facyon of livery y is
w^out doors."
The mugs and cups were hung on hooks and a ewer
and basin stood below the shelves.
The livery cupboard was for service or delivery, if we
36

OAKEN CUPBOARD
Carved oak ; the lower part contains two dravuers and is surmounted by a cupboard with
receding sides, which supports the flat top, also partly resting on two spiral columns. On
the cupboard door is carved the portrait of a lady vjearing a ruff and lace collar.
The cabinet is further decorated with narrovj bands inlaid with small squares
of wood, alternately light and dark. Between the drawers is an inlaid
tulip. The whole is supported on four short baluster legs with cross
bars ofthe same design. English, dated "A. D. 1603." Height,
4 ft. 21/,. in.; length, 3 ft. 10% in.; depth, 1 ft. gyi in.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
may believe the etymologists, and Comenius in Janua
(1659): "Various drinking-vessels are brought forth out
of the cupboards and glass case and being rubbed with a
pot brush, are set on the livery cupboard."
The " livery-cupboard," " court-cupboard," " standing-
cupboard" and "press" were all very similar in character.
We will take a few examples from the inventories
with their prices: "one old half-headed cupboard
(Edward Keene, 1646); one old court-cupboard, 100 lbs.
(Captain E. Roe, 1676); one cubboard and a cort, 150
lbs. (G. A. Marshall, 1675); a great cupboard, 1100 lbs.
(Captain J. Carr, 1676); an old cupboard, 200 lbs. (Cap
tain T. Howell, 1676) ; a cupboard with cloth and cushion,
500 lbs., a side cupboard cloth and cushion, 250 lbs.
(Nicholas Wyatt, 1676); a court cupboard, 290 lbs. (G.
F. Beckwith, 1676) ; a standing-cupboard (Colonel William
Farrer, 1678); an old cupboard, 15 lbs. (Captain James
Crews, 1681); one side cupboard (Will Sargent, 1683);
an old press, 80 lbs. (Richard Worneck, 1684); a 'pine
press,' 150 lbs. (John Milner, 1684) ; a 'cubbert,' 10 shil
lings (M. Bacon, 1694); a cubbert, 10 shillings (N. Bacon,
1694); a cubbert, 6 shillings (H. Watkins, 1700)."
It is very evident on looking at the prices that these
articles of furniture varied greatly in size and ornamenta
tion. Some of them were undoubtedly richly carved as
in the specimens existing in the museums abroad, although
the inventories are the only evidence we have been able to
find of their existence in the South. Captain Carr's cup
board, being valued at nearly $250 in present money, must
have been very ornate. In estimating the value of tobacco
we are in difficulties, because it varied greatly from
year to year. In 1638 tobacco is declared to be worth
37

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
three pence per pound; in 1639, as we have seen
(see page 9), it is valued at ^3—19—12 per hundred
pounds, or three and one-half times as much. In
1640, when an inventory was taken of the estate of
Henry Crawlie (Isle of Kent), "the praysers in their
consciences think tobacco is worth per pound" two
pence. The average price of tobacco during the second
half of the seventeenth century is taken at about two pence
per pound, and the value of money was about five times
what it is now. It may not be amiss here to give some
idea of the wealth of the individual planters, which in
many cases certainly justified sumptuous household goods.
It must also be remembered that the various rooms had
not acquired the special character that they now possess.
It was a long time even in England before parlour and
dining-room were distinct apartments. In early days it
was customary for the lords and ladies to eat in the large
hall before the household, but gradually it became a habit
to screen off a portion of the hall for privacy. Thence it
was but a step to the private dining-room. This was re
ceived at first with disfavour ; we read in Pier's Plowman
(fourteenth century) :
' In the Halle
the lord ne the Ladye lyketh not to sytte ;
now hath eche syche a rule to eaten by himselfe
in a privee parlour."
In 1526 the ordinances of Eltham remark with some
asperity that " sundrie noblemen and gentlemen and others
doe much delighte to dyne in corners and secrete places."
The dining-room was not the one familiar to us. It
opened from the hall and contained not only tables and
cupboards but a bed, chairs and carpets. One of these new
38

ARMCHAIR
Of about 1 6 JO. With upholstery either ofthe same date or renevjed in the original style.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

"parlours" in the reign of Mary
and Philip contained "a jointed
bedstead " covered with a counter
point of "emegrie work with iij
cortayns of greene and red serge,
one counter and ij olde coverings
for the same, ij long damask sylke
chussings, v sylke chussengs, one
dozen old chusshings, one table,
one joned forme with a counter
point to the table and ij trussels,
iiij thrown chayres and vij joned
stools, one great pay re of andyrons,
one payre of tongs, one fyre shovel
and a pare of bellows, and one
Flanders' chest."
The "thrown" chairs are said
to be chairs " with frames of turn
ery work"; the "joint stool" was usually three-legged.
The chair shown here is one of the earliest forms immedi
ately succeeding the carved oak period.
A " dining-parlour " is mentioned in 1579 as a separate
room, but even this contained a bed ; and a " dining cham
ber" occurs in 1639. Parlour is defined in Minshew's
Guide Unto Tongues (1617) as "an inner room to dine or
suppe in," and the first mention of dining-room is found
in The Knight of the Burning Pestle, Merrythought saying :
" I never come into my dining-room but at eleven and six
o'clock — I found excellent meat and drink i' th' table."
It will, therefore, be appreciated that the dining-room
had not separated itself from the bed-chamber and parlour
at this period in England, and, consequently, we shall find
39

WALNUT CHAIR
Belonged to Sir William Gooch, Gov
ernor of Virginia 1727— 1747. From the
original in the possession of the Virginia
Historical Society, Richmond.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
all these rooms uncertain as to character in Virginia for
many years. The parlour bed-chamber still survives in
many old Southern homes, i. e., the chamber situated near
the parlour.
The "parlour," literally the place where people could
parley in privacy, became the " withdrawing-room," used
for conversation, as the dining-room was used for feasting.
Among the free artisan and labouring classes and poorer
planters, the furniture is still excessively meagre. Some in
ventories show none at all, the utmost being an old couch,
a bed, two or three old chairs and a chest or trunk.
The inventory of Mr. Gyles Mode, of York County,
Va., is worth reproducing because the articles are valued in
pounds, shillings and pence, instead of tobacco as is cus
tomary, and this is more satisfactory, as the latter commo
dity was not constant in value. £. s. d.
i Fether bed & feather bolster, very old bed-
tick, i old green rug & blanket, i bedstead,
a piece of serge, green curtains & vallance, . 8-5-0
6 Leathern chairs, old, 4 high, 2 low, . 1— 10-0
1 Court Cupboard with drawers, . . . 5-0-0
1 Table, abt 7 ft, a form & green cotton carpet, 1-5-0
1 Small square table & a wicker graining chair
& carpet,  0-15-0
1 Warming pan & tin scolloped candlestick, . 0-6-0
1 Pair of low dogs with brass tops, one broken
1 Old couch with old flock bolster & green
rug> •  0-10-0
1 Chest with lock & key, . . . 0_j 2_0
1 Looking-glass with black frame, . . 0-12-0
With the exception of the bedstead, bedding and hang
ings, the court cupboard with drawers is Mr. Mode's most
valuable possession; in fact, it is worth all his other wooden
40

ARMCHAIR
Oak, vjith high back carved vjith floral ornament and "I. P. 1670," scroll arms, and turned legs
and crossbars. English. Height, 4 ft. J in.; Width, 2 ft. 3 in.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
furniture put together, representing at least $125 in pres
ent money. It was undoubtedly a decorative cs well as
useful feature of his home ; and we must credit him with
distinct aesthetic preferences, since his rugs and table " car
pets" were all green in hue. This taste was also shared
by Colonel Thomas Ludlow, showing that green was fash
ionable in upholstery in the middle of the seventeenth
century. The estate of Francis Wheeler is also given in money
(January 30, 1659). Among other things "in the cham
ber" we find "a Virginia-made bedstead and an old-fash
ioned guilt Canne," the latter valued at ^"3-10-0 Thomas
Bucke, January, 1659, in addition to beds and other house
hold stuff, left behind him " a striped tablecloth 2sh, 6d, a
hide couch 8sh, a wainscot couch i5sh, three wainscot
chairs ^1-0-0, four lined-back chairs ^2-0-0, one frame
table and form and two joint stools and a little one ^1-5-0."
At an auction of the estate of John Marsh, September
16, 1659, Jeremiah Rawlins bought "a powdering tubb";
and another lot consisted of " one small hanging table and
a form to hang, one couch, two pails and trays." The in
ventory of Stephen Page's goods, December, 1659, in
cludes "one chafing-dish and one skynn couch," besides
the usual bed.
According to the inventory of the estate of Colonel
Thomas Ludlow, January 1, 1660, his house contained "the
Inner Rooms," " Lt. Coll. Ludlowes chamber," "the Hall,"
"the Buttery," "the loft," "the Kitchen," "the Stoare"
and the " Milke House." The hall seems to have been
furnished best, and, unlike so many houses of the day, con
tained no bed. In it was one long table and green cloth
carpet, a chest, one green couch, two leather chairs, three
4'

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

WsMmmm

I7TH CENTURY CROMWELL CHAIR
See page 45.

low chairs, one low stool
and four high chairs
with green cloth, a joint
stool and short table, ten
cushions, one pair and
irons, fire shovel and
tongs, a tin candlestick,
snuffers and a brush.
The bed during the
second half of this cen
tury still maintained its
importance. We have
many records of the
varied material with
which it was decorated.
The curtains hung from
rods by hooks, as is expressly mentioned in the inventory
of Colonel Epes, 1678 (see page 52). They seem
always to have been accompanied by a valance. To take
a few examples from the inventories, the curtains are
"striped" (S. Gill, 1653), "red perpetuana" (E. Keene,
1646), "green" (F. Mathews, 1676), "serge with silk
fringe" (R. Macklin, 1676), "camlet curtains and double
valance lined with yellow silk " and fringed curtain (Colonel
Epes, 1678); and " Kitterminster " (W. Sargent, 1683).
Printed calico was also common. It must be remembered
that the wooden walls were rarely air-tight, and, in winter,
bed-curtains were a necessary protection against the strong
draughts. The will of Richard Lee, dated 1663, shows the value
that was still attached to beds.
" Item. My will and earnest desire is that my house-
42

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

hold stuff at Stratford be di
vided into three parts, two of
which I give to my son John
and bind him to give to every
one of his brothers a bed, and
the other part I give to my
wife, Anna Lee.
" Item. I give
and bequeath unto
my eldest son John
three islands lying
in the Bay of Ches
apeake, the great
new bed that I
brought over in the
Duke of York, and
the furniture there
to belonging." This Colonel

Lee, who dwelt at

AN OAK CHAIR OF 1 649

T\/r, ji J - / ~^^e stu^e^ seat 's covere<i with maroon leather over which is a
1VL I . JT LeaS ant, piece of canvas worked with colored wools in the manner of a
W. . carpet.
estmoreland
County, was one of the wealthiest of the early planters
of Virginia. His tobacco crop was worth $10,000
a year present value and his estate at Stratford-Langton, in
England, $4,000 a year more. He died in 1714.
That he was choice in his household goods is evident
from the Saintsbury Calendar of State Papers, 1660 : "The
petition in behalf of Colonel Richard Lee, of Virginia, to
the Lord Protector and Council. Certain plate brought
from Virginia to London by Colonel Lee, about a year and
a half ago, to change the fashion, has been seized on his
43

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
return to Virginia, by the searchers at Gravesend ; every
piece having the Colonel's coat of arms, and being for his
own private use, who did not know but that plate manu
factured might be transported to English plantations."
The Colonel's affidavit stated that his trunk had con
tained 200 ounces of silver plate, all marked with his coat
of arms and intended for his own use, and that it had been
seized at Gravesend aboard the ship Anthony of London,
and that most of it had been in his possession for many
years in Virginia.
After the execution of Charles I, Colonel Norwood,
with other Royalists, took ship for the colony ; and he has
left a vivid description of his terrible voyage. He and
others were deserted on an island and finally reached
Jamestown by the aid of friendly Indians. In the first
frontier house he came to, " a large bed of sweet straw was
spread ready for our reception." This was in Northamp
ton County, and the furniture must have been almost nil.
The proverbial lavish hospitality of the Virginians was al
ready noticeable, for we read : "As we advanced into the
plantations that lay thicker together we had our choice of
hosts for our entertainment, without money or its value;
in which we did not begin any novelty, for there are no
inns in the colony, nor do they take other payment for
what they furnish to coasters, but by requital of such cour
tesies the same way as occasions offer."
We have now reached a date, therefore, when the bet
ter houses were furnished with considerable comfort and
variety. Luxury was advancing. The tables no longer
consisted merely of boards and trestles ; and the forms and
benches were fast disappearing in favour of quite a variety
of chairs. The seats and sometimes the backs of the latter
44

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
were comfortably stuffed, and they were heavy and substan
tial rather than elegant in design. The woods of which
they were made are seldom mentioned in the inventories.
We shall have to wait some years yet, till the influence of
the French Renaissance, now beginning, is felt, before Eng
land and her colonies
care for art in furni
ture. First, in order
of time, came the
leather chair, high
and low, as we have
already seen, and we
may mention here that
the brown leather-
covered and brass-
nailed chairs, still
known as the "Crom
well chairs," were im- OAKEN CHAIR
ported intO England A ^ Peculiar to Derby-
r ° shire, England, — see the ac-
fTOm Holland. Then companying illustration. Seven
teenth century. From the ori-
CaiTie the TurkeV- S'na' 'n 'he Victoria and Albert
J Museum.
work chair which was
much in vogue till the end of the century. It probably
got its name from the rugs imported from the Levant, for
its cover was embroidered with designs in bright colours.
The "rush" and wood-bottomed chairs were the common
est kinds; in 1684 two of the former were valued at two
pounds of tobacco. In 1676 "ten wood-bottom chairs"
were appraised at fifteen pence each. There were not so
many kinds of single chairs in the seventeenth century as
there were of armchairs. There were two very favourite
oak patterns, the Derbyshire and the Yorkshire. The

I 7TH CENTURY CHAIR
OF OAK
This type of chair is pecu
liar to Yorkshire and Derby
shire, England. From the
original in the Victoria and
Albert Museum.

45

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
former belongs to the time of James I. Its hori
zontal pieces are tenoned into the uprights and fastened
with oak pegs. Between the rails three arches with
neatly turned spindles are introduced. The chair is
exceedingly firm and solid. The Yorkshire model, of
which great numbers were produced, is rather more or
namental. Besides, the usual uprights, the back has two
rails, an arch with ornamental scroll-work, and small
turned "droppers." Here we also find the bell-shaped
flower, or columbine, destined to appear in future years,
both in carving and inlay.
Some attention was given to ornamenting the chimney
piece. W. Sargent in 1683 had a "chimney-cloth."
The inventories give evidence of barter with the Indians.
Indian baskets, matting, etc., are not uncommon.
The inventory of the estate of Colonel John Carter, 1670,
included table and bed linen, curtains, a number of beds and
bedstead, kitchen utensils, fifteen " turkie work chairs,"
twenty-one old leather-chairs, eight Turkey-work cushions
and two old cushions, six Spanish tables, two looking-
glasses, two chests of drawers and some silver plate, besides
live stock, amounting in all to ^2250—10—6.
Thirty-six chairs would be enough for a moderate house
at the present day, so Colonel Carter was respectably supplied.
The three-legged joint-stool was also universally used side
by side with the chairs. Captain Thomas Howell of Mary
land, March 14, 1676, owned ten joint-stools, two wooden
chairs, six small chairs, eighteen leather chairs, six Turkey-
work chairs and one wicker chair.
The prices in tobacco were as follows: six leather
chairs, 120 lbs. (R. Macklin, 1676); 2 joint stools, 80 lbs.,
3 leather chairs, 1 wooden chair and 2 cushions, 1 20 lbs.,
46

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
(G. A. Marshall, 1675); one great wicker chair, 40 lbs.,
(Edw. Keene, 1646); 12 leather chairs, 480 lbs., 12
Turkey-work do, 960 lbs., 2 old wooden do, 30 lbs., 7
small wooden do, 84 lbs. (Captain Edw. Roe, 1676). Thus
we see that the prices varied greatly. The wicker chair
was generally accompanied by a cushion, though the latter
is not always mentioned in the inventories. In addition to
the above kinds, there was the "straw" chair, and the chair
with a seat of woven "flag." In 1694, we find two straw-
bottomed chairs valued at one shilling and sixpence; and,
in the same year, Michael Swift's "nine old flag and
wooden chairs" were appraised at eighteen shillings. The
most fashionable chair, however, was the Russia leather
chair ; it occurs in all the best houses towards the close of
the seventeenth century. Colonel Francis Epes, of Henrico
County, October 1, 1678, had 24 Russia leather high chairs,
^8-2-0. He also possessed "12 Turkey work chairs, ten
of which are new at ^4-5-0, two broken, 1 sh., 9 Camlett
[camel's-hair] chairs, 7 of them new at 7 shillings per
chair and 2 broken 1 shilling, ^"2-10-0; and one Ellboe
chair damnifyed though new, 7 shillings." Besides the
above, there were the "calfskin," the "rush," the "cane,"
the "bass," the "black", and the matted chair. Thus
Thomas Shippery of Henrico County (1684) owned "one
joyner's (arm'd) chair " valued at thirty pounds tobacco and
"two rush (green) chairs, 20 lbs." Henry Watkins (1700)
had six bass chairs, value twelve shillings. Col. Jno. Carr of
Maryland in 1676 had six turned Dutch chairs, 360 lbs.
Thomas Bucke (1659) owned four lined back chairs, £2,
and three wainscot chairs, £1 . Chairs were very numerous
in the well-to-do houses. In 1694 N. Bacon was not
unusually well supplied with his thirty-six. The accom-
47

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
panying illustration affords a clear view of the cane chairs
of the period.
The chair on page 6 is of walnut. It has a high back
with a long panel rounded at each end and filled in with
cane webbing with a carved and pierced pedimental top.
The two turned pillars on either side of the panel are con
tinuations ofthe back legs. The front legs terminate in
moulded feet turned outwards. They, as well as the strain
ing rails, are turned. The date of the chair is about 1690.
The seat is plain and filled in with cane webbing. On
page 49 another example of the high-backed cane chair is
found. The wood is painted. The top rail of the back
is carved and pierced and below it is a panel similar to that
last described also filled in with cane webbing. The
side supports are also continuations of the back legs. The
square frame of the seat is filled in with cane; the front
legs are carved with projecting knees and feet turned out
wards. They are joined by a carved and pierced rail with
a design similar to that in the top of the back, which is of
scrolls and foliage. The third chair is also painted, with
a high back and top rail pierced and carved. The central
panel of the back is filled in with cane webbing and its
frame is carved and incised, as is the broad rail joining the
two front legs. The decoration is of floral scrolls and the
legs and straining rails and side supports of the back are
spirally turned. The pine cone surmounts these side
pillars and a large shell holds the central position in the
top rail. The date of this chair is about 1660. It is a
good example of the general carving of the day. The shell
is of great antiquity in ornamentation.
We also give examples of two other chairs of the same
period. The armchair is exactly similar in form to those
48

SEVENTEENTH CENTURY ARMCHAIRS
The one to the left is of oak, ornamented vjith flat scrollwork; the back is surmounted by a pediment carved with scrollwork in r
Dated 1668. The walnut chair to the right has a high back without top rail. The back is formed by a piece of
leather stretched between the styles. Scroll ornament decorates the leather on the seat. About l6jo.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

I7TH CENTURY CHAIR
Painted ; high back with
carved and pierced top rail.
Back framing and lower rail
carved and incised, the central
panel of the back and seat filled
in with cane webbing. The legs
and two straining rails are spirally
. turned. Carved and incised front
rail. About 1660. Lent by W.
H. Evans, Esq., Forde Abbey.

I7TH CENTURY CHAIR
Walnut ; high back, with a
long panel rounded at each end and
filled in with cane webbing, sur
mounted by a pedimental piece
carved and pierced, supported by
two turned pillars continuous with
the cane webbing. The seat is a
plain frame filled in with cane web
bing. The front legs and straining
rails are turned. Lent by C. H.
Talbot, Esq., Lacock Abbey.

already described. The legs are simply turned, the seat is
of woven cane and the only difference is in the carving of
the back and of the front rail, which is very ornate. It is
of a beautiful black walnut. The other high-backed chair,
said to be Spanish, precisely follows the form altogether of
the other examples given. The back and seat are covered
with stamped Spanish leather of a tawny colour, fastened
with big brass studs. The ornamentation of the front rail
consists simply of two carved interlacing scrolls. The

49

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

HIGH-BACKED CHAIR
Covered with stamped Spanish leather
of a tawny colour fastened with brass studs.
The front rail consists of two interlacing
scrolls. From original in the Memorial
Hall, Philadelphia. See page 49.

I7TH CENTURY ARMCHAIR OF CARVED
BLACK WALNUT
The legs are turned, the seat is of woven cane. The
back and the front rail are highly carved. See
page 49.

high-backed Russia leather chairs so numerous in the in
ventories, are clearly represented in this specimen. The
low-backed leather chair, which also had a leather seat,
was square and squat in shape and is also shown in an ac
companying illustration in a specimen belonging to Dr.
Christopher Witt, a German pietist and astrologer, known
as the "Hermit of the Wissahickon," who died in 1708.
The frame was very often quite plain with square legs
5°

"^SL-

CRADLE
Oak ; two carved panels at each side, with one at each side above, at the head. At the foot, there is u
carved panel with the date 1687. Rockers below the feet. At each corner
there is a turned knob. Geometrical ornament.

CRADLE
Oak ; from an old Worcestershire manor house. Incised panels and borders, with a panelled hood at the
head. Rockers curved at the tops, held in the forked ends 'of the corner-posts.
Cushions inside covered with figured velvet. About 1660,

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

and arms, as is shown
in so many illustrations
of seventeenth century
life. Dr. Witt's chair
is preserved in the
American Philosophical
Society in Philadelphia.
The walnut chairs
in the illustration on
page 65 were import
ed from England by
Ralph Wormeley of
Rosegill, Middlesex
County, Va., towards
the end of the seven
teenth century, and were
used in his parlour.
Eleanor Plater, who was
sister of Mrs. Ralph
Wormeley, and married
Governor Gooch, embroidered a seat for these chairs; there
are six in the set, two being armchairs. When the first
Ralph Wormeley died in 1703, his effects were sold
and the chairs were bought by Mr. John Prosser of
White Marsh, Gloucester County, Va., whose great-grand
daughter, Maud Tabb, married John Tayloe Perrin, a
descendant of Ralph Wormeley. The chairs were given
to Mrs. Perrin by her father, Dr. John Prosser Tabb.
They are thus among the oldest authentic specimens of
Virginia furniture.
Ralph Wormeley of Rosegill (1650- 1703) owned so
great an estate and possessed so much influence that Hart
s'

I7TH CENTURY CHAIR
Original in the collection of the American Philosophical
Society. It is said to have been the chair of Dr. Christopher
Witt, mystic astrologer and doctor, " the Hermit of the
Wissahickon."

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
well, Blair and Chilton speak of him in The Present State
of Virginia (1699) as "the greatest man in Virginia."
" Rosegill, where the Wormeleys lived in English state,""
writes Bishop Meade in his Old Churches ( 1 872), " was situ
ated high upon the banks of the Rappahannock River, a few
miles from Old Christ Church. It was a large and hand
some specimen of an old colonial mansion."
The inventory of the estate of Colonel Francis Epes, of
Henrico County, Va., October 1, 1678, will show the
growing luxury of the planters. £ »• *
One foure foot chest of drawers seder
[cedar?] y speckled new but damnified, 1-10-0
1 large chest of drawers new, . . . 1—4-0
1 small table damnified though new, . 5-0
1 large folding-table* new but damn, . 1-5-0
2 sacking bottom bedsteads new, . . 2—10-0
1 twisted stand new & ye topp of another, 0-3-0
2 setts of curtaine rodds, . . . c _ 6
1 suite of tapestry hanging, . . . 18— 17— o
1 large olive wood glasse, one large walnut
tree glass 2 pr of screws, . . . 4-14-0
2 doz of Russia leather high chairs, . . 8-2-0
12 Turkey worke chairs, 10 of which new
at £.4S> two broken 1, . . 4-6-0
9 Camlett chaires 7 of them new at j£
pr chaire & 2 broken i£, . . . 2-10-0
One Ellboe chaire damnifyed though new, 0-7-0
One large new feather bed with camlett
curtains & double vallins lind with yel
low silke, bolster pillow, counterpane,
Rodds & hooks tops & stands 1 Cur
taine and some fFringe damnifyed, . 24-5-0
 1 yarn rugg & 1 blankett, . . . i_4_0
?The folding-table was known in England as early as 1556.
5*

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS £ s. d.
i middle seize calve skinn truncke with
drawers, ...... 0-12-0
One sacke cloth bottome bedstead, . . 1-6-0
One old ffeather bed and bolster, . . 2-10-0
One small old ffeather bed and bolster
not T/2 full, . • . . . 1 -0-0
One ffeather bed, bolster & 2 pillows
worne, ...... 2-0—0
2 yarne ruggs worne ye largest 10s ye
other 7s, ..... 17-0
One middle size calve skinn truncke with
drawers, ...... 12-0
One old leather truncke with locke and
key,  3-4
One old chest of drawers without keys, . 5-0
One very old ffeather bed & bolster rugg
& 2 blanketts & one old beddstead, . 1-10-0
One very old bedd bolster two course
blanketts & an old trundle beddstead . 1-0-0
One small old ffeather bed small bolster
& 1 canvis bolster & a small rugg all
very old, ...... 10-0
One old suite of Callicoe curtaines and
vallaines, ...... 5-0
Eleven pds of plate at j£ P- pd is . . 33-0-0
An old standing cupboard and one small
old table & one old broken chaire of
wood, ...... 2-0
2 new bedds & bollsters & 3 new pillows, 9-9-4
2 New Ruggs, ..... 1-0-0
3 new blanketts, ..... 12-0
One small old bed of ffeathers one
blankett, bolster 1 pr of canvis sheetes,
one old Rugg one blacke leather truncke, 6-0
One pair of bellowes new, . . . 2-6
One large chest with lock & key old, . 7-0
53

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS £ s. d.
One old middle size chest with lock & key, 3-6
One small old chest with lock & key, . 3-0
Two other old chests without keys & one
without hinges, . . • • • IO-°
One very old long table & one little ditto, 5-0
One old coutch 1 leather chaire very old
& lumber,  3~°
Three old beddsteads, .... 6-0
One small hammock new & one old
coverlidd,  I3~°
Two cushions & one turkey workt carpet, 1-2-0
One pr of new Curtaines & vallins
(Kidderminster), . . . . 10-0
One old Rugg yarne, .... 5~°
One old bible & 6 other small old books, 5-0
Two small writing trunckes with locks &
keys & one small very old blacke
truncke (calve skin), .... 4-0
Two canes one of them broke with silver
heads, ...... 7-°
1 small looking glasse .... 1-0
(Total ^302-1-2)
It will have been noticed that no matter how scanty
was the furniture, it invariably included some receptacle
for clothes, etc. The box, case, chest, and trunk are often
found in the same inventory. It is difficult to distinguish
between the case and box, but the chest was an article of
some decorative importance. The oak, or cedar chest was
more or less ornate in accordance with the wealth and
taste of the owner. Sometimes it rested on its own flat base
and sometimes on short legs. Frequently it had more than
one lock and key, as was the case with the one sent to the
Ashley River by the Earl of Shaftesbury mentioned later.
Many old chests are heavily bound with iron. The simpler
54

CABINET OF OAK
The outer doors are veneered on the face with hexagonal pieces of " Thorn Acacia ' ' wood. The
drawers within, eleven in number, are veneered with walnut with an
edging of sycamore. Close ofthe seventeenth century.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

kinds would merely be
carved with the initials
of the owner and the
date of constructions.
Sometimes they had an
appropriate motto or
warning, such as " Come
not in jest to open this
chest." The lid of the
finer specimens would
often be inlaid with a fo
liage design and the front
and sides would have
carved panels represent
ing biblical scenes or my
thological personages, or
Simply IjOtniC tracery Or Consisting of four long drawers, each of which is decor-
n 1 ii q r ated in front with two panels of raised moulding. The
noral SCrOllS. oOme OI escutcheon plates and drop handles are of brass. The whole
thf* ,-WVipc r-h^i-a ot nno rests on four spirally turned legs strengthened by plain bars.
tne ClOtneS CneStS at One Late seventeenth century. Height, 4 ft. 4^ in. ; length,
d. • 1 11 3 ft. 2 in.; width, 1 ft. 10 in.
contained a small
inner box with hinged lid for holding fans, laces and other
feminine trifles. Drawers were soon inserted into the lower
part of the chest and the next step was to cut the remain
ing part of the front into doors and put shelves inside.
When towards the close of the century Colonel Fitzhugh
sends to London for some silver plate, he stipulates that it
shall be packed in chests, because of their great usefulness,
though he evidently feels that he has to excuse his extrava
gance. These chests, therefore, must have been something
more than mere packing-cases. He was ordering something
that he could not cause to be made by his own workmen.
The chest with drawers occurs frequently in the inven-

OAK.EN CHEST OF DRAWERS

55

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
tories early in the seventeenth century. A further de
velopment consisted in topping the drawers with a " bureau,"
which was used in its literal sense of " office." It was closed
by a sloping flat to be used as a writing-table, with two
sliding "draw-out" supports. This top usually contained
pigeon-holes and drawers both visible and secret. The
chest with drawers was quite an expensive article of furni
ture in Virginia in 1676. G. F. Beckwith owned one
valued at about $70 present money. He also possessed a
"chest with drawers," "a box with drawers," and " a desk
with drawers," all worth about $80. Another instance is
found the same year in Robert Macklin, whose parlour
contained a great "elm chest," a deal ditto, a "trunk with
drawers," a " Dutch case," a " little nest of drawers," and
"two old trunks," valued in all at 400 pounds tobacco. In
the same year Captain T. Marshall owned a "box of
drawers," and Captain J. Carr a "chest of drawers," valued
at 450 pounds tobacco. Chests of drawers were also pos
sessed by N. Bacon (1694) £1, and another at 14 shillings,
and Henry Watkins (1700), £2.
A desk of some kind was found in every respectable
house. Examples are plentiful towards the end of the
century. In 1684 the Rev. Thomas Perkins owned a desk
and sealskin case, 250 pounds tobacco. Other instances
are: an old desk, Mrs. Fauntleroy (1686); two desks, 250
pounds tobacco, Captain J. Carr (1676) ; Thomas Howlett,
one (1685), and N. Bacon another, at five shillings, in
1694. Captain J. Goodwin may end the list with one in
1701. Miss Mary Jones of Gloucester County, Va., owns an
ancient desk belonging to the Fauntleroy family, which
may be the very one recorded above.
56

CABINET OF WALNUT WOOD
With two cupboards and two drawers, above which is a canopy supported on four balusters ; the
vuhole is ornamented vjith carvings in reliej' of men on horseback, cherubs' heads,
lions' masks, figures, and fruit.' English, seventeenth century.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Dressing-tables were to be found in considerable profu
sion. Examples still in existence, of the date of 1690, are
veneered with walnut as well as solid. Some of them had
two deep side drawers and a shallower central one with
brass key-plates and handles. Others were inlaid in a
band around the top of the table and faces of the drawers
with box-wood and ebony. Sometimes the legs were
plain and sometimes they showed the growing Dutch in
fluence and were of the cabriole shape with web feet. A
typical combination dressing-table, "scrutore," and swing-
glass (circalated 1700) is of walnut with the glass bevelled
and the frame slightly carved and gilt. The front has
beading and moulding ornamentation and the supports are
four cabriole legs with shell carvings. The looking-glass
was sometimes fixed to the top of a case or chest of draw
ers. Captain James Archer (1607) owned "one chest of
drawers, one dressing box, three looking-glasses, and one
glass case," all valued at ^"4—15—0.
The first item of the inventory of Colonel Epes, given
above, shows that the "chest of drawers" was often of
considerable size. Two other items supply us with exam
ples of trunks containing drawers. The trunks were
"leather," "calf-skin," "seal-skin," "gilt," and on at least
one occasion we find an "oyster-shell trunk." Special im
portance was attached to locks and keys and their absence
is usually noted.. The metal-work was highly valued.
Curtain-rods even, as in the above inventory, possessed a
value by no means despicable, and it is noticeable that the
absence of hinges is considered worth recording, and even
the screws of the looking-glasses are not forgotten.
Colonel Epes was one of many rich planters whose
walls were hung with tapestry. Hangings worth nearly
57

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
$500 in our money must have contributed considerable
elegance to his rooms. The Turkey-work carpet men
tioned is probably nothing but a table-cloth, as in so many
previous examples. The two cushions mentioned with it,
all together valued at twenty-two shillings, were probably
embroidered. Cushions were in great favour and were
found in great profusion in the houses of the seventeenth
century; the lines of the seats were somewhat rigid and the
comfort of the sitter depended largely on cushions, espe
cially as in many cases the carving was not so disposed as
to contribute to personal ease. It is to be noticed that the
projecting carving in the backs of the chairs gradually dis
appears, or is subdued. The finer examples of cushions
were Turkey-work, silk, satin, velvet, damask, and other
materials that lent themselves to embroidery. Fine needle
work was a common female accomplishment during this
century and special bequests of worked material are fre
quently found in the wills.
As we have already seen, the mirror with olive-wood
frame in Colonel Epes's inventory came from Italy; the
large "walnut-tree glasse" was, in all probability, a produc
tion of the VauxhaU factory recently established.
We may take another example of this period in Nicho
las Wyatt of Maryland, whose inventory was sworn to
September 25, 1676. His house consisted of a hall, par
lour, hall chamber, porch chamber, parlour chamber,
kitchen, cellar, milkhouse, kitchen chamber, kitchen, but
tery, kitchen loft, and quarter. In the hall were seven
framed pictures on the walls, and "a window-cloth" at
the window. There was one oblong table and " carpet"
and six joint stools: here the family took their meals.
Along the walls and disposed in various places were sixteen
58

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Turkey-work chairs, and seven leather chairs in addition.
In the big fire-place were brass andirons, and beside them
stood tongs, shovels and a pair of bellows. A couch-bed
with its appurtenances stood in one corner of the big room,
and a cabinet and small trunk in another. A chest of
drawers with "cloth and cushion," a side cupboard (not
fixed to the wall, but a separate piece of furniture) also
with "cloth and cushion," containing "a parcel of books,"
"a beer glass" and "snuffers"; and a looking-glass and a
round table completed the list. Entering the parlour we
find a four-post bedstead with curtains and valance, and on
it a comfortable feather-bed, bolster and pillows with a
gaily coloured rug above all. There is also a couch with
its bed and furnishings. Though the floor is bare there is
a "window cloth" at the window, and six framed pictures
adorn the walls. Against one wall stands a chest of draw
ers covered with a cloth. The looking-glass that is men
tioned probably stands on this, as does also a silver caudle
cup. A cupboard "with cloth and cushion" contains
three wine-glasses, a brush and a nest of hour-glasses. The
room has no table, but is well supplied with chairs. There
is one cushioned wicker chair and three straw, three wooden
and four Turkey-work chairs. The fire-place is furnished
with fire-irons and andirons, and a seal-skin trunk against
the wall. In the "hall chamber" is another four-post bedstead
with the usual bedding. It is furnished with a pair of
serge curtains and valance. A trundle bed (that rolls under
the big one) also has its bedding and furniture covered
with a counterpane. A table with "carpet" and five
leather chairs and a joint-stool help to make the room
comfortable. There is an .extra trundle bed and bedding
59

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

covered with an embroidered rug. In the fire-place are the
shovel, tongs and andirons. There is also a looking-glass
and, finally, two chests and a trunk, one of which contains
five pairs of sheets.
In the "porch chamber" is a "standing bedstead, bed
and furniture with dar-
nick curtains and val
ence." Four pictures
relieve the bareness of
these walls also. Last
ly, there is a table and
" carpet," a joint-stool
and four other stools,
three of which have
cushions. In the " parlour
chamber " we find an
other "standing bed
stead, bed and furni
ture," and a couch
with the same. Three
more pictures are on
the walls, and the
room is supplied with
a table with a cloth on it, a straw chair and a form.
Here also is a chest and a box containing the household
linen. The latter consists of one pair of "pillow-
coats," seven pairs of sheets, two diaper table-cloths,
five other table-cloths, twelve diaper napkins, and four
dozen and four other napkins, fifteen pillow-coats, seven
towels, three small table-cloths, and one old table-cloth.
The accommodations for the servants are not so scanty
60

r &.-Cb*n^^-

CABINET

The upper part is a cupboard with two doors, inclosing
shelves, and the lower part fitted with four drawers. It is of
oak, veneered with various woods, chiefly walnut, and has in
several panels figure and floral ornament in pear wood inlaid in
ebony. About 1670-80. Height, 6 ft. 9 in.; width, 4 ft.
6 in.; depth, 21^ in. Bought ,£42.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

as usual. In the "kitchen cham
ber" is one flock bed and furniture,
one feather ditto, a looking-glass,
a chest and some boxes.
The cabinet mentioned in the
above inventory was common to
the homes of almost all well-to-do
people. In mediaeval days it was
almost as necessary to the rich as
the chest was to the poor. In the
seventeenth century nearly every
man who had valuables of small bulk
possessed one. Many early examples
are very ornate. It was usually
carved and often inlaid with ebony,
ivory, and mother of pearl in various
patterns. Oak inlaid with walnut
frequently occurs. The ornamen
tation was very varied. Panelling
was exceedingly common and
cabinets decorated with turned half-
rails were quite characteristic of
the period. At the close of the
century Dutch styles prevailed in
England, as was only natural with
a Dutch king on the throne and
Dutch celebrities in English homes.
The cabinets then have florid mar
quetry decoration of large natural
tulips and other flowers. The con
tinental wood-work was working its
way into favour before this, however,

SECTION OF
I7TH CENTURY CABINET

E3b.»1^ Ot (2Jk:

CARVED OAK
I7TH CENTURY CABINET
Decorations similar to the English late
Elizabethan or Jacobean style. Flemish,
about 1620. Height, 3 ft. 6 in., length, 4
ft. 1 in. ; width, 1 ft. 8 in. Bought ^18.

61

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
and even before 1625 the carved fronts of cabinets executed
in the Low Countries, where carving had reached such a
high pitch of excellence, were sent down the canals, and
shipped to the eastern ports of England. The backs and
sides were added by village carpenters. The same system
would undoubtedly prevail in the English colonies.
Hitherto we have said nothing about tables, though the
lists given will have afforded a clear idea of that article of
furniture during the seventeenth century. Traces of the
Tudor period still lingered in the styles, the constantly re
curring "Spanish table" is Elizabethan pure and simple ; in
fact, many an inventory carries us directly back to the day
when the poet wrote :
" Set me fine Spanish tables in the hall,
See they be fitted all ;
Let there be room to eat
And order taken that there want no meat.
See every sconce and candlestick made bright,
That without tapers they may give a light.
Look to the presence : are the carpets spread,
The dais o'er the head,
The cushions in the chairs,
And all the candies lighted on the stairs ?
Perfume the chambers and in any case
Let each man give attendance in his place."*
Another table that was found in the better class of
house was the "folding table." This was probably of
Dutch origin. It varied in size, the smallest having twelve
legs and the largest having twenty legs. These legs could
be pulled out to support leaves and by this means the table
could be enlarged to three times its ordinary size. The
* Christ Church MS. 62

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

ill

I7TH CENTURY OAK TABLE WITH EXTENDING TOP
The frame is incised and carved ; the four baluster legs are turned and carved. Heavy straining rails
join the legs near the ground. About 16 10. Lent by the Governor of the Charterhouse. ^230.
turned legs were no thicker than was necessary. In
the inventories the wood of which the tables were com
posed is very rarely mentioned. When imported, they
were of the oak which still lingered in English mansions.
The native walnut, oak, cedar, pine, . and cypress were
largely used in the native-made tables. A curious kind
greatly in favour in England during the period was the
chair-table. The back of the chair turned on a hinge and
formed a small table. In 1682 we find one valued at three
shillings in the possession of Christopher Branch of Henrico
County, Va.; another occurs among the possessions of
Francis Moss in 1686. There was considerable variety in
the shape of the seventeenth century table. The round
and the oval are frequently mentioned. In 1673, Elizabeth
Butler bequeaths an "oval" and a "drawing-table."
A drawing-table is an extension table. I cannot do
better than quote the explanation given by S. T. Robinson
in the Art Journal: "The end leaves were fixed upon
63

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
graduated bearers, and to prevent their upper surfaces from
being scratched as they are drawn out a slight vertical
movement is allowed to the centre part of the table which
permits it to be lifted up till they are quite clear of it.
The extent of the movement is regulated by the projecting
heads of the two pins which fit closely into the immovable
crosspiece. As soon as the leaf is drawn out, the free play
given to these pins in the crosspiece permits the centre
piece to fall into its original position which it does by its
own gravity. The leaves being now raised by the gradu
ated bearers to the required height, the upper surface of the
table becomes level throughout. It is unnecessary to say
that the adjustment of these slides is a matter of nice
calculation, and that great ingenuity has been shown in
bringing about so satisfactory a result . . . The whole
mechanism is admirably considered for the purpose it has
to fulfill. Indeed its adaptation for its purpose was so good
that the principle was long retained ; and Sheraton, so late
as the commencement of the present century, advocates its
use for many writing or other tables, and gives the rule for
finding the exact rake of the slides and the technical detail
of all the other parts."
In 1676 Thomas Skinner owned a "Dutch folding
table," and twenty-five years later we find John Goodwin
with another large one of the same kind valued at ^"2-0-0.
He also owned a small folding and a small cross-legged
table. Stephen Gill, as early as 1653, had a "small side
table," and in 1655 Robert Wilkinson possessed a "short
leaf" table. The "falling" table also was by no means
rare. Thomas Osborne had a "sideboard" table in 1696,
and lastly we find a slate table valued at £1 ; and a small
table and drawer in the inventory of H. Watkins, 1700.
64

TABLE WITH THREE FLAPS
Oak, oval, supported on three baluster-shaped legs with plain strengthening bars. English, seventeenth century.
Height, ijt. liyi in.; top, 2ft. J in. by 2ft. 4 in.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Card-tables as separate articles of furniture do not seem
to have been "in use until late in the century, when they
were probably imported by Dutch ships. Cards, however,
were a very favorite means of passing the hours of leisure,
and gambling was probably as prevalent as drinking. In

WALNUT CHAIRS
Originally belonging to Ralph Wormeley of Virginia. Now owned by Mrs. John Tayloe Perrin,
of Baltimore. See page 5 1 .

William Fitzhugh's letters we find several references to deep
potations and his own lack of prowess with the cup. Cards
are occasionally considered worth recording in the inven
tories. In 1 70 1 Richard Dunbar left behind him in a
wicked world twenty-nine dozen packs of playing cards,
valued at £i-g-o, and in the same year Alexander Young
65

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
left twenty dozen "pack cards," appraised at £i. These
were probably kept for sale.
Pictures existed in far greater numbers than is generally
supposed, though their nature and subject are hardly ever
specified during the seventeenth century. "A parcel of
pictures" is a common item in the inventories ofthe more
prosperous class.
Books were scarce and seem to have been appraised in
accordance with their age. Half a dozen odd volumes was
the utmost possessed by the average individual, and if these
happened to be old, the value attributed was insignificant.
Ralph Wormeley was an exception, as at his death, in 1701,
he had more than 400 works in his library. Richard Lee
was another. He possessed more than 300 books. The
clergy and doctors sometimes had a considerable number of
volumes dealing with their own professions ; but " a parcel
of old books" was sufficient description for the average
library. Dr. John Willoughby, of Rappahannock County,
had one of the respectable libraries, while of the clergy,
Thomas Perkins (clerk) had only: lbs. tobacco
A pcell of old parchmt & paper covered books, 050
Another pcell of books, . . . .258
3 books at ...... 450
One bible and common prayer book, . .124
Another parcel of books, . . .210
Dr. Willoughby's library was as follows :
Inv. Mch. 3, 1686.
6 Books of Phisick in folio, . . . 240
H " " " quarto, . „ .220
8 " " " octavo, . . .075
*6 " " " XI J, ... 096
66

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

lb

s. tobacco

6 history books in folio,

120

12 " " " quarto, most old,

120

A bible in large quarto,

120

2 Books of Divinity in folio,

lOO

20 " " " quarto,

340

27 " " " octavo, most old,

270

25 " " " XIJ,

230

13 old Books, .....

030

A parcel of old imperfect books,

030

2 Books of Law in folio,

150

4 " " " quarto,

080

9 " ' " 8°, ...

180

23 « « « XVJ, .

230

Table forks did not come into use till the close of this
period, the "ffork" or "flesh fork" being merely the large
one used in the kitchen to remove the meat from the spit
or pot. In 1 70 1 John Goodwin's inventory shows a case
of ivory-hafted knives and forks at the surprisingly low
value of seven shillings. The statement in Leah and Rachel
(1656), "There is good store of plate in many houses," is
abundantly justified by the inventories.
Warming-pans were a necessity. During the seven
teenth century they were commonly in England orna
mented in various ways, generally with subjects either of
figures or of scrolls of foliage beaten up in relief. In
richer examples the brass cover was cut through in per
forated or openwork. Ladies and cavaliers, peacocks and
flowers, are found as decorations, and the incised carving
on the figures was often carefully done. The handle was
usually of iron, fitted into wood. The handles of the
finer examples have often brass mounts. Fourteen inches
was the usual diameter of the pan.
67

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
We have already spoken of the conditions of trade in
Virginia. English ships brought in most of the articles of
household use, but not all. The home authorities made
strenuous but not altogether successful efforts to exclude
the pushing Dutch traders. Dutch furniture found its
way into the houses and has left its mark in the inven
tories. Instances have already been given.
The influence of the French Renaissance was beginning
to tell, and fashion also created a strong demand for the
wares in the manufacture of which the Dutch particularly
excelled. Marquetry was one of the distinguishing char
acteristics of their furniture, and we may be permitted tb
say a few words concerning this form of inlaying.
In western Europe during the seventeenth century
marquetry was extensively used and became the leading
feature of furniture decoration. Inlaying had long been
in use, but the new marquetry was a picturesque composi
tion, a more complete attempt at pictorial representation.
The older designs represent natural flowers, especially
tulips, foliage, birds and animals, all in gay tints, generally
the self colours of the woods that were employed. Some
times the eyes and other salient points are in ivory and
mother-of-pearl. In the earlier French marquetry designs
picturesque landscapes, broken architecture and figures are
represented, and colours are occasionally stained on the
wood. Ebony and ivory were materials much in favour
for this inlaying, as was also the case in Germany and
Italy. When the art crossed into England with William
of Orange, Dutch marquetry furniture became the fashion
in the form of bandy-legged chairs, upright clock
fronts, secretaries, or bureaus, or writing-cabinets, which
in the upper and middle parts were closed with doors,
68

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

as well as other pieces that offered services for such
decoration. Under this influence the chairs and other articles of
furniture relinquished their severe lines and assumed the
curves that are charac
teristic of the ensuing
period. A good exam
ple of this is afforded
by a chair, which, per
haps, owes more to the
influence of the French
Renaissance than the
Dutch. It belonged to
the second William Byrd
immediately at the close
of this period, and was
one of a set used in the
dining-room of his home
at Westover. The back
and seat are stuffed and
upholstered in velvet,
the back legs terminate
in the hoof form and
the front in the ball and
claw, which Chippen
dale arlnrif-prl witr. cnr-Vi ward directly from the corner of the seat and is boldly and
UdlC aaoptea Wlin SUCn gracefully carved with the acanthus.
affection. The leg
curves outward directly from the corner of the seat, and
is boldly and gracefully carved with the acanthus. This
chair now belongs to Miss Elizabeth Byrd Nicholas, of
Washington, D. C.
It presents a striking contrast in general style to the
69

CHAIR SHOWING THE RENAISSANCE
INFLUENCE
Belonged to the second Colonel William Byrd of West-
over j now owned by Miss Elizabeth Byrd Nicholas,
Washington, D. C. The back and seat are stuffed and
upholstered in velvet; the back legs terminate in hoof
form, the front in the ball and claw. The leg curves out-

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
black oak sideboard facing page 70. The latter is an
English piece and is said to have belonged to Lord Balti
more. It was long in possession of the family of Charles
Carroll, of Carrollton of Maryland, and is now owned by
Mrs. Edward C. Pickering ofthe Observatory, Cambridge,
Mass. The lion's head, in high relief, is a bold piece of
carving ; the brass handles are modern additions.
Home-made furniture was also found in considerable
quantities, though only the rougher kinds. Francis Finch
(1678) had a " couch made in this country;" John Good
win (1701) owned a "Virginia table," and a "Virginia-
made bedstead" is sometimes mentioned. The general
absence of home-made furniture was, however, remarkable.
In describing Virginia, in 1705, Beverley says : " They are
such abominable ill husbands that, though their country be
overrun with wood, yet they have all their wooden ware
from England — their cabinets, chairs, tables, stools, chests,
boxes, cart-wheels and all other things, even so much as
their bowls and birchen brooms, to the eternal reproach of
their laziness." We have seen that this statement is some
what too sweeping. It was the policy of the authorities
rather than native laziness that was responsible for the con
dition of affairs. The Southerners were prevented, if pos
sible, from trading with their enterprising brethren in New
England as well as with the Dutch. The following ex
tracts from the Maryland Assembly Proceedings are inter
esting in this connection :
May 28, 1697.
Proposed :
4. " That a law be made to lay an Imposicon upon all manner of
wooden ware and ffish brought from New England & other adjacent
places, as also upon Sugar & Mallassoes imported by strangers."
70

OLD BLACK OAK SIDEBOARD
With carved lion's head. It is now owned by Mrs. Edward C. Pickering, ofthe Observatory, Cambridge, Mass.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
June the 8th, 1697.
The Lords of Council for trade & plantacons laid before the
house as followith :
6. " Generally all the Inhabitants of this province being La
bourers are imployed in planting tobacco except Coopers Carpen
ters, some few that navigate sloopes and a very small number of
other artificers having relation to Tobacco, all which excepted (by
Estimacon) make not above the 60th part of such labourers."
8. " This privince hath little traffick with any other his Matys
Colonys in America or elsewhere, and the little traffick which is
vsed is by exporting hence porke, beife, pipe staves, timber and such
like, together with wheat, flour and some small quantities of tobacco,
to Barbadoes either by small Craft belonging, to this province or
New England who trade here for rum, sugar & malasses most
especially & some parcells of fish & some (inconsiderable) wooden
wares of their owne manufacture."
The court records of Essex County, Virginia, for May
7, 1685, afford interesting details from which we may
form a picture of the furnishing of a court-house of the
day. It seems that a chair made by a local carpenter was
good enough for the President of the Court, and that the
other members had to be content with a hard bench.
" Ordered that Maximilian Robinson be allowed 450 lbs. tob
& cask, the price for a table by him sold for the use of the Court
to be held on the North side of the River.
" Whereas, it is agreed between this Court & Thomas Bradly
that the sd Bradley do between this and the beginning of July next
make and in workman-like manner set up Banisters Cross the
Roome where the Court is held on the North side the River, of an
Usuall hight & distance & inclosing the table, with a doore to pass
to the table, convenient in some part of the said Banisters. And
that the sd Bradley do make a fform answerable to the sd table and
a Bench of Plank sufficient to sitt upon in the Roome & place of
the bench that now is. Also a Chaire for the President of the Court
71

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
at the upper End ofthe table next the shed, and lastly that he raise
and Enlarge the Back Window of the Court house next the Orchard
and make one more window on the same side (4 ft. sq.) and to fill
up the back doore of the said Roome if it shall hereafter seem nec
essary for wch sd Work (he shall be allowed) 11 00 lbs of Tobb &
Cask Convenient."
While doing this work he was to have his " dyett &
Lodging with Peter Tayler " (who was to be paid later).
At this Court were present Colonel John Stone, Cap
tain Sam'l Blomfield, Captain Geo. Tayler, Mr. Jas. Har
rison, Mr. H'y Awbrey, and Mr. Sam'l Peachey.
A comparison of the furniture imported by the wealthy
settlers of Maryland and Virginia with the contemporary
furniture used in England will only prove again that Eng
lish life was transplanted as far as was possible to the shores
of the glittering Chesapeake. In many respects the planter
lived as does the English country gentleman to-day. His
was a life of ease and pleasure and generous hospitality, but
not of idleness. The interests of the land-owner and
planter were enormous, and his duties as importer and
merchant were not less significant. We have already seen
that ships landed their wares at the foot of his lawn ; but we
have not mentioned that with the gift that the English
possess of making attractive homes in any strange land, the
settlers of the South spared neither thought nor pains to
surround themselves with comforts and beauty. For ex
ample, one George Menifie came to Virginia in 1623, and
in 1634 we find him living at Littleton on the James
River, not far below Jamestown, with a large garden that
" contained fruits of Holland and Roses of Provence ; his
orchard was planted with apple, pear and cherry trees ; and
he cultivated here the first peach trees introduced into Amer-
¦ 72

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
ica. Around the house grew, in the fashion of the time,
rosemary, thyme and marjoram."
What we have already said with regard to the homes
and living of the Virginians and Marylanders is em
phasized by the words of Mr. Thomas Nelson Page :
" Virginia was settled with a strong English feeling in
grained in her, with English customs and habits of life,
with English ideas, modified only to suit the conditions of
life here. Among the chief factors which influenced Vir
ginia life, and moulded it in its peculiar form, were this
English feeling (which was almost strong enough to call a
race feeling) ; the aristocratic tendency ; the happy combi
nation of soil, climate and agricultural product (tobacco),
which made them an agricultural people, and enabled them
to support a generous style of living as landed gentry ; the
Church with its strong organization ; and the institution of
slavery." So far, we have dealt with Virginia and Maryland ex
clusively, but in the meantime the proprietary government
of South Carolina had been established, and along the
Ashley River much the same conditions prevailed. All
the early explorers of the southern coast refer in enthusias
tic terms to the magnificent forests of that region. They
speak of the quality and variety of the splendid timber —
oak, ash, cypress, walnut, bay, maple, poplar, cedar, hick
ory, birch, elm, laurel and holly.
The Earl of Shaftesbury, who was so active in planting
the new colony, regarded timber as an important source of
profit. In his instructions for Mr. Andrew Percevall, dated
from Exeter House, May 23, 1674, we read : "You are
to send me word what trees fit for masts and to what big
ness and length you have any there, and at what distance
73

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
from water carriage, and to send me samples of the timber
of your mast trees, and of any dyeing drugs or any sort of
timber of woods that is finely grained or scented that you
think may be fit for cabinets and such other fine works."
In his True Relation of a Voyage (1663), William
Hilton reports: "The lands are laden with oaks, walnut
and bays, except facing on the sea, it is most pines tall and
good." The household goods carried by the first settlers were
the same as had been the case in Virginia, as appears from
"An account of the costs of the cloaths bought for the
present expedition to Carolina, 1669." It includes: £ s. d.
100 beds, rugs and pillows at 8 s 6d . 42-10-0
1 leather bed .... 1-10-0
30 hamocks at 2 2d . . . . 2—14—0
In 1 67 1 Shaftesbury sent a small chest with three locks
to Sir John Yeamans on the Ashley River, and many other
instances of his care are to be found.
North Carolina differed from her sister State where so
many Puritans, Huguenots and Quakers settled. Almost
exclusively economic motives led various discontented men
to leave Virginia and make new homes for 'themselves in
the woods of North Carolina. They were political rather
than religious refugees. After the suppression of Bacon's
rebellion in 1676, that region became the "Common sub
terfuge and lurking-place" of those "Rogues, runaways and
rebels" who objected to the severe rule of Sir William
Berkeley in Virginia. For a long time that settlement
was backward and neglected. The attention ofthe people
at home was directed almost exclusively to the plantations
on the Ashley River. Under such circumstances the houses
74

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
and household goods were rough and primitive. For fifty
years there were no towns. Bath was the first to be incor
porated (1704), and in 1709 it had only "about twelve
houses." The Ashley River settlement soon rivaled Virginia and
Maryland in wealth and prosperity, and the homes of the
planters offered equal evidence of comfort and luxury.
The inventory of Richard Phillips (1695) among other
things mentions " Three standing bedsteads, flock bed bol
ster and cradle bed, four tables, two joint-stools, twelve
Turkey-work chairs." The furniture came direct from
England and the conditions of trade were very much the
same as in Virginia.

THE FURNITURE
OF OUR ^^§§
FOREFATHERS

WASHINGTON'S BED-ROOM AT MOUNT VERNON
Showing all the original furniture.

THE FURNITURE
OF OUR
FOREFATHERS

By ESTHER SINGLETON
WITH CRITICAL DESCRIPTIONS OF PLATES
By RUSSELL STURGIS

ILLUSTRATED

PART II

NEW YORK
DOUBLEDAy; PAGE AND COMPANY
i 9 o i

COPYRIGHT, 1 901, BY
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & CO.

CONTENTS

The Early Days of the Settlement of Phila
delphia ...... 79—81
Its prosperity; economic and social conditions; mode of liv
ing, etc., etc.
William Penn : His House and Furniture 82-86
The Estates of :
John Simcock, 86; William Lewis, 87; John Moore, 88;
John Jones, 88.
Francis Daniel Pastorius, Founder of German-
town . . . . . . .89
His estate, 90.
Baron Stiegel's House and Furnishings . . 90
The Estate of Governor Patrick Gordon 9 1—93
James Logan's House, " Stenton," and its Fur
nishings ....... 94
Description of Furniture Belonging to Various
Persons ...... 94—96
Letter from Franklin to his Wife Regarding
Household Furniture . . . 97— 99
Advertisements of the Period, 1729, Showing
"Latest Fashions" in Furniture . .100
The Clockmakers of Philadelphia . . .102
The Bed . . . . . . . . 103
Decorative effects of hangings and furniture ; extract from
Miss Sarah Eve's journal regarding the same ; letter from
Mrs. Franklin to her husband describing furnishings of her
house, 104.

CONTENTS

Furniture, Conditions, Etc.,
In South Carolina, Virginia and Maryland during Revolution
ary days, 108; prosperity of the planters ofthe period, 109.
The Inventories and Estates of Various Per

sons .......
Famous Houses of the First Half of the
Eighteenth Century . . . .
Glimpses into the Interior of Mansions of the
Period . . . . . .116
Inventory of Table Goods and Chattels of
Joseph Wragg, Esq^ . . . . .
Amusements of the Planters .
The card table and its furnishings, 127; shuffle-board; back
gammon-tables; checker-boards, etc., etc., 128.
Various Tables .......
Their values, 129; tea-table furnishings, 132—134.
China ....... 130
Silverware, Plate, and Table Furnishings 132-
Chairs of the Period . . . .1 34-
Their prices, shapes, materials, etc., etc.
The Table ......
The Carpet .....
The Cupboard .....
The Chest of Drawers
The Clock ......
Pictures and Maps ....
Mahogany ....
General Remarks Regarding Furniture of the
Period ....

J39-

Furniture in Louisiana

T5i

1 10
XI5
—120 125
126
129
-^ J34
-J39 -140 144
HS 146
146
148
149 J52

List of Illustrations
WITH CRITICAL NOTES ON MANY OF
THE PLATES. BY RUSSELL STURGIS

ALL THE NOTES FURNISHED BY MR. STURGIS
ARE FOLLOWED BY HIS INITIALS, K. S.

PAGE iii
79

Frontispiece ..... facing
Washington's bed-room at Mount Vernon, with all the original furniture.
Chest with Bands of Stamped Iron Work facing
Chest with straps of iron for strength and for ornament. Such pieces were made in
Spain and Portugal as early as the sixteenth century, and if this is of the eighteenth
century it is a survival, the old pattern being kept in mind or reproduced in a provincial
region or in a foreign country. The iron work is all in thin sheet metal ( originally
tinned) beaten up from below and chased on the surface and secured to the planks by
clenched nails whose heads form a part of the design. The two large bolt-heads near the
front edge ofthe top in the middle show where the striking-plate or holder ofthe lock is
secured ; the lock itself, being safely inside of the chest and only to be got at by cutting
the wood away, has been thought not to need special fastenings. The handles, large and
heavy and meant for the grasp of two hands upon each handle, are an important part of
the decoration. The charm of the piece is, however, in the very spirited semi-oriental
design ofthe iron straps. R. S.
Philadelphia in 1700. From a Very Old Paint
ing in the Philadelphia Library . .81
William Penn's Desk, and an Historical Chair
facing 82
Desk with hinged cover or flap to form writing table, with moulding to retain it in place,
the two pieces evidently intended for one another; the brasses apparently original. This
excellent specimen of simple and utilitarian design would seem to be of the earliest years
of the eighteenth century, but for the overlapping front of the drawer; moreover a piece
so devoid of ornament must needs be hard to date. Long established residents of Barn
stable, Dedham and Quinsy, as well as the old families of Pennsylvania, had such pieces as
this in common use as late as 1850; and the traditions of origin for such pieces are almost
valueless. Such a piece as this with its brasses and all complete might have been made
anywhere from 1750 to 1820 — according to the opportunities possessed by the local
joiner of seeing imported furniture.
Windsor armchair with revolving seat and attached reading-desk. The pattern is of
about 1770 though the carved arms suggest a somewhat earlier date. It was used by
Thomas Jefferson while writing the Declaration of Independence. See what is said of
similar chairs in this division of the work.
The student should observe the difference between the writing-desk on the right arm of a
chair, suggesting pencil notes made hastily, and the desk mounted on the left arm, which
is nearly always made to swing in a pivot and may be drawn to any position in front ofthe
person using it. R. S.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Two Chairs of William Penn's . . . -85
One has a cane back and seat with arms and turned rails and legs with fluted feet ; the
other is a good example of the chair common in the first years of the century under the
Dutch influence, with slightly cabriole legs and hoof feet.
William Penn's Secretary . . facing 86
From Pennsbury Mansion. Owned by the Philadelphia Library Co. (The top moulding
has been restored.)
Two Early Eighteenth Century Chairs . . 87
Armchair (the left-hand one) the close of seventeenth or first quarter of the eighteenth
century. High-backed chairs and armchairs which are distinguished by horizontal slats
which form the back, seem to have been commonly described as "three-back" chairs,
"five-back" chairs, etc., according to the number of these pieces. Armchair (the
right-hand one) of about 1 700, but remodelled at a subsequent time, probably to secure a
lower seat than was thought practicable or reasonable at the original date. R. S.
Spinet or Clavichord . . . facing 90
Spinet or clavichord ; the case supported upon two frames of two legs each, the straining-
pieces connected by a longitudinally fitted board adjusted into uprights. This admirable
piece illustrates well the simple designing of a time when, partly from the influence of
Puritanism and partly from the accepted doctrine that ornament should be architectural
and formal, the older and more richly adorned designs have been abandoned. The turned
legs would suggest a date as late as 1740, but an earlier epoch is suggested bythe delicate
chamfers of the horizontal straining-pieces, and especially by the stopped chamfering of
their upper edges. R. S.
Charleston Room with Eighteenth Century
Bed ...... facing 92
In the house of Mrs. Andrew Simonds.
A Table .......

Table of make so simple that there are no characteristics which could determine the date
except the brasses, which, if the original ones, as is stated and as is probable, would, by
the character ofthe pierced escutcheons, fix the date at about 1760. R. S.

94

99

A Chair and Communion Table . . -97
A chair and communion table belonging to the early part of the century. They are
from Donegal, Lancaster Co., Pa., and date from 172a. Both pieces are common types
in use in England and the colonies during the seventeenth and early eighteenth cen
turies, and were to be found in any ordinary house ; there is nothing distinctively ec
clesiastical about them. The silver communion cups are also plain and severe.
Two Effective Eighteenth Century Chairs
Armchair with turned legs, straining-pieces and balusters, date undetermined, as such
simple designs were constantly followed by workmen in the small towns ; perhaps 1780
The bars turned into egg-shaped units set end to end are probably the feeble efforts of
workmen who could not produce the spirals. They have an obvious connection with the
beaded astragal of the architects, and this fact may have helped to establish the fashion.
Chair, bandy-legged and with claw feet delicately carved in the taste of Chippendale's
simpler work and probably from his workshop about 1750. R. S.
John Dickinson's Reading-desk; and Two Early
CHAIRS  FACING IOO
Owned by the Philadelphia Library Co.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

Two Eighteenth Century Chairs . . . ioi
Chair, about 1 740 with rush seat. The simple designs of the time do not neea carv
ing, inlaying or delicate workmanship to make them attractive. If to-day a skilful
workman would enlarge the seat and modify the curvature of the back until, by careful
experiment he should reach the proper form of a dining-room chair, nothing but good
Workmanship and finish and the retention of the original curves would be necessary.
Armchair with bandy-legs and claw feet, about 1780. The back was not originally up
holstered. The upholstered seat has lost its original covering. R. S.
Chair and Card Table . . . . .108
The pieces belonged to Hon. Jasper Yeates, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of
Pennsylvania from 1791— 1817. Both pieces are of walnut. The chair is Dutch in
character, squat in appearance and with cabriole legs with claw and ball feet, and shell
ornaments. The folding table has also cabriole legs with eagle claw and ball feet. The
two pieces are now owned by Dr. John H. Brinton of Philadelphia, the great-grand
son of Jasper Yeates.
Library Chair of Benjamin Franklin facing 108
A chair which may be used as a step-ladder by turning up the seat. Formerly belonging
to Benjamin Franklin, it is now used as chair for the president of the American
Philosophical Society.
Table and Two Chairs . . . facing 112
The chairs and table belonged originally to Mr. Philip Tabb of Toddsbury, the old
Tabb homestead on North River, Gloucester Co., Va., and were given by Dr. John
Prosser Tabb to his daughter, Mrs. Perrin.
Lord Dunmore's Chair . . . . . 113
This chair of the early part of the eighteenth century is preserved in Baltimore, Md.,
in the house of the Colonial Dames. It belonged to the last Colonial Governor of Vir
ginia, Lord Dunmore.
Shaving-glass and Chest of Drawers facing 116
Shaving-glass with drawers. Middle of the eighteenth century. Interesting because
covered with ornament in lacquer, stated to be Chinese. Such pieces were imported
from China and also from Japan through the Dutch settlement at Kagosima. Also
in Holland during the seventeenth century and as late as 1750 the lacquer decora
tion of the Japanese was imitated in a way not deceptive but capable of considerable ef
fect. The pieces lacquered in Japan were evidently made by Europeans and it is
thought that many of them were sent out from Holland, complete except for the surface
adornment and brought back when completed. R. S.
Mahogany Card Table and Two Chairs facing i 18
These chairs belonged to Colonel John Mayo of Belleville, inherited through John de
Hart, one of the members of the Continental Congress (1774-5-6), and attorney-
general of New Jersey. The table is about 1 50 years old.
Desk, Dressing-Table and Two Chairs . .119
These four pieces are from Lafayette's Room, Mount Vernon.
Desk and Chair  facing 122
Desk or secretary with drawers ; the step in development next after the old chest or
drawers of which few examples remain. Such pieces were made of applewood or birch
stained red when mahogany was considered too costly, but there exist solid mahogany and

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
also mahogany veneered pieces very similar in design and their style varies little during
the greater part of the eighteenth century. In this instance the drop-handles probably
and the casters certainly are modern. Corner chair or roundabout chair of about the
middle ofthe eighteenth century. R. S.
Four Interesting Chairs . . . • • I23
These chairs are in the River Room, Mount Vernon. The one next to the extreme
right belonged to Benjamin Franklin.
Wine-Cooler and Butler's Tray . facing 126
Wine-cooler and butler's tray belonging to Mr. Thomas Boiling, Richmond, Va.,
originally owned by his great-grandfather, Thomas Boiling of Cobbs. On the Boiling
silver tray stands a Boiling cream jug. The copper urn is a Boiling piece, and the
wine-cooler is a piece of Randolph silver with the coat-of-arms on one side and the crest
onthe other. The bottle has on its side : " Boiling Cobbs, 1772."
Windsor Armchair . . . . . .129
Windsor armchair with fan-shaped back and supporting braces for the back. The
pattern was introduced in America as early as 1770, but was followed for many years
without serious change.
Three Mahogany Pieces . . . facing 130
Eighteenth century spoon-case, knife-box and tea caddy.
Chair . . . . . . . . 131
Windsor armchair of an early pattern; fan-shaped arrangement ofthe balusters. This
piece is much more elaborate in the pattern of its turning than most Windsor chairs, and
has also carved arms, which are very unusual. On these accounts it should be dated
about 1750. R. S.

Bedstead  facing
Bedstead with richly carved high posts and bars for light curtains or mosquito nets. This
is one of several pieces in this collection which are enriched by very elaborate carving of
a kind which, originating near the end ofthe seventeenth century, continued to be used
as late as 1830 by those furniture makers who aimed at solidity and richness of effect.
Thus while Chippendale, Sheraton and Heppelwhite were following the more original
styles identified with their names, other workmen seem to have gone back, continually,
to such elaborate work as ,s shown by this plate, enjoying as their customers must have
done, the effect of the carving in very dark and heavy wood. Compare plate facing
page 140 with this. R. S.

*35

A Chair Owned by William Penn
Armchair with cane seat and back ; a delicately finished piece of simple design. The
student should notice the excellent turning of the spirals ; those of the back are
singularly bold, the hollow of the spiral very deep and it is possible that these are of a
different date from the much less effective spirals of the upsights and straining-pieces in
front.
Eighteenth Century Chair . . facing 137
Chair probably about 1760 by Thomas Chippendale or some close imitation of his. The
carving is very delicate. Indeed the marked peculiarity of this piece is the great sim
plicity of the main lines, as of the frame, and the extreme delicacy and richness of the
carving, which is rather closely studied from natural plant-form. R. S.
Bedstead with Tester Valance . facing 140
Bedstead in the general style of that shown in plate facing page 1 42, but with the carving
much less elaborate. The curtains are not in place, but a tester valance, or lambrequin
replaces them, probably to avoid the naked look of the unused wooden framework. R. S.

142

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Dressing-Table .... facing 144
This mahogany dressing-table is owned by Mrs. Andrew Simonds, Charleston, S. C.
Mahogany Chair and Dressing-Case . . 145
Old mahogany chair and dressing case (very small) imported by Randolph of Curia
in 1 72 1. Owned by Mrs. J. Adair Pleasants, Richmond, Va. (Original brass handles.)

Two Eighteenth Century Clocks

facing 146

The tall clock as used in France and elsewhere on the continent was made the medium
of the most elaborate decoration; but English and of course American clock cases were
usually very simple in design as in the present cases.
Tall clocks, the cases of about the middle of the eighteenth century. Clocks in high
cases were the natural successors of those brass clocks (made of metal without as well as
within) which were in use in the seventeenth century. Those clocks were set high on
the wall, supported on a shelf or bracket through holes in which the weights ran down
perhaps nearly to the floor. They had short pendulums or were driven by springs in
much the same fashion as a watch. The introduction of the long pendulum about the
beginning of the seventeenth century was one cause of the introduction of the tall case,
but the desire to shut all the, works up from the dust must have helped in the movement.
R. S.
Two Chairs .......
Chair and armchair ; very delicately carved in mahogany ; date about 1760 The deli
cacy of the carving leads to the conclusion that these weie the work of Thomas Chip
pendale and from his London workshop, the date about 1750. The designs are somewhat
less intelligently made, the main lines less significant than in Chippendale's best work ; but
these are very valuable pieces, and for effectiveness of simple carving hard to equal. R. S.
Eighteenth Century Bookcase
Bookcase ; later years of eighteenth century. The piece is interesting because of the
assertion in the design as well as in the make that it is a light piece for a dwelling-house.
It is intended to be movable ; and accordingly there are handles to carry the upper book
case proper, and also the lower part with its drawers and cupboard. The smooth out
side without projecting members, with the mouldings expressing a structure of thin
uprights and horizontals ; with the curved fronts of the lower part insisting still tarther
upon a delicate box-like structure with the reliance upon a beautiful wood for the effec
tiveness of the piece, this is a most admirably designed domestic bookcase. There is only
the pattern made by the sash bars which is not in perfectly good taste. R. S.
Some Old New Orleans Pieces . . facing
Ladies' working-table, liquor set and Russian Samovar. The ladies' work-table is ex
ceedingly curious. Of the Louis XIV period, it is made of ebony, veneered with tortoise-
shell and inlaid with brass. The drawers have secret bottoms. The liquor set, which
is very rare, is an ebony case inlaid with nacre and bronze. The bottles and glasses are
crystal with inlaid gold. A present to Marigny by Governor Villere. The two
chandeliers of solid silver, in the Louis XIV style, were presents from Tolendano to
Marigny. The ancient Russian bronze Samovar has a tube in the cover, through which a red-
hot iron is placed to keep the beverage warm.

I48

150

150

THE FURNITURE OF
OUR FOREFATHERS Part II

CHEST WITH BANDS OF STAMPED IRON WORK
At the Memorial Hall, Philadelphia . This is believed to be a Swedish piece. The ornamentation is ofthe same style as that common in Spain and Portugal
as early as the sixteenth century.

THE FURNITURE OF
OUR FOREFATHERS
Part II: Later Southern
OAK, WALNUT AND EARLY MAHOGANY
HE early days of the settlement of Philadel
phia were uniformly prosperous. There
were no Indian massacres, nor famines, nor
domestic strife to hinder progress as in the
infancy of Virginia. Respectable working-
men found a hearty welcome, and, when
they could not pay their own way, they could work under
indentures and at the end of their time start on their own
account with good prospects.
Men of wealth accompanied and followed Penn to his
haven of quietude in the woods of the west, and many of the
small yeomen class of English who had a little money of
their own, crossed the Atlantic to improve their condition
and worship as they pleased without molestation.
The way was prepared in a measure for the new settlers
by the Swedes who were already established in the region.
79

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
The condition of the latter is described by T. Paskel, who
in 1683 writes :
" There are some Swedes and Finns who have lived
here forty years, and live an easy life through the abun
dance of commodities, but their clothes were very mean
before the coming of the English, from whom they have
bought good ones, and they begin to show themselves a lit
tle proud. They are an industrious people. They employ
in their building little or no iron. They will build for
you a house without any implement than an axe. With
the same implement they will cut down a tree, and have
it in pieces in less time than two other men would spend
in sawing it, and with this implement and some wooden
wedges they split and make boards of it, or anything else
they please with much skill. The most of them speak
English, Swedish, Finnish and Dutch . . . The woods are
full of oaks, very high and straight. Many are about two
feet in diameter and some even more, and a Swede will
cut down for you a dozen of the largest in a day. We
have here beautiful poplars, beeches, ash, linden, fir, goose
berry, sassafras, chestnut, hazelnut, mulberry and walnut
trees, but few cedars and pines."
There is very little trace of distinctive Swedish furniture,
as might be expected from the above contemporary account
of Queen Christina's subjects. There is, however, a curious
"Swedish" chest in the Memorial Hall, Philadelphia,
here reproduced. The wood is quite plain and destitute of
carving, and the only ornamentation consists of bands of
tinned iron work, stamped and perforated in a conventional
floral pattern — as was the custom in Spanish and Portu
guese work. (See Mr. Sturgis's note on this picture.)
At Philadelphia the first arrivals lived in caves along
80

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
the river banks until they could put up wooden houses.
In his Annals of Philadelphia, Watson gives an instance of
a woman named Elizabeth Hard who came to Philadel
phia with Penn and joined her sister " in a cave on the
bank of the river," and relates that one of her descendants
showed him a napkin made from flax spun in that cave by
Elizabeth Hard and woven by the Germans in German-
town, and "a very pretty chair, low and small, which had
been a sitting chair in that cave."
Persecution and want in the Old World started an ex
odus of men and women to the wilderness regardless of
creature comforts left behind, but some of the wealthier
emigrants did not start from England until careful,
quaintly specified preparations had been made for their re
ception by relatives and friends already in the colony.
A considerable amount of household goods was taken
out by such settlers in Penn's Woods, and the houses rapidly
improved in construction and convenience. Brick was used
in building within two years.

PHILADELPHIA IN I7OO
From a very old painting in the Philadelphia Public Library.

Thus Philadelphia became a flourishing town in an
astonishingly short space of time. Six hundred houses,
many of them substantial edifices built of home-made brick
after English models, sprang up within three years, and

81

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
within fifteen years of its settlement, the district contained
many prosperous planters and merchants.
Penn took the greatest interest in preparing his home
in the New World. His letters to James Harrison, his
chief steward, or agent, from 1681 to 1687, are full of in
structions regarding furniture.
In 1685 he writes that "a Dutchman, joiner and car
penter," is coming "that is to work one hundred and fifty
days, and pay me £5 or £j country money, for £y sterling
lent him. Let him wainscot and make tables and stands :
but chiefly help on the outhouses, because we shall bring
much furniture." A month later : " Get some wooden chairs
of walnut with long backs, and two or three eating tables for
twelve, eight and five persons, with falling leaves to them."
The tract of Pennsbury, in Bucks County, bought from
an Indian chief and originally called Sepessin, contained, in
1684, about 3431 acres.
The substantial brick house, sixty feet front, forty feet
deep and two stories and a half high, was embellished with
materials imported from England and was built in 1682-3.
Little wonder that the colonists referred to it as the
palace! Several rooms opened into the large hall for
meetings with the Council, entertainments, and pow-wows
with the Indians. The kitchen, like the Southern kitchens,
was in an outer building. The stable had room for twelve
horses. The lawn, which was terraced to the river, and
the grounds and gardens, were very beautiful. Indeed,
most ofthe wealthy colonists aimed to duplicate in this New
World the fine estates they had left in England. Trees,
shrubs, hardy herbaceous plants, seeds, sun-dials and garden
tools they imported constantly. Every traveller of the
period (including Peter Kalm, the Swedish botanist) men-
82

WILLIAM PENN'S DESK
The ltd forms a writing-table, rests supporting it. See page Sj.

AN HISTORICAL CHAIR
This chair was used by Thomas Jefferson while writing the Declaration of Independence.
{Revolving seat.) See page Sg.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
tions the beautiful gardens around the homes in and near
Philadelphia. Penn had a coach, a calash, and a sedan-
chair, but he preferred travelling to the city in his barge.
But let us see of what Penn's furniture consisted. The
great hall contained one long table and two forms, six
chairs, five mazarins (i. e., mazers, or bowls), two cisterns,
and " sundries others," and many pewter dishes. The
little hall was furnished with six leather chairs and five
maps. In the " best parlour " were two tables, one couch,
two great cane chairs and four small cane chairs, and a
number of cushions, four of which were of satin and three
of green plush. The other parlour was furnished with
two tables, six chairs, one great leather chair, one clock,
and "a pair of brasses." Going upstairs, we find that the
" best chamber " contains a bed and bedding, " a suit of satin
curtains," and " sundry tables, stands and cane chairs."
The next chamber has in it a bed and bedding, six cane
chairs and "a suit of camblet curtains." Next to this is
another bedroom, with one wrought bed and bedding
and six wooden chairs. The nursery contains " one pallet
bed, two chairs of Master John, and sundries ; " and in
the next chamber we find a bed and bedding, " one suit
of striped linen curtains, four rush-bottomed chairs, etc."
The garret holds " four bedsteads, two beds, three side
saddles — one of them my mother's — two pillions." In
the closet and best chamber there are " bed and bedding,
two silk blankets and white curtains, also two damask cur
tains for windows, six cane chairs, one hanging press."
In the kitchen there is mention of " a grate iron, one pair
of racks, three spits, and one pair of great dogs." There
was much plate in the house. Penn lived here only one
year, 1 700-1. His secretary, now in the Philadelphia

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Library Co.'s rooms, is made of English oak. This was
originally in the Pennsbury house.
William Penn's clock is also shown in the Philadel
phia Library. Its case is oak inlaid, and a piece of bull's-
eye glass is inserted in front of the pendulum. The clock
was an importation ; the spiral columns at the sides of
the dial were a favourite design for the long-case clocks.
"Towards the end of Charles IPs reign," we learn
from F. J. Britten's Old Clocks and Watches (London,
1899), "the brass chamber clock with a wooden hood
developed into the long-case eight-day variety, now famil
iarly termed 'grandfather,' and veritable specimens of that
period, though rare, are occasionally met with. In the
earliest the escapement was governed by either the two-
armed balance with weights, or by a 'bob' pendulum;
the long, or 'royal' pendulum came into general use about
1680. Some of these primitive grandfathers were exceed
ingly narrow in the waist, only just sufficient width being
allowed for the rise and fall of the weights. A curious
addition to these cases is sometimes seen in the form of
wings or projections on each side of the waist, to permit
the swing of a ' royal ' pendulum. Sheraton seems to have
suggested a revival of these wings."
There is a clock in the Philadelphia Public Library
which belonged to William Hudson, Mayor of Phila
delphia in 1725-26. His father purchased it at a sale in
London, where the auctioneer stated that the time-piece
had once belonged to Oliver Cromwell.
The chair from Pennsbury, reproduced on page 135,
has a cane back and seat, with turned supports and rails.
In Independence Hall are two other chairs of walnut
that belonged to William Penn. One has a cane back and
84

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

TWO CHAIRS OF WILLIAM PENN'S
In Independence Hall, Philadelphia.

seat with arms and turned rails, and legs with fluted feet ; ,
the other is a good example of the chair common in the
first years of the century under the Dutch influence, with
slightly cabriole legs and hoof feet.
A desk of Penn's is in the collection of the His
torical Society of Pennsylvania. It is of walnut, solid
and heavy. The only attempt at decoration is in the
curves into which the front bar is cut, and the cabriole
legs with hoofed feet. A long, deep drawer runs the whole
length of the desk below the flap; It is fitted with brass
handles and key plates. See plate facing page 82.
One of our illustrations (page 87) shows examples of

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
rush-bottomed and cane chairs that so constantly occur in
the colonists' inventories at this period. The legs and
arms are curved and turned. The one on the left has the
inscription :
" I know not where,
I know not when,
But in this chair
Sat WiUiam Penn."
These two specimens are also in the Historical Society
of Pennsylvania. Even prior to 1700 the house ofthe well-to-do planter
in Pennsylvania was by no means bare or lacking in com
fort, but we miss the army of chairs and the china that
were to be found in the colonies further south. There is
an atmosphere of greater reserve and less liberal hospitality
in the household goods of Penn's followers than we feel in
Virginia, Maryland and Carolina. The furniture, however,
is evidently the same, both in style and material, and most
of it comes from England.
Estates of more than a thousand pounds in value were
quite numerous in the early years of the eighteenth cen
tury. Among others, John Simcock (died in 1703) may
be cited. His possessions were valued at more than £1^00,
but unfortunately the only object in household use men
tioned is a silver tankard, £14.. Of men in more moder
ate circumstances we have many examples. There is
Abraham Hooper, a joiner (1707). His "shop goods"
would undoubtedly include the rougher kinds of home
made tables and chairs. His dwelling and the lot it stood
on were valued at ,£325 ; household goods and shop goods,
^246; tools, ^"54; walnut, cedar, pine and oak, ^22.
He was worth nearly ^"700 in all. Then we have Wil-
86

WILLIAM PENN'S SECRETARY
From Pennsbury Mansion; now in the Philadelphia PubUc Library. {The top moulding has been restored.')

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
liam Lewis, in 1708, who was some ^"200 poorer. He
was a Welshman, and it would seem that the appraiser of
his goods was one of his own countrymen, or else a wag
who carried his jesting even into the spelling of court
records. We remember how Fluellen speaks of "the poys
and the luggage," "the pragging knave, who prings me

TWO EARLY EIGHTEENTH CENTURY ARMCHAIRS
The chair to the left belonged to William Penn. The right-hand one has been remodelled.
pread," and "a prave pattle." Besides the usual linen, tools,
implements and utensils, Mr. Lewis owned a long table
and six chairs; four chests and five boxes; one black wal
nut and two oak bedsteads, two rugs, "curtains, iron rods
and valience, 2 plankett at ^2-10-0, 2 more at ^1-15-0,
2 old plankett, 2 old poulsters and 1 small bag, ^1-15-0;"
a small looking-glass and two pairs of scales.
Many individuals who were by no means indigent
87

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
lived with the plainest surroundings. For instance, John
Moore died in 171 9 worth ^319. His dwelling and
plantation of 100 acres were valued at /100. Besides the
usual kitchen stuff, all the furniture he possessed consisted
of two feather beds and bedding, a rough table, four chairs,
a trunk, and a looking-glass.
John Jones was a gentleman of wealth, and his posses
sions show that his tastes were not so simple as those of
many of his contemporaries, who were far richer. At his
death in 1708. his personal estate amounted to ,£773-6-2.
Mr. Jones is especially interesting on account of owning
one of the earliest pieces of mahogany to be found here —
a "broaken mahogany skreen," which is set down at two
shillings. It was not therefore very highly esteemed, for
that sum is the estimated value of two leather stools, or a
glass tea-cup and coffee-cup, in the same inventory. The
Windsor chair also appears here, three being worth ten
shillings. It is thus evident that Mr. Jones liked to keep
up with the latest fashions. His plate comprised two
silver tankards, two caudle cups, one porringer, fifteen
spoons and three large dram cups, all worth ^"42-1-8.
Evidence of good living is ample in the large amount
of brass and copper pots and pans and kitchen stuff
of all kinds Among the glass, china and earthenware,
we notice seventeen earthen plates and two fruit dishes, a
small punch bowl, five glasses, seven basons and saucers,
two jugs, three sugar pots, a dish, a lignum-vitae punch
bowl, etc. A pair of tobacco-tongs and fourteen dozen
pipes attest Mr. Jones's indulgence in the weed.
It is in the beds, however, and their coverings and cur
tains, that Mr. Jones's decorative taste is chiefly noticeable.
He possessed seven or eight bedsteads, with cords, sacking-

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
bottoms and rods, the value of which varied from ten shillings
to two pounds. There was a large quantity of bed and table
linen, besides "a chimney valence," sideboard cloths, and
two little striped carpets. In addition to the beds, we find
seven hammocks, the cheapest being worth three shillings,
and the choicest, "with double fringe," ^£2-10-0. No pic
tures graced the walls, but twelve maps of Barbadoes occur.
Specimens of the Windsor chair, mentioned above, are
very numerous. Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, possesses
a number of them. A good example that came from
Washington's Presidential Mansion, in Philadelphia, is now
owned by the Philadelphia Library. (See page 131.)
Another interesting specimen of one variety of the
Windsor chair was that used by Thomas Jefferson while
writing the Declaration of Independence. The seat is
double, allowing the top part to revolve. It is unusually
low and has apparently been cut down to suit the conven
ience of its owner. It is now owned by the American
Philosophical Society, in Philadelphia.
Francis Daniel Pastorius, born in Franconia, in 1651,
joined the Pietists, and took a colony of German and
Dutch Memnonites and Quakers to Pennsylvania, where
he arrived in 1683. He had previously visited Penn, in
England, and joined the Society of Friends. On his arrival
he founded Germantown, and until his death was very
influential in the community.
Pastorius devoted much energy to teaching, and his
knowledge is apparent in the variety of books he possessed.
He died in 171 9, and the list of his possessions shows the
simple style in which he lived, and is characteristic of the
homes of his fellow mystics. One hundred primers men
tioned were doubtless used in his teaching.
89

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Pastorius owned a very respectable parcel of land — 873
acres— but the value of it was only j£i 50. The furniture,
exclusive of clothes, tools, household linen and kitchen
utensils, consisted only of two cheap bedsteads with
feather beds, a fine chest, three chairs, one table, one
trunk, one desk and one knife and fork. He possessed
bibles in quarto and octavo, a Greek testament, fourteen
dictionaries, books in French (£1), English (^12), Latin
(j£i2), High Dutch (£$), and Low Dutch (£6).
Another famous house, of a far different type, was that
built by Baron Stiegel at Mannheim. It was perfectly
square, each side being forty feet. The bricks were im
ported from England, and hauled from Philadelphia by
the baron's teams. The large parlour was hung with
tapestry, representing hunting scenes, the chimney-pieces
were decorated with blue tiles, and the wainscoting and
doors were extremely fine. There was a "chapel" also
within the house, where the baron used to preach to the
working-men of his large glass works (founded in 1768), at
one time the only glass factory in America. This extraordi
nary character, who experienced the extremes of wealth and
poverty and who emigrated to the New World from Ger
many in 1750 with a fortune of ^£40,000, used to drive
from Philadelphia to Mannheim in a coach and four,
preceded by postilions and a pack of hounds. He enter
tained lavishly and was particularly fond of music. It is
said that he frequently bought instruments for any of his
workmen who exhibited a talent for music, and hired
teachers for them. A spinet that belonged to the Baron
at Mannheim, now owned by the Pennsylvania Historical
Society, is represented here. The accidentals are white and
the naturals black, showing it to be a German instrument,
90

SPINET OR CLAVICHORD
The turned legs suggest a date as late as 1740, but the delicate chamfers ofthe horizontal straining-pieces point to an earlier period.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
The height of elegance and fashion would naturally
be looked for in the governor's mansion. Therefore an
examination of the household goods of Governor Patrick
Gordon, whose will and inventory are dated 1736, will
show what was the highest degree of luxury and comfort
at that time. Governor Gordon arrived in Philadelphia in
1726 and was governor of Pennsylvania for ten years; he
died at the age of ninety-two. He was a trained soldier,
had acquired a reputation in Queen Anne's reign, and was
exceedingly popular.
Besides about a dozen common chairs, the list includes
eighteen rush-bottomed walnut, eight leather, four mo
hair, four cane, five Windsor, and three easy-chairs. One
of the latter was covered with plush and the other
two were luxurious and costly. There were also three
stools, a mohair settee, and a cane couch. There were
eighteen tables in the house, only two of which were
of mahogany — a small round and a tea-table. The other
kinds mentioned were oak, two large walnut, walnut one
leaf, small walnut, tea-table and board, ditto and cover,
Dutch tea-table, card and backgammon, square pine small
ditto, table and green cloth, kitchen and other ordinary
tables. The rooms also contained six dressing-tables, one
being of pine ; the other woods are not specified. One
clock, two dressing-glasses, two looking-glasses, a fine
black cabinet, a walnut desk, and a desk and a stool are
also mentioned. Besides candle-sticks, the lighting appa
ratus consisted of three brass arms, two large and two
smaller sconces (both very ornate and expensive), one pair
of brass and one of glass branches, and two glass lanterns.
The torches that once lighted the governor's guests to his
door are also extinct, and their existence is slightingly
91

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
recorded with the words "some bits of flambeaux being of
no value." Nine sets of andirons, dogs, and fire-irons,
with some fenders and iron chimney-backs, garnished the
hearths. The principal room had an iron grate and hearth-
ware, worth only a few shillings less than the combined
value of a mahogany table, and half a dozen walnut chairs
in the same room. It is questionable whether the carpets
mentioned were floor coverings, because a "floor cloth" is
a separate item. If the "large carpet," valued at .£5-15-0,
was a table-cloth, it must have been an unusually fine pro
duct of the loom, or the needle, for that sum was more
than the cost of eight leather chairs. In one room, at
least, there were expensive damask curtains over the doors
as well as the windows. The prices of the calico window
curtains varied surprisingly, one set being appraised at
twelve shillings, and another at .£3-15-0. Then there
were three pairs of window curtains (£ 1-6-0), red curtains
and silk curtains besides the window curtains in the bed
rooms that matched the bed hangings. A valuable gilt
leather screen and a humbler one of canvas also served as
a protection against draughts. The walls were adorned
with some fifty pictures of various kinds, twenty-one of
which were prints, including one of King George I.,
another of Queen Anne's tomb, and twelve of Hudibras.
Loyal sentiment further appears in duplicates (in oil) of
George I. and Anne. The nationality of the owner ac
counts for the presence of a painting of Mary Queen of
Scots (£21), and another picture of Queen Mary, of equal
value, which was doubtless the luckless Stuart, and not the
wife of the Prince of Orange. Governor Gordon's taste
in art, however, ran to the Dutch school. He owned two
Dutch pictures, five "landskips," two sea-pieces, a flower-
92

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
piece and "an old woman frying pancakes" ; besides these
there were two small gilt-frame pictures, four small pic
tures, and some family pictures. His own portrait, in oils,
also adorned the walls. The paintings were valued at £i 03.
The governor's few books were valued at only £10 ;
his wearing apparel at £142-2-6. He had an exception
ally well stocked wine cellar. The silver plate weighed
1053 oz., 15 dwt., which at 117 pence per ounce,
amounted to nearly £514. Thirty-two china dishes, one
china bason and 128 plates, worth £193-9-0, other china
to the value of £20, much glass, including twenty
decanters and cruets, and a lot of earthenware and cutlery,
constituted the table service. The kitchen stuff" and cook
ing vessels and utensils were plentiful. Table and bed
linen amounted to £"81-4-1.
The beds are deserving of special notice on account of
the variety in their furnishings. The wood of which they
were made is not stated, but the weight of some of the
feather beds, bolsters and pillows is, and therefore we learn
that feather bedding varied in price from two shillings
and three pence to three shillings per pound. The weights
given are 36, 37, 45, 48, 50, 51, 60, and 72 pounds re
spectively. The furnishings included: bedstead with
calico curtains, £6-5-0; bedstead, £2-3-0; mohair bed
and silk curtains, £13-5-0; fustian wrought bed, £9-
10-0; bedstead and curtains, £3-19-0; bedstead, £1-7-6;
bedstead and seersucker curtains £4; and bedstead and
green curtains, £2-16-0. Four bedsteads seem to have
had no curtains at all. Two mattresses are appraised at
£"2-10-0. Three blankets and one quilt were the allow
ance for most of the beds. The total value of the gov
ernor's goods and chattels was nearly £2000.
93

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
James Logan, an exceedingly wealthy and cultured man,
built Stenton, on the Germantown Road, in 1727-8.
Half of the front of the house to the second story was
taken up by one large, finely-lighted room, the library of
the book-loving masters of the place. This remarkably

m Mi atiiie*willJ

A TABLE
The date of this is uncertain. The pierced escutcheons, if original, fix it at about 1760, however.

interesting collection of books was bequeathed to the city
of Philadelphia by Mr. Logan, who also contributed the
Springettsbury property (a bequest from the Penn estate),
as an endowment.
The accompanying illustration shows a walnut table
from Stenton which is one of those specified in the in
ventory. It is a good example of the period. It has two

94

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
drawers with brass handles and key-plates. This table is
now owned by the Philadelphia Library.
That Mr. Logan was a man of taste as well as wealth
is evident from the harmony of colouring aimed at in his
yellow bed-room with its maple furnishings. His ample
hall served its old purpose as a reception room, though
in the new houses that were being built there was a grow
ing tendency to suppress the hall as a separate apartment
for living and receptions; it was becoming merely the
entry, out of which other rooms opened. Little by little
beds, couches and settees were banished from halls to other
apartments. Most noticeable of all, however, is the fact
that among all Mr. Logan's possessions not a single piece of
mahogany is mentioned. Except for the lack of carpets and
pictures, the furniture and its disposition seem almost
entirely modern.
The home of a wealthy Pennsylvanian of the middle
of the eighteenth century presents a marked contrast with
that of a plantation in Virginia andthe Carolinas. Servants
slept at the top of the house.
The illustration facing page i oo shows varieties of chairs
common during this period. The chair on the left is ex
ceedingly plain. The reading-desk is of walnut. It can
be adjusted at any height to suit the comfort of the reader
by turning on the screw support. A lid opens into the in
terior in which papers were kept. The central pillar
terminates in a burning torch and the legs end in the fa
vourite ball and claw feet. This desk belonged to Hon.
John Dickinson, the publicist, and these specimens are
preserved in the Philadelphia Library.
Besides household furniture, the old records occasionally
afford a glimpse of the furniture used in churches, colleges
95

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
and court-houses. This was sometimes imported, but fre
quently made by local joiners. At the vestry meeting of
St. Paul's parish, Kent County, Md., April 6, 1702, it was
resolved " that Mr. Elias King do provide Linnen for the
Communion: one table cloth and two napkins," — that the
clerk write a note to Colonel Hynson to request him to
order his " Joyner to make a Communion Table four feet
square, with a drawer underneath to put the Church Books
in, and to make it of black walnut." Again on June 1,
1703, " Eliner Smith this day was pleased to present the
Church with a pulpit cloth and a cushion. Mr. Giles Bond
also is requested to provide a chest to put the Pulpit cloth,
Cushion and Church Books in, and Colonel Hans Hanson is
empowered to agree with Jacob Young to alter the Pulpit
door and Staircase Rails and fit it for to hang the pulpit
cloth." The illustration shows a chair and communion table
and service belonging to the early part of the century.
They are from Donegal, Lancaster County, Pa., and date
from 1722. The table and chair are both common types in
use in England and the colonies during the seventeenth and
early eighteenth centuries, and were to be found in any
ordinary house : there is nothing distinctively ecclesiastical
about them. They could easily be made by a native joiner.
The silver communion cups are also plain and severe.
From the inventories of the period we may gain a good
idea of the appearance the early Philadelphia homes
presented. Carpets were not in common use until the middle
of the eighteenth century. We are told that the floors
were sanded and that the sand-man went his rounds regu
larly and that the housewives or servants sprinkled the sand
on the floor through a sieve or arranged it in patterns with
96

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
deft turns of the broom. The walls were whitewashed
until about 1745, when we find one Charles Hargrave ad
vertising wall-paper, and a little later Peter Fleeson manu
facturing paper-hangings and papier-mache mouldings at the
corner of Fourth and Chestnut streets.
Franklin invented the open stove known by his name,

A CHAIR AND COMMUNION TABLE
There is nothing ecclesiastically distinctive about these pieces. The silver communion cups are
also plain and severe.
in 1742, which was greatly preferred to the German stove
made by Christopher Sauer in Germantown.
The following letter from Franklin shows that he
was anxious for Mrs. Franklin to have some of the latest
London styles. This letter is dated London, 1 9 February,
1758, and says:
I send you by Captain Budden ... six coarse
diaper breakfast cloths ; they are to spread on the
tea table, for nobody breakfasts here on the naked
97

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
table, but on the cloth they set a large tea board with
the cups. . . .
In the great case, besides the little box, is con
tained some carpeting for the best room floor. There
is enough for one large or two small ones ; it is to
be sewed together, the edges being first felled down,
and care taken to make the figures meet exactly ;
there is bordering for the same. This was my fancy.
Also two large fine Flanders bedticks, and two pair
of large superfine blankets, two fine damask table
cloths and napkins, and forty-three ells of Ghentish
sheeting from Holland. These you ordered. There
are also fifty-six yards of cotton, printed curi
ously from copper plates, a new invention, to make
bed and window curtains ; and seven yards of chair
bottoms, printed in the same way, very neat. This
was my fancy ; but Mrs. Stevenson tells me I did
wrong not to buy both of the same colour. . . .
There are also snuffers, a snuffstand, and extinguish
er, of steel, which I send for the beauty of workman
ship. The extinguisher is for spermaceti candles
only, and is of a new contrivance, to preserve the
snuff upon the candle. . . .
I forgot to mention another of my fancyings,
viz., a pair of silk blankets, very fine. They are of
a new kind, were just taken in a French prize, and
such were never seen in England before. They are
called blankets, but I think they will be very neat
to cover a summer bed, instead of a quilt or
counterpane. . . .
I hope Sally applies herself closely to her French
and music, and that I shall find she has made
great proficiency. The harpsichord I was about,
and which was to have cost me forty guineas, Mr
Stanley advises me not to buy ; and we are looking
out for another, one that has been some time in use,
98

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
and is a tried good one, there being not so much
dependence on a new one, though made by the best
hands.
On this page are shown two chairs owned by the
Historical Society of Pennsylvania. The one to the right
is of the early Chippendale school, with gracefully pierced

TWO EFFECTIVE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY CHAIRS
To the left is an armchair with turned legs, straining-pieces and balusters The chair to the right
is bandy-legged, with claw feet. The delicacy of the carving suggests Chippendale s simpler work.
and carved jar-shaped splat and cabriole legs with eagle
claw and ball foot and carved shell in the middle of the
front rail. The other chair, with legs and rails of turned
bead-work, belonged to Thomas Lawrence, who was several
times mayor and councillor, from 1728 onward.
The examples already given show that though many of
99

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
the prosperous class during the first half of the century
clung to a certain severity in their homes, yet "Quaker
simplicity " was by no means universal, and elegance and
fashion had many devotees. Skilful upholsterers and carv
ers and gilders found plenty to do in Pennsylvania as in the
South. Two or three advertisements from the American
Weekly Messenger will show that it was considered worth
while informing the public where the latest fashions in
furniture were obtainable.
March 20, 1729.
Peter Baynton, Front Street, has very good red
leather chairs, the newest fashion, and sundry other
European goods for sale.
June 8, 173a.
Jno. Adams, Upholsterer, lately arrived from
London, living in Front Street . . . makes and
sells all sorts of upholstered goods, viz., beds and
bedding, easy chairs, settees, squabs and couches,
window-seat cushions, Russia leather chairs . . .
at reasonable prices.
Oct. 31, 1734.
Next door to Caleb Ransteed's in Market Street,
Philadelphia, all sorts of Opholsterers' work is per
formed, viz., beds after the most fashionable and
plain way to take off the woodwork, settee beds, and
easie chair beds, commodious for lower rooms (models
of which may be seen), field beds, pallet beds, cur
tains for coaches, easie chairs, cushions, etc. reason
able and with expedition by William Atlee.
N. B. Any person willing to have a bed stand
in an alcove, which is both warm and handsom, may
have the same hung and finished in the most ele
gant manner customary in the best houses in Eng
land.

JOHN DICKINSON'S READING-DESK; AND TWO EARLY CHAIRS

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

TWO EIGHTEENTH CENTURY CHAIRS
The chair to the left has a rush seat. The armchair on the right has bandy legs and claw feet.

Peter Petridge, screen-maker, in 1751 was doing busi
ness at the sign of the " Half Moon," opposite Jersey
Market. Thomas Lawrence, upholsterer, was on Second
street opposite Church Alley with the sign of " The Tent,"
and Samuel Williams, a joiner on Walnut street, summed
up the whole of life in his sign " Cradle and Coffin." In
1756 the sign of the " Royal Bed " hung out at the corner
of Second and Chestnut street, where Edward Weyman was
settled; the " Crown and Cushion" could be seen swing
ing on Front and Chestnut street, where James White and
Thomas Lawrence, upholsterers, conducted business ; and
John Elliott took his orders at the " Bell and Looking-
Glass" on Chestnut street. The " Crown and Cushion" was
next door to the London Coffee House in 1762, and Blanche

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
White, possibly the widow of James White, managed the
business. Ben Randolph, " carving, cabinet ware and wooden
buttons," swings the " Golden Eagle" in 1765 ; and George
Ritchie, upholsterer, is established at Front street, below
Arch, at the "Crown and Tassel." In 1768 Thomas Af
fleck is a cabinet-maker on Second street, and Robert Moon
is a " chair and cabinet-maker " on Front street.
The plate on page 101 shows two chairs, one of 1700,
with plain splat, high back, rush bottom and turned rails
and front legs with fluted feet. The other shows the
Dutch cabriole leg and bird's claw and ball foot with plain
arms. The splat has been padded and covered, and there
fore its ornamentation can only be surmised. These speci
mens are owned by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Among the clockmakers of Philadelphia were Augus
tine Neisser, a native of Moravia, who emigrated to Georgia
in 1736 and removed to Germantown in 1739. All of his
clocks bear his name, but no date on the dial. Edward
Durfield, born in Philadelphia County in 1720, made much
apparatus for Franklin. He was a clock- and watchmaker
from 1741 to 1747 in Philadelphia, and removed to Lower
Dublin, Philadelphia County. David Rittenhouse, a fa
mous clockmaker, laboured from 1751 till 1777 at Norriton
and Philadelphia. Ephraim Clark made timepieces at the
southwest corner of Front and Market streets and was suc
ceeded by his son, Benjamin, in 1792.
The Rittenhouse astronomical clock constructed for
Joseph Potts, who paid $640 for it, was bought by Thomas
Prior in 1776. General Howe wanted to purchase it and
the ambassador of Spain also tried to buy it for the King of
Spain. It became the property of G. W. Childs and is
now in the Memorial Hall, Philadelphia.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
It has been shown that mahogany was known in Phila
delphia before 1708, but its spread was very slow. Chests
of drawers and tables occasionally occur during the next ten
years, but chairs are exceedingly scarce till the middle of
the century. Even by the native makers, however, ma
hogany must have been used in cabinetwork before 1722,
for in that year when Jonathan Dickinson, merchant, died
he had mahogany furniture in his house and in his store,
where he also had on sale a lot of mahogany planks.
So many examples of richly hung beds have been given
that it is scarcely necessary to dwell further on their im
portance. The immigrants all seem to have wanted a
feather bed, and sometimes the demand seems to have ex
hausted the supply. In 1725, a new arrival, Robert Parke,
writing to Mary Valentine in Ireland about coming out,
says : " Feather beds are not to be had here and not to be
had for money." At the close of our period, on the eve of
the Revolution, Alexander Mackraby visited Philadelphia.
Writing to his uncle, Sir Philip Francis (the reputed Junius'),
on January 20, 1768, he says: "I could hardly find my
self out this morning in a most elegant crimson silk damask
bed." This was on a visit to Dr. Franklin's son.
Much attention was paid in many cases to the decorat
ive effect of the furniture and hangings; the bedrooms
especially were often limited to one prevailing hue. The
Red, Yellow, or Blue Room is constantly met with, and
numerous instances occur in which the bed and window cur
tains matched. Harmony in colour and arrangement was
frequently sought in homes of moderate means as well as
in splendid mansions. Views on this subject are expressed
by a certain Miss Sarah Eve, who kept a journal in 1773.
"Feb. 10th. We stept into Mrs. Parish's for a moment
103

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
and then went to Mrs. Stretch's. We were much pleased
with our visit and her new house : the neatness and pro
portions of the furniture corresponding so well with the
size of the house, that here one may see elegance in minia
ture. I don't mean the elegance of a palace, but of simpli
city, which is preferable — the one pleases the eye but
flatters the vanity, the other pleases the judgment and
cherishes nature. As I walked through this home I could
not help saying this surely might be taken for the habita
tion of Happiness."
It is also interesting to note that a century and a quar
ter ago William Penn already belonged to ancient history
in the eyes of Miss Eve, for on May 6th she writes:
"Mrs. Bunton that lives here showed us some furniture
which might really be termed relicks of antiquity, which
belonged to William Penn ; they purchased the clock which
it was said struck one just before William Penn died ; what
makes this remarkable is that it had not struck for some
years before."
During the years that have elapsed between the
letter quoted from Franklin to his wife and the follow
ing correspondence, one may note the steady advance of
luxury in his home. Mrs. Franklin, writing to her hus
band (again in London), in 1765, thus describes the home:
In the room down stairs is the sideboard, which
is very handsome and plain, with two tables made to
suit it, and a dozen of chairs also. The chairs are
plain horsehair, and look as well as Paduasoy, and
are admired by all. The little south room I have
papered, as the walls were much soiled. In this room
is a carpet I bought cheap for its goodness, and
nearly new. The large carpet is in the blue room.
104

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
In the parlour is a Scotch carpet, which has had
much fault found with it. Your time-piece stands
in one corner, which is, I am told, all wrong — but I
say, we shall have all these as they should be, when
you come home. If you could meet with a Turkey
carpet, I should like it ; but if not, I should be very
easy, for as to these things, I have become quite in
different at this time. In the north room where we
sit, we have a small Scotch carpet — the small book
case — brother John's picture, and one of the King
and Queen. In the room for our friends, we have
the Earl of Bute hung up and a glass. May I de
sire you to remember the drinking glasses and a
large table cloth or two ; also a pair of silver cannis-
ters. The closet doors in your room have been
framed for glasses, unknown to me ; I shall send
you an account of the panes required. I shall also
send the measures of the fireplaces, and the pier of
glass. The chimneys do well, and I have baked
in the oven, and found it is good. The room we
call yours has in it a desk — the harmonica made
like a desk — a large chest with all the writings
— the boxes of glasses for music, and for the elec
tricity, and all your clothes. The pictures are not
put up, as I do not like to drive nails lest they
should not be right. The Blue room has the har
monica and the harpsichord, the gilt sconce, a card
table, a set of tea china, the worked chairs and screen
— a very handsome stand for the tea kettle to stand
on, and the ornamental china. The paper of this
room has lost much of its bloom by pasting up. The
curtains are not yet made. The south room is my
sleeping room with my Susannah, — where we have
a bed without curtains, — a chest of drawers, a table,
a glass, and old black walnut chairs and some of our
family pictures. Sally has the south room up two
105

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
pair of stairs, having therein a bed, bureau, table,
glass, and the picture — a trunk and books — but
these you can't have any notion of.
Writing to his wife from London, June 22, 1767, he
says : I suppose the room is too blue, the wood being
of the same colour with the paper, and so looks too
dark. I would have you finish it as soon as you
can, thus : paint the wainscot a dead white ; paper
the walls blue, and tack the gilt border round just
above the surbase and under the cornice. If the
paper is not equally coloured when pasted on, let it
be brushed over again with the same colour, and let
the papier mache musical figures be tacked to the
middle ofthe ceiling. When this is done, I think
it will look very well.
An unusually interesting chair is one that belonged to
Benjamin Franklin, and is now used by the President of
the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia. It was
invented by Franklin, and, as shown facing page 108, the
seat turns up and forms a small flight of steps. Franklin
used it in his library to reach his books on the top shelves.
The seat, back and arms are covered with brown leather
fastened with brass studs; the wood is walnut.
Franklin's clock, represented in plate facing page 146,
is of a very early type. It differs very slightly from the
one owned by William Hudson, and mentioned on page
84. The brasses around the dial are very delicate.
We are now on the threshold of the Revolution, whose
fires were to be fatal to so much of the old furniture. One
of the first noticeable effects of the outbreak was the dis
crediting and banishment of the tea equipage. Judge
Shippen writing to his father, April 20, 1775, tells him:
106

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Peggy has searched every shop in town for a
blue and white china coffee pot, but no such thing
is to be had, nor indeed any other sort than can be
called handsome. Since the disuse of tea great
numbers of people have been endeavouring to supply
themselves with coffee pots. My brother, having
no silver one, has taken pains to get a china one,
but without success.
The importations having ceased, the native furniture-
makers naturally hastened to reap their harvest. War
prices prevailed and the usual excuses of course were offered.
To his brother-in-law, Jasper Yeates, the judge writes,
January 19, 1776 :
I enclose you the bill for your settee and chair
which Mr. Fleeson thought it necessary to accom
pany with an apology on account of its being much
higher than he gave Mrs. Shippen reason to expect
it would be ; he says every material which he has
occasion to buy is raised in its price from its scarcity
and the prevailing exorbitance of the storekeepers.
The chair and card-table, shown in the following
illustration, belonged to the Hon. Jasper Yeates, mentioned
above, who was Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of
Pennsylvania from 1791 till his death in 18 17. He died
in Lancaster, where he settled about 1774. Both pieces
are of walnut. The chair is Dutch in character, squat in
appearance and with cabriole legs with claw and ball feet,
and shell ornaments. The splat is perforated at the base
and pierced by two tiers of four slits separated by a curved
mullion, repeating the Gothic window effect. The arms
terminate in scrolls tightly rolled outward with bulging
front supports. The front legs are plain cabriole with
eagle claw and ball feet; the back legs are square all the
« 107

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
way down. The centre of the top of the back and of the
front rail are ornamented with a carved shell.
The folding card-table has also cabriole legs with eagle
claw and ball feet. It has a drawer with brass handle and

CHAIR AND CARD-TABLE

Formerly owned by the Hon. Jasper Yeates, Lancaster, Pa. Now in the possession of Dr. John H.
Brinton, Philadelphia.
a pool for counters at each side in the centre and a flat
depression at each corner for candlesticks. These two
pieces of furniture are now owned by Dr. John H. Brinton,
of Philadelphia, the great-grandson of Jasper Yeates.
Here, then, we pause, reserving the history of Philadel
phia furniture in the Revolutionary days for a future chapter.
SOUTH CAROLINA, VIRGINIA AND MARYLAND TO 1 776
r I^HE condition ofthe houses of South Carolina, early in
-*- the eighteenth century, is described in somewhat un
flattering terms by Hewit, who wrote half a century later.
The weak proprietary government was held responsible for
108

LIBRARY CHAIR OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

Chair belonging to Benjamin Franklin, now used as chair for President of
American Philosophical Society.

Same chair vjith seat turned up so as to form a step-ladder.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
all the evils, and prosperity is said to have dawned only
on the transfer of the colony to the Crown. Sir Alexander
Cummingwas sent out as governor in 1730, and concluded
a treaty of alliance with the Cherokees. The colony now
being secure, the English merchants established houses in
Charleston and imported slaves. Simultaneously their
homes began to reflect in articles of comfort, luxury and
pleasure the changed economic conditions. British manu
factures for the plantations were introduced, land rose in
value, and the planters were so successful that in a few
years the produce of the colony was doubled.
It is admitted that Nature smiled and the planters got
rich easily : the records prove also that they demanded and
obtained a very considerable degree of luxury. In 1 73 1
Charleston contained between 500 and 600 houses, "most
of which are very costly." In that year, also, " a skilful
carpenter is not ashamed to demand thirty shillings a day
besides his diet ; the common wages of a workman is
twenty shillings a day provided Me speaks English." The
fact is, the wealth of the Southern planters increased so
rapidly that many of their houses showed a degree of
luxury unsurpassed by the London merchants. Personal
estates of from ^500 to ^5,000 are found by the hundred,
and in many cases the personal property runs into many
thousands. The Landgrave Joseph Morton is a good type
of the Carolina planter of the early eighteenth century.
The inventory of his estate, March 7, 1723, is as follows:
Tooboodoe Plantation.

Furniture

in

the best chamber .

£
195-

s.
-0-

d.
-0

Do

dining room

126-

-0-

-0

Do

little chamber within the

dining room .
22-
-0-
-0
109
THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS £ *• d.
Do long chamber . . 85-0-0
Do little parlour . . 66-0-0
Do hall . • • 52-0-0
Do parlour . . . 135-0-0
Do chamber within the par
lour

The library
LinenPewter
Arms PlateGold Watch and silver do
Cash and bonds
Cattle &c . . .
Tools &c
Fifty negroes .
Bear Bluff Plantation

45-0-0
1 50-0-0
217-0-0 50-0-070-0-0
600-0-0 1 50-0-0
5000-0-0 1 400-0—0 150—0—0
7250-0-0
£ 1 5763-0-0
4459-°-°

Mr. Morton was by no means an exception. Among
many other rich men were: Thomas Grimball, £6,700;
Richard Beresford, ^15,000, 1722; Thomas Dayton,
^23,000, and John Laroche, ^12,400, 1724; Daniel
Gale, ^5,600, 1725 ; Captain Robert Cox, ^8,100, 1727;
Captain Henry Nicholas, ^20,000, and George Smith,
.£35,000, 1730; John Raven, £31,800, 1734; Andrew
Allen, £26,000, 1735, the Hon. A. Middleton, ^£25,000,
1738; Edward Hext, £33,000, 1742; Hon. John Colleton,
£39,000, 1 75 1 ; and Peter Porcher, £22,800, 1754.
Two or three lists of the possessions of people of various
grades of prosperity will show that comfort and even ele
gance were by no means elemental in these early years.
Nathaniel Wilkinson in 171 1 left a personality amount
ing to £hS57-2-6- Among his household goods we find

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

i silver tankard 28 oz at 7/6 .

£ .. d.
10-10-0

6 silver spoons ....

3-15-0

12 cane chairs and couch .

8-0-0

1 large cedar table ....

2-10-0

2 small ditto .....

I -0-0

1 chest of drawers, dressing table and glass

7-0-0

1 bed, etc. .....

8-0-0

1 pr iron dogs ....

I -0-0

1 set of brasses for the chimney

I- I 0-0

The above furniture, if scanty, is at least gqnteel.
Other inventories of this period by no means reflect the
hardships of the pioneer.
Daniel Gale was a wealthier planter, his personality
being valued at £5,611-15-0 in 1725. His house con
tained eight rooms in addition to the kitchen, extension
and other offices. On the ground floor were two living-
rooms and a bedroom. The latter contained a bed and its
furnishings, including three counterpanes valued at .£60;
a chest of drawers (.£15); a looking-glass (.£15); six
black chairs (£"1-10-0); an easy-chair (£1-10-0) ; a table
(five shillings); fire-irons, etc. (£5); glass- and earthen
ware (_£i ) ; and a Bible and other books (,£5). The room
which was probably the dining-room had twelve cane chairs
and a couch valued at £20; a corner cupboard (£2) ; a tea-
table and china tea-set (£"3) ; fire-irons, etc. (£"4); and a
small chimney-piece picture (£2). In another downstairs
room stood a table and six black chairs valued at £3-10-0;
and in the fourth a cedar table ' and six chairs worth
£"7-10-0. In one of the upper rooms we find a bed
worth £100; two looking-glasses, one valued at £8 and
the larger one at £35; a table, eight chairs, two arm-chairs
and a couch worth £"40 ; a buffet and chinaware (£50) ;

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
fire-irons and -dogs (£4) ; brass and irons (£2) ; and a
double sliding candlestick {£5)- Another upstairs room
contains a bed and its furniture worth £60 ; a chest of
drawers (£20); eighteen pairs of sheets (£120); a table
and six chairs (£12); a small looking-glass (£2); a hand
tea-table, bowls and cups {£5); and fire-irons (£"2). In
the third room we find a bed worth £100; a table and
six cane chairs valued at £12; and a looking-glass (£5).
The fourth room has a bedstead with its furniture worth
£40; twelve leather chairs and a table valued at £15;
two pictures (£5) ; and a hammock and pavilion (£5). A
fifth upstairs room, probably a garret, contained a bedstead
and three pavilions (£32) ; a cedar table (£5) ; and other
household goods.
The rooms did not often have any special character before
1720, though the bed was gradually disappearing from the
hall. The dining-room and the sitting-room were much
alike in the arrangement of their furniture, and the sleep
ing-rooms much resembled them, with the addition of a bed.
As the owner was usually a merchant as well as a planter,
one of the lower rooms was used as his office.
The greater part of this furniture was brought to
Charleston direct from England. Charleston had " no trade
with any part of Europe except Great Britain, unless our
sending rice to Lisbon may be called so," says Governor
Glen in 1748.
A handsome chair of the early part of the century is
shown on page 1.1 3. The top rail is carved with a graceful
design of the bell-flower in low relief. The splat is open.
The legs are square. This chair belonged to Lord Dun
more, the last colonial governor of Virginia. It is preserved
in the house of the Colonial Dames, Baltimore, Md., and
belongs to Miss Elizabeth Cary Nicholas, having been

TABLE AND TWO CHAIRS
The chairs and table belonged to Mr. Philip Tabb of Toddsbury, the old Tabb homestead on North River,
Gloucester Co., Va., and were given by Dr. John Prosser Tabb to his daughter, Mrs. Perrin.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
purchased by her ancestor Judge Philip Norbonne Nicholas
at the sale of Lord Dunmore's effects.
As a typical example of a comfortable Marylander in 1 7 1 8,
we may take Major Josiah Wilson, of Prince George County.
His personality amounted to £1,178-1 5-13^ . The hall con
tained only ten " rushy " leather chairs, a large looking-glass, a

LORD DUNMORE'S CHAIR
clock-case, three tin sconces, two pairs of iron dogs, tongs and
shovels, and some earthenware "on the mantle press and
hanging shelves."
"In the parlour" was a bed with its furnishings, a chest
of drawers, three rush-bottomed cane chairs, a small dress
ing-glass, fire-irons, earthenware on the mantelpiece, and
three plain trunks.

"3

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
The dining-room contained eight "rushy" leather chairs,
three small tables," a broken looking-glass, a dilapidated
couch, a press, a pair of iron dogs, and some articles on the
mantelpiece and hanging shelves valued at twelve shillings.
The " hall chamber " contained four rush-bottomed
chairs, a chest of drawers and two beds.
" In the porch chamber" were four rush and one cane
chair, a bed and furniture, a looking-glass, a small table and
a sealskin trunk.
" In the dining-room chamber," twelve rush-bottomed
and one cane chair, a bed with and another without furni
ture, a dressing-glass, a small chest of drawers, a small table,
a tea-table and earthenware and an old chest.
"In the kitchen chamber," two feather beds and fur
niture, two old flock beds, a looking-glass, a small chest of
drawers and a pair of small tongs and shovel.
"In the milkhouse" was earthen- and tinware.
" In the kitchen " was a lot of pewter, a copper and
four brass kettles, a stew-pan and eleven candlesticks also of
brass, eleven small chafing-dishes, two bell-metal skillets,
two warming-pans, two brass pestles and mortars, a bell-
metal mortar, a copper pot, a jack, five spits, three box-
irons, two gridirons, two pairs of tongs and shovels, two
dripping-pans, one frying-pan, three iron pots, two small
iron kettles, a pair of irons and dogs, five pairs of pot-racks,
a parcel of books, three old guns and a hand-mill.
The household linen consisted of twelve pairs of sheets ;
six damask, four diaper and fifteen huckaback napkins; five
linen pillow-cases ; four towels ; three damask, four linen
and six huckaback table-cloths; and two damask table-
covers. The above instance, however, is not fully represen-
n4

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
tative of the most opulent class either in Maryland or Vir
ginia ; for there were many of the landed gentry who built
fine mansions that have become historic and a few of
which still exist. Hugh Jones, who gave his impressions
of the country in The Present State of Virginia (London,
1724), says: "The Gentlemen's Seats are of late built for
the most part of good brick and many of timber, very hand
some, commodious, and capacious ; and likewise the com
mon planters live in pretty timber houses, neater than the
farm-houses are generally in England: with timber also
are built houses for the overseers and out-houses; among
which is the kitchen apart from the dwelling-house, be
cause of the smell of hot victuals, offensive in hot weather."
He also tells us that goods were brought to the colo
nies so quickly that new fashions arrived there even before
they were received in the English country houses from
London. During the first half of the century, were built or stand
ing such famous houses as Tuckahoe (Randolph), 1710;
Rosewell (Page) , Warner Hall (Lewis), Rosegill (Wormeley),
Westover (Byrd), Shirley (Carter), Upper Brandon (Harri
son), Lower Brandon (Harrison), Boiling Hall (Boiling),
Curies (Randolph), Powhatan s Seat (Mayo), Belvoir (Fair
fax), Stratford (Lee), Doughreghan Manor (Carroll), Coroto-
man (Carter), Mount Pleasant (Lee), Hampton (Ridgeley),
Brooklandwood (Caton), Wye (Lloyd), Mount Airy (Cal
vert), The Hermitage (Tilghman), Belmont (Hanson),
My Lady's Manor (Carroll), Montville (Aylett), White
Marsh (Tabb), Montrose (Marshall). No cost or care was
spared to render their interiors comfortable and beautiful.
Occasionally an early visitor gives us a glimpse of the
apartments. One of the most amusing of these occurs in
115

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
William Byrd's Progress to the Mines (1732): "Then
I came into the main country road that leads from Freder
icksburg to Germanna, which last place I reached in ten
miles more. This famous town consists of Col. Spots-
wood's enchanted castle on one side of the street, and a
baker's dozen of ruinous tenements on the other, where
so many German families had dwelt some years ago. . . .
Here I arrived about three o'clock, and found only Mrs.
Spotswood at home, who received her old acquaintance
with many a gracious smile. I was taken into a room
elegantly set off with pier glasses, the largest of which
came soon after to an odd misfortune. Amongst other
favourite animals that cheered this lady's solitude, a brace
of tame deer ran familiarly about the house, and one of
them came to stare at me as a stranger. But unluckily
spying his own figure in the glass, he made a spring over
the tea table that stood under it, and shattered the glass to
pieces, and falling back upon the tea table made a terrible
fracas among the china. This exploit was so sudden, and
accompanied with such a noise, that it surprised me, and
perfectly frightened Mrs. Spotswood. But it was worth all
the damage to show the moderation and good humour with
which she bore the disaster."
A still earlier contemporary picture of domestic condi
tions occurs in the Diary of John Fontaine, quoted in the
Virginia Historical Magazine (1895). After a visit ¦ to
Beverly Park, in 171 5, Fontaine writes:
June 14th. — The weather was very bad, and rained
hard. We were very kindly received. We diverted
ourselves within doors, and drank very heartily of
wine of his own making which was good ; but I find
by the taste of the wine that he did not understand
116

DRESSING-GLASS AND CHEST OF DRAWERS
See page 146.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
how to make it. This man lives well ; but though
rich, he has nothing in or about his house but what
is necessary. He hath good beds in his house but
no curtains ; and instead of cane chairs, he hath stools
made of wood. He lives upon the product of his
land.
For a complete view of the contents of one of the
great houses we cannot do better than take the home of
Robert Carter at Corotoman.
"At the home plantation:" Seventeen Black Leather
chairs, and two ditto stools, one large Table one " mid
dling ditto," and one small table, one Black walnut Desk
and one black walnut corner cupboard and one large
looking-glass are found in the "old house Dining-Room."
In the Dining-Room besides china, copper coffee-pots,
candlesticks, chafing-dishes and glasses, there is mention of
one "secrutore and one Bark Gamott Table." The
" Chamber over the Dining-Room" is supplied with "four
feather-beds, four bolsters, six pillows, four ruggs, one quilt,
three prs Blanketts, one pr blew chaney curtains, vallens,
Teaster and head-piece, one pr stamped cotton curtains,
vallens, teaster and headps, one square Table, two high
Bedsteads and one Trundle Bedstead, three cane chairs,
five leather chairs, a dressing-glass, twelve Bed chaney chair
cushions, one pr Iron Doggs, one pr Fire tongs, one
shovel." In the lower chamber there were eleven leather chairs
and one new one, four cane chairs and an arm-chair.
The chamber over the lower chamber contained two
high bedsteads, two black-walnut oval tables, large and
small, a dressing-glass, five cane chairs and an arm-chair,
iron dogs, fire-tongs and shovel, two pairs of white cotton

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
window-curtains and valance. Each bedstead was furnished
with a teaster; one had white cotton curtains, valance and
headpiece, and the other a pair of " blew and white cotton
and linen chex and vallens and white linen headpiece,"
while there were two feather-beds, two bolsters, four pil
lows, four quilts, four blankets and two rugs.
The porch chamber contained a feather-bed, bolster,
pillow, quilt, rug and a blanket, one pair "norch cotton
curtains and Vallens lined with Searsucker and a Searsucker
headpiece and teaster, six blew chaney chairs, one do. do.
arm-chair." In the Brick House Chamber we find one standing bed
stead and one trundle-bedstead, six sets of seersucker bed-
curtains, two bolsters, three pillows, two pairs of blankets
and two quilts, two pairs of cotton window-curtains, a large
black-walnut oval table, two small oval tables, "one glass
Japp'd Scrutoire, one Jappan'd square small table, one
India Skreen," a dressing-glass, "five blew silk Camlet
chairs," one large looking-glass, a chest of drawers, a chair
with a red leather seat, two brass candlesticks, a poker and
fire-shovel and a pair broken andirons.
In the chamber over the lower chamber there was a
feather-bed, bolster, pillow, quilt and a pair of blankets,
a trundle-bedstead, a desk, a chest of drawers, a dressing-
glass, six chairs with "red leather seats, two stools with
ditto," a small square black-walnut table, "a small oval
ditto with red velvet on top," and one pair of handirons.
In the Brick Store there was a black-walnut book-case,
and in the "Chamber over ye Brick Store," "a surveying
instrument, two cane chairs, one old leather ditto, a square
table, a dressing-glass, a chest of drawers, two high bed
steads, a pair searsucker curtains, vallens and head cloths,
nS

MAHOGANY CARD-TABLE AND TWO CHAIRS
These chairs belonged to Colonel John Mayo, of " Belleville." The table has claw feet and is about I jo years old. See page 127.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

DESK, DRESSING TABLE AND TWO CHAIRS
These four pieces are from Lafayette's room, Mount Vernon.
one pair blew and white cotton chex curtains and vallens,
a pr stuff curtains and vallens, a pr stamped cotton cur
tains and vallens and head cloths, and a pair striped cotton
curtains and vallens."
In the Brick House Loft were seven trunks, seven old
cane chairs, a bedstead, a small oval card-table, a black
leather chair, a chair with a Russia-leather bottom, a nap
kin-press, a chest of drawers, a parcel of lumber, "a red
chaney armchair," four "old Turkey workt chairs, two
skreens," and "a large oyle cloth to lay under a table."
The kitchen had a full share of utensils, but no wooden
furniture is mentioned.
In the kitchen loft there was a feather-bed, with bolster,
pillow, two blankets, rug and a pair of canvas sheets.
On this page are shown specimens from "Lafayette's
Room" in Mount Vernon. The chair on the right is a
ii9

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
very early specimen of mahogany, with plain square legs
and straining-rails and peculiarly curved back and unpierced
splat. The rockers are probably later additions. The
mahogany desk and letter-case was a favorite form about
the middle of the century. One advantage of this form
was that it could be placed near the fire so that the writer
might enjoy the warmth and be screened at the same time.
The mahogany dressing-table on slender legs, with three
tiers of drawers and looking-glass, is rather later in date.
The painted chair is still later.
We have already seen how extremely bare were the
houses of the artisan class in the early days of the South.
On examining many of the inventories we are forcibly
reminded of Mr. Lear's lines:
" In the middle of the woods
Lived the Tonghy-Bonghy-Bo.
One old chair and half a candle,
One old jug without a handle,
In the middle ofthe woods —
These were all the -worldly goods
Ofthe Tonghy-Bonghy-Bo."
Some authorities maintain that the lists of the deceased's
effects were not exhaustive; but if that is so, we may ask
why they were drawn up at all. They would be valueless
unless complete. Moreover, we have evidence that the
appraisers usually did their work with scrupulous fidelity.
At the period when it was unusual for the windows to be
glazed, the panes of glass were measured and appraised.
Articles of quite contemptible value, also, are frequently
mentioned. "A sorry covelid" and "a parcel of old
trumpery" are common items. An extreme example
occurs among the possessions of George Rayes, 1699. The

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
appraisers could scarcely have been serious when they
recorded " I night cap nothing worth oo-oo-oo."
In Thomas Gadsden's inventory (1745) "an old cane
black leather chair worth nothing" occurs.
Our forefathers regarded their belongings with much
affection; evidently the sentimental is far above the intrinsic
value. In large families the household goods would often
be almost entirely distributed among the children by specific
legacies on the death of the owner. Nevertheless, when
the younger generation bought furniture it would naturally
be of the newest fashion, since anything old, not being a
bequest, was regarded with disfavour. An " old fashion "
piece stood on the same level with one "damnified," and
in the inventories is so recorded and reduced in value.
T. Gadsden, 1741, has one "old fashion case of drawers
inlaid with ivory, £1." In the same inventory £1 is the
stated value of two Windsor chairs ; of two straw-bottomed
chairs and one old napkin ; of two sconce-arms, and of a
bottle of Rhenish wine, respectively — which gives us some
idea of the appraiser's lack of veneration for age.
We have already seen how a rich planter of the seven
teenth century took his silver plate to London to have it
melted down and made up again in the latest fashion.
This difference in value between old and new is constantly
in evidence. Thomas Gadsden, cited above, possessed
"163 oz old plate, £"326; 282^ oz fashionable do.,
£776-17-6; 1 tea kettle stand and lamp 67^ oz, £202-
10-0; 2 canisters and sugar dish 29 oz, £72-10-0." The
difference in value between the articles of the last two
items might be due to the workmanship; but an arbitrary
difference of about $2-75 Per ounce between "old" and
"fashionable" plate is very considerable.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
The rage for the new partly accounts for the strange
medley of styles and periods with which the homes were
filled. As time passed on, the old furniture fell into decay,
and, not being cherished, was relegated to the garret, the
kitchen or the slaves' quarters, and the new reigned in its
stead. It naturally follows that even if the South had not
suffered so terribly in the Revolutionary and Civil wars
from incendiarism, we should still expect to find specimens
of seventeenth-century and early eighteenth-century furni
ture exceedingly scarce. The same process occurred in
England. When an exhibition of seventeenth-century furni
ture was in preparation in London a few years ago, very
few specimens were discoverable in the ancient mansions
and castles. It was in the cottages of the adjoining villages
that many of the forgotten and despised tables, chairs,
chests, etc., were found.
Any relic from the home of one of the leaders in the
Revolution is regarded with affectionate and pious reverence
by his descendants. The mahogany secretary and chair
facing this page are characteristic specimens of furniture of
the period. The two jar-shaped splats and plain square legs
are found in many examples of the cornered chair. The
secretary is quite simple and unornamented. Both chair and
desk belonged to Patrick Henry, whose bust stands on the
desk, which still contains many of his papers. He died at
Red Hill, while sitting in this chair, in 1799. Both
pieces are owned by his grandson, Mr. William Wirt
Henry, of Richmond, Va.
As a rule the appraisers are content to mention the
number of articles and the materials of which they are
composed, adding the shape in the case of tables ; but now
and again we come across a stray detail of description for

DESK AND CHAIR
Patrick Henry's desk, and the chair in which he died. The desk still contains his papers, etc. Date of both pieces, middle of eighteenth century.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
which we are grateful. When this is the case, it is prob
ably because the fashion is new, or at least novel, to the
appraiser. Thus when Maurice Lewis is found with " a
small desk and drawer on casters, £8," we may conclude
that casters were not yet common on furniture legs, and,
indeed, this is the first instance I have found in South
Carolina. Another instance of this kind is the claw-foot

tuai r/^,

FOUR INTERESTING CHAIRS

Chairs in the River Room, Mount Vernon. The one next to the extreme right belonged to
Benjamin Franklin,
and ball, which probably came from the East through the
Dutch. It would be sure to excite remark, but I have
not found it in South Carolina before 1740, when Eliza
beth Greene has a " claw-foot mahogany table, £4." The
Chippendale period is but just beginning.
It may be interesting to inquire how close the ap
praisal was to the value of the articles when sold by public
auction, and the reply is that there was not that woful gap
between price and value that saddens the householder to
day when his possessions are brought to the hammer. The
records of South Carolina in 1747 show that the mahogany
123

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
furniture of Sarah Saxby brought more than the appraisers
thought it was worth. The two lists are worth preserving.

i India cabinet frame
i cedar dressing table and glass
i small mahogany table
i mahogany dressing table and
glass ....
i mahogany dressing table and
glass ....
i large mahogany table
i small do do
i mahogany couch
i bed etc.
i do
i mahogany sideboard
i mahogany corner cupboard
1 1 old chairs, matted bottoms
and i easy leather chair

Public

Appraisal

Vendue

£ •• A-

£ «• d-

IO-O-O

24-O-O

1 0-0-0

j I-7-6
I 7-5-0

4-10-0

8-0-0

1 5-0-0

20-2-6

1 2-0-0

1 5-1 5-0

I 2-0-0

1 5-0-0

5-0-0

7-10-0

5-0-0

17-5-0

30-0-0

40-1 5-0

20-0-0

40-0-0

7-0-0

8-10-0

3-0-0

4-12-6

I 0-0-0

f 6-5-0
1 5-17-6

On page 123 are shown chairs from the "River Room"
at Mount Vernon. The chair on the right is an early ex
ample of mahogany of the Chippendale school with ob
vious Dutch influence. It was in President Washington's
house in Philadelphia, and is a good type of many chairs in
use before the Revolution. The chair next to it belonged
to Benjamin Franklin. It is rush-bottomed and the sup
ports of the low arms being set at diagonal corners gives it
the effect of a three-cornered chair. The front leg is
square and the three others turned; the straining-rails cross
each other diagonally. The two jar-shaped splats in the

124

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
back are perforated. This style is not at all uncommon. One
in possession of Patrick Henry is shown facing page 122.
The third chair also belongs to this period. The ele
gance of the lines and the careful distribution of light
and dark in the jar-shaped splat and outside space bounded
by the frame show the hand of an artist of the Chippen
dale school. The cabriole leg, with eagle claw and ball
foot, is less squat than usual ; the common shell ornament
appears on the knee. The fourth chair is a Hepplewhite of
later date.
Some of the houses of the middle of the century con
tained a generous supply of china, glass and plate. The
inventory of the goods and chattels of Joseph Wragg, Esq.,
although the total is only £2,908-17-6, shows an aston
ishing quantity of tableware of all kinds, including 561
ounces three pennyweights of silver plate worth £1,139-1-
6 ; three dozen knives and forks, £71 ; twenty-five enam
elled china bowls, £27-15-0; six flowered ditto, £0-15-0;
five blue-and-white soup-dishes, £8 ; five other small
blue-and-white dishes, £5-10-0; two small enamelled
dishes, ^"3; one small blue-and-white ditto, £0-15-0;
forty-eight enamelled soup-plates, ,£20; fifteen blue-and-
white ditto, £6 ; seventeen butter-saucers, ^£2 ; coffee
and tea china set, £"5; a china jar, £1 ; three sugar-dishes,
£"3 ; a china mug, £1 ; three dishes, ^£"1- 1 5 ; seven plates,
£"1-10; " Delf ware," £8; two pairs of port decanters
with ground stoppers, £3; six water-glasses, £0-15-0;
forty-two tumblers, £3; 132 jelly- and syllabub-glasses,
£"5; ninety-six patty-pans, £2; twenty-three knives and
forks, £5 ; seventy-two pewter plates and thirteen dishes,
£"40; 104 wine-glasses, £10; mustard-pots, salts, cruets,
tea-kettle, beer-glasses, etc., £14-5-0. In addition to this
"5

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
he had much table-linen, including 114 damask napkins
and eighteen diaper table-cloths.
As illustrations of these dining-room appointments we
cannot do better than take the wine-cooler, whiskey-bottle
and dumb-waiter, silver cream-jug on a silver salver, copper
tea-urn and wine-cup of Mr. Thomas Boiling, Richmond.
The wine-cooler dates from the very end of our period ;
it is of mahogany, brass-bound, and inlaid with satinwood.
The bottle standing upon it, with a corn-cob stopper, has
"Boiling, Cobbs 1772" blown in the glass. Both articles
came from Cobbs, Virginia, the residence of Thomas Boi
ling, a direct ancestor of the present owner. The dumb
waiter comes from Montville, Virginia, the home of the
Ayletts. The wine-cup is a piece of the old Randolph silver
and bears their coat of arms and crest. The cream-jug,
silver salver and copper urn belonged to the Boiling family.
One diversion of the planter's life was gambling. In
contemporary letters, the propensity of the ladies of
the family to spend their days and nights playing loo is
probably overdrawn ; but we have ample evidence of the
excess to which playing was carried among the men.
Bowls, shuffle-board, chess and cards were largely in
dulged in during the seventeenth century, and the efforts of
the authorities to suppress gambling were futile. De Vries,
an old Dutch captain who visited Jamestown in 1633,
was astonished at finding the planters inveterate gamblers,
even staking their servants. In his righteous indignation
he protested he had " never seen such work in Turkey or
Barbery." The chief games were piquet, trump, lanterloo,
ombre, hazard, basset, faro and ecarte. Early in the
eighteenth century special tables were constructed for card
games ; those for ombre were sometimes three-cornered,
126

WINE-COOLER AND BUTLER'S TRAY
These pieces belong to Mr. Thomas Boiling, Richmond, Va. They were originally ovjned by his great grandfather, Thomas Boiling, of Cobbs.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
though the game allowed three, four or five players. They
were often covered with green cloth.
An early and handsome mahogany card-table facing page
1 1 8, divides diagonally. The legs are rounded and straight,
terminating in bird's claw and ball feet. The casters were
probably added later. One leg draws out as a support for
the leaf when raised. The chairs are of considerably later
date, from Belleville. These specimens are owned by Mr.
and Mrs. George W. Mayo, Richmond, Va.
In 1 74 1 T. Gadsden (South Carolina) had a card-table
covered with sealskin valued at £7-10-0. Many of the
card-tables of the early eighteenth century, however, have
plain polished surfaces. They usually have a folding top on
a hinge, with a leg to draw out, such as the one facing page
118. In many cases there is one pool or hollow at each
corner for counters, as may be seen in the table belong
ing to Dr. Brinton on page 108. In 1727, we find "a
parcel of fish and counters, £4." The fish were of bone,
ivory or mother-of-pearl, and the counters were round
or oval. In ombre a fish was worth ten round counters.
The card-tables brought into the South were quite expen
sive. If we look at a few examples from South Carolina,
we find one belonging to S. Pickering in 1728 valued at
£6 : a sum equal to that of three Dutch tables and a couch
and squab combined in the same inventory. Other instances
are: a fine walnut card-table, ,£20; a walnut do., £7;
a card-table, £10; ditto, £"6-io-o; a black frame ditto,
£"2-10-0; and many others from £"1 up. Dr. J. Gaultier
possessed one quadrille-table (£8), in 1746. Quadrille
succeeded ombre in fashionable favour ; it was a modifi
cation of the old game that was supreme during the reigns
of Anne and the first George. 127

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Other games existed in the South at an early date, for
in 1727 we find a shuffle-board table and eight pieces worth
£3-10-0; in 1733 J. Main, of South Carolina, owns a pair
of backgammon-tables valued at _£8 and a truck-table, sticks
and balls, worth no less than £90. The latter was a
favourite old English game known as "lawn billiards," but
its name was originally Spanish, — trucos or troco. In the
centre of the green there was an iron ring moving on a
pivot, and the object was to drive the ball through the
ring. Backgammon-boards or -tables and checker-boards
were very popular. To take a few early examples: . J.
Lewis had a madeira-table with "baggamon" tables worth
£15 in 1733; T. Somerville, two backgammon-tables
(£11) in 1734; T. Gadsden a backgammon-board (£"4)
in 1 74 1 ; and in 1744 we find two checker-boards valued at
£1. A Mississippi board also shows that this form of
bagatelle was known quite early.
Thus we are satisfied that the daughters of Virginia and
her sister colonies were by no means forced to dwell
" In some lone isle, or distant Northern land,
Where the gilt chariot never marks the way,
Where none learn ombre, none e'er taste Bohea."
Whether the ladies of the South drank much wine or
not, they certainly drank a great deal of tea. Coffee and
chocolate also were favourite fashionable beverages. The
tea-table, and often more than one, stood in most parlours.
It was smaller than the ordinary table and existed in all
woods and shapes. The tea-service was always in readiness
upon it. The table was generally covered with a small
cloth or " toilet." The earliest examples seem to be the
Dutch and japanned tables. The following are from South
128

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

Carolina: A japanned hand tea-table (£i), 1722; two
japanned tea-tables (£4), a small square ditto (£1), and a
little round oak ditto (£0-10-0), 1723; a tea-table and
china tea-set (£"15), 1724; a hand tea-table with bowls
and cups (£"5), 1725; a parcel of tea-table ware (£14),
1732; a tea-equipage
(£4), and two tea-
tables with two toilets
i£I5)> x733; a round
three-legged tea-table
(£"IO)> :738; a Dutch
ditto (£1-10-0), 1740;
a tea-table, china, a jar
and stand (£10), 1741 ;
a japanned tea-table
with tea-service thereon
(£8), and a tea-table
and china (£10), 1742;
a mahogany tea-table
G£6)> J745 ; one ditto
and tea-board (£"5) ; an
oval stand tea-table
(£"2) ; a madeira round
tea-table (£"6) ; and an India tea-table (£12), 1746 ; a ma
hogany pedestal tea-table (£6), 1754. In 1725, Dr. Wil
liam Crook owned a tea-table, forty-one dishes with saucers,
and three basins, all china (£36). In many Southern
houses these dishes, which are simple little bowls or cups
without handles, have been preserved.
Other articles connected with the preparation and ser
vice of tea are a mahogany tea-box (£3-10-0), 1736; a
japanned tea-box with canisters (£3), four mahogany tea-

WINDSOR ARM-CHAIR
Arm-chair of a pattern introduced into America as early
as 1770, and followed many years without change ; exact
date uncertain.

129

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
boards (£1-1 o-o) ; a silver tea-kettle stand and lamp, weigh
ing 6jl/2 ounces (£202-10-0) ; a shagreen tea-chest with two
canisters and sugar-dish, 29 ounces (£72-10-0) ; and a sha
green small case, twelve tea-spoons, a strainer and tongs
(£10), and a silver tea-kettle(£5o), 1742; a tea-chest and
tea-board (£5), 1744; a mahogany tea-tray (£0-18-4),
and two japanned ditto (£0-6-8), 1745; a mahogany tea-
chest (£2-10-0), two japanned tea-boards (£1-10-0), a ma
hogany tea-chest (£1), a large painted sugar-box (£"i -1 0-0),
and two mahogany tea-boards (£3-10-0), 1746; and a tea
kettle and lamp on a mahogany stand (£"6), 1 75 1 . At
this date we are getting into the Chippendale period, when
tea-chests, tea-trays, tables, etc., receive considerable atten
tion from the famous cabinet-makers.
It was the correct thing to make the tea at the table, as
the spirit-lamps show. The coffee, also, was frequently
ground as well as infused at the table.
The taste for china was as universal in the South as that
for ombre and madeira. In 1722 Edward Arden possessed
a cabinet and chinaware together worth £10; also a corner
cupboard containing china, and two tea-tables (£16); then
we have buffet and chinaware (£50), D. Gale, 1725; china
and glass (£55), ditto on the scrutore (£15), Hon. A. Mid
dleton, 1738; "china and glass in ye buffet" (£5), A.
Skeene, 1741. In 1744, moreover, T. Oliver possesses a
china-table (£6). We frequently come across china on
the mantelpiece also, so that by the aid of the latter, cabi
nets, tea-tables, china-tables, corner cupboards and buffets,
the rooms were pretty liberally sprinkled with varieties of
porcelain. That these were not merely intended for use is
plain from many entries, a typical one of which is " a parcel of
glass images, toys, etc." (£1-10-0), Anne Le Brasseur, 1742.
13°

THREE MAHOGANY PIECES
Eighteenth-century spoon-case, knife-box and tea caddy. Owned by Mrs. Edward Willis, of Charleston, S. C.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

This forcibly reminds us
of the china monstrosities
satirised in Hogarth's pic
tures of high life.
The china services
were often quite expen
sive. In 1733 J. Lewis
has " china ware" (£32),
and J. Satur's nine china
plates are appraised at
£4-10. Anne Le Bras-
seur (1742) has a large
variety of china, including
among other articles two
large china dishes, £"4;
one large china bowl, £4 ;
a mahogany waiter with
chinaware thereon, £"2.
The china, glass and
earthenware belonging to
T. Gadsden amounted to
£167-1-8; he also owned
two baskets for china plates, valued at ten shillings. J. Mat
thews (1744) had china and glass worth £46; he also had
six hot-water plates, valued at £"8 ; the latter were evidently
comparatively new. Six years before this Edward Hext
had owned the same number, then valued at £"10, which
was the same price attributed to his dressing-table and
glass, or his tea-table and china, in the same inventory.
The plate, glass, cutlery, earthenware and all articles
for use at meals show constantly increasing elegance as the
century advances. Forks were coming into more general

CHAIR

From Washington's presidential mansion — a duplicate
is at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. See
page 89.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
use about 1700, and the choice kinds of knives as well as
forks and spoons had handles of agate, silver and ivory. A
few examples may be given ofthe amount of silver plate listed
as "various," the number of ounces being usually stated. T.
Grimball, £240-10-0, 1722; T. Rose, £"208, 1733; T.
Somerville, £550, 1734; S. Leacroft, £"100, 1738; E.
Greene, £336, 1740; T. Gadsden, £1,102-17-6, 1741 ;
N. Serre, £552-6-6, 1746; G. Heskett, £292-10-0; E.
Fowler, £131-5-0; and the Hon. J. Colleton, £929-10-0,
i7Si-
In Virginia and Maryland also the tables ofthe wealthy
were bright with silver. Samuel Chew, of Ann Arundel
County, whose personal estate in 171 8 was valued at
£7,225-14-5, possessed "new plate, £63-1-10, old plate,
£235-6-0." In 1728 Colonel Thomas Lee's house was
robbed and burned, and the following advertisement in
the Maryland Gazette, March 1 1, 1728, gives some idea of
his family plate. This plate had on it the coat of arms or
crest belonging to the name of Lee.
" Stolen out of the house of Col. Thomas Lee, in Vir
ginia (some time before it was burnt), a considerable quan
tity of valuable plate, viz., Two Caudle Cups, three pints
each. One chocolate pot, one coffee pot. One Tea pot,
Three Castors, Four Salts. A plate with the Cortius arms.
A pint tumbler, ditto arms. Four candlesticks. One or two
pint cans. A funnel for quart bottles, no arms on it.
A pair of snuffers and stand, etc."
The growing use of forks does not seem to have less
ened the necessity of napkins, which in the better class
of houses were of damask and diaper, as were also the
table-cloths. Damask was the most expensive. Huckaback
and coarse linen napkins were also largely used. In South
132

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Carolina we find Mary Mullins(i73o) with a damask table
cloth, £7, and two table-cloths and twenty-four napkins,
£36. The high price set on table-linen is more fully
realized when we compare the above with one dozen
leather-bottom chairs, £15, in the same inventory. Two
years later S. Screven's nine table-cloths and thirty napkins
are esteemed of equal value with his four tables, ten chairs,
one chest and one looking-glass, £25-15-0. T. Gadsden
(1741) had table-linen appraised at £68-2-6; and J.
Matthews (1745) at £72.
The shagreen cases in which the fine cutlery was kept
were boxes, square or rounded in the front, about a foot
high, with a lid sloping down toward the front. The in
terior was divided into as many little square partitions as
there were articles to be contained ; into these the knives were
put, handles up. The spoons were placed with the bowls
up. Thus, rising one row above another on the slope, the
chasing or other ornamentation was well displayed. The
boxes were placed usually at each end of the sideboard-
table or buffet, and the lids, of course, were left open when
required, for often the open lids acted as rests for silver salvers.
The shagreen cases, of course, took their name from the
leather with which they were covered. ' They gradually
became more ornate, and about the middle of the century
the more expensive kinds were made of mahogany. In
South Carolina a " mahogany knife-box " occurs in 1754.
This is probably a production of the Chippendale school.
The amount of time and labour expended on the finest
specimens was prodigious. The boxes were carved, inlaid,
and some had metal mountings. The great difficulties to
be overcome consisted in the curves to which the veneers
and inlays had to be subjected, thus demanding considerable
133

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
mathematical knowledge on the part of the workman.
This is especially the case with the urn-shaped cases which
follow this period.
Interesting specimens of the mahogany spoon-cases,
tea-chest with caddies and knife-boxes, at the close of
this period are owned by Mrs. Edward Willis of Charles
ton, S. C, and are shown in the plate facing page 130.'
The tea-chest has brass feet and mounts. The spoon-
case is a very interesting specimen; it stands about two
feet high, and there is a delicate black-and-yellow in
lay running along the separate pieces of which it is com
posed. It is mounted with silver. The knife-box has
also metal mounts, and the mouldings of the front show
what careful workmanship was demanded.
The sideboard-table, commonly used down to the
Revolution, was simply a side-table. One of these, in
herited from Lawrence Washington, was in the dining-
room at Mount Vernon. It stood thirty-six inches high, and
was five feet long and half as wide. It was made of black-
walnut, with the edges and legs carved with the bell-flower
and leaf ornamentation. In South Carolina, instances occur
in several varieties of wood, cedar, "madera," walnut and
mahogany, worth from £6 to £20, sometimes with and
sometimes without drawers. The table was usually oblong,
but occasionally square. The " beaufait " or buffet also is
frequently mentioned. In 1752 Paul Tenys had a mahog
any buffet, £20 ; china in and on it, £25. The buffet
gradually supplanted the sideboard, and finally stole its
name. The sideboard was covered with a cloth of damask
or diaper, and occasionally we find mention of other ma
terial. R. Wright (1747) had a "mahogany sideboard with
green cover."

134

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

Turning to the chairs, we first find cane in all varieties.
Some of these had wooden frames with cane in the seat, or
back, or both. Others were evidently constructed of cane
throughout. The prices varied surprisingly, evidently ac
cording to the carving and turning of the frames, as well as
the age, condition, styles and
sizes. In 171 1, twelve cane
chairs and couch are appraised
at £8. Josiah Wilson (Mary
land) had three old rush-bot
tomed cane chairs appraised at
thirteen shillings in 171 8. In
the same year we find six cane
chairs, "eighteen shillings,"
four cane ditto, £2-4-0. In
Carolina we have six cane,
£1-10-0; six cane, £6-0-0
(1722); six black cane and
one elbow, £14 ( 1723) ;
twelve fine cane and elbow,
£35 (1724); eight cane with
two cushions, £15; and four
teen cane, £30 (1725).
Two years later, four black
cane and one elbow chair are
worth only £5. Captain Rob
ert Cox in the same year had
twenty old cane chairs at a pound each, and twelve new
ones at thirty shillings. Major William Blazeway, also in
1727, had six cane-back, £12; six cane-bottom, £10; six
with fine rush bottoms, £10; and nine old cane, £9.
Twelve new cane, £18, six cane-back, £10, six cane-
135

A CHAIR OWNED BY WILLIAM PENN
Now in the Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadel
phia. See page 84.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
bottom wooden-back, £10, also occur in 1727; and, choicest
of all, twelve walnut cane chairs and elbow chair, £50
( 1 73 1 ). The prices varied from five shillings to four pounds
each in Carolina currency during one decade.
In Glen's Answers to the Lords of Trade, he gives a
table of the exports and imports of South Carolina for
1748. The total is given as £1,1 25,960-3-1 1 currency,
which equals £161,365-18-0 sterling. Thus we must
divide the South Carolina prices by seven, at that date,
when comparing them with those of England.
Cane was used with all kinds of wooden frames, and
sometimes cane was employed throughout, the walnut frame
being the most expensive. In 1733, John Lewis had six
maple matted chairs, £6, six maple cane do., £10, and one
elbow do., £3. In 1735, Andrew Allen owned twelve plain
cane chairs, £20; twelve do. and elbow do., £20; twenty-
four flowered cane do. and elbow do., £50; and seven old
chairs, £3. In 1742, we find six high-backed black cane
chairs (old), £4. In the same year, Edward Hext pos
sessed twelve cane and one elbow, worth £27, while his
ten mahogany chairs are only valued at £20, and nineteen
bass-bottomed at £7-10-0. In 1745, six cane elbow
chairs are set down at £16. In 1747, bass-bottomed cane
chairs are mentioned.
The walnut chair was made up in a variety of ways.
In addition to those already mentioned, we find walnut
matted, walnut and bottoms with red camlet covers, walnut
with rush bottoms, leather bottoms, satin bottoms, silk
damask covers, and red damask bottoms.
The example of a chair of the period given here is now
in the Virginia Historical Society, Richmond. It is some
what heavy, but solid and handsome. It has a modified
136

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

lyre-shaped splat pierced with slits like three lancet Gothic
windows interlacing a square with curved sides, the base
being pierced with a heart. The top of the back is rolled
over at the corners
and centre like a strap
or scroll. The front
legs are cabriole with
shell ornamentation
and claw-and-ball feet.
The back legs are
slightly curved and
rounded. The Turkey-work
chair is still in favour,
and the common rush-
bottomed and the
choice Russia leather
are found in large
numbers. At this
time the chairs known
as the "black" and
" white " also came in ;
the former was worth
about ten shillings. Its
shape and workman
ship varied, for, in
1725, we find " twenty-two new fashioned black chairs and
two elbow" valued at £36, and twelve ordinary ones at
£6. In 1722, ten white (two low ones) were valued at £2.
The bass-bottomed chair was general, and worth more
than either ofthe former: "six bass-bottomed chairs, £4"
(1722). The bass was used with various frames. In 1723,
137

EIGHTEENTH CENTURY CHAIR
Chair by Thomas Chippendale or some close imitation of
his method. The carving is very delicate. About 1760.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
a " carved wooden bass chair " was worth twenty-five shill
ings. In Carolina, the palmetto also was freely used. We find
"eleven parmetaw chairs, £2-15-0" (1722); and "twelve
black permato chairs, £8" (1725). The "straw" chair
was also esteemed. In 1727, seven "straw" are valued
at £3-10-0. The "matted" is also found, and it occurs
in the most valuable woods : " twelve walnut matted and
one elbow chair, £35" (1731).
Other chairs recorded are: flag, sheepskin, maple mat
ted, cedar chairs with basket bottoms, hickory, red, carved
matted, corner, and, most expensive of all, twelve brocade-
bottom chairs, £84 (1751). The "Windsor chair," the
making of which became a separate industry, made its
appearance early in the century. Three open Windsor
chairs (John Lloyd) are valued at £3 in 1736 ; and two
at £1 in 1741.
The mahogany chairs on page 148 are fine examples of
the Chippendale school of the end of our period. They
are beautifully carved on back, arms and legs, and the seats,
of course, have not the original coverings. They are
authentic specimens of furniture owned in Charleston
before the Revolution, and they are now in possession of
Mrs. John Simonds of Charleston, S. C.
The average house in the South was well supplied with
seats. Apart from stools, settles, benches and couches, the
number of chairs is often- surprising. A few examples from
Carolina will show that there was ample accommodation
for callers. J. Guerard and S. Butler possessed forty-one
and forty-three chairs respectively in 1723 ; R. Woodward
34, and D. Gale 65, in 1725; Captain R. Cox 32 (1727);
E. Hancock 44 (1729); C. W. Glover 34, and S. Screven
40(1732); J. Satur 32 and J. Raven 42 (1733) ; T. Somer-
.38

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
ville 50, John Lloyd 38, and John Ramsay 43 (1734);
Andrew Allen 57 (1735) ; Edward Hext 41 (1742); Noah
Serre 70 (1746); J. Wragg 51 (1751); and J. Roche 59
(1752). These numbers, however, are insignificant in
comparison with those of Maryland and Virginia. In the
inventory of the estate of William Bladen, of Annapolis,
the various chairs reach the astounding total of one hundred
and two. The other Marylander, Major Josiah Wilson,
possessed only a beggarly forty-two.
The tables were equally varied during this period. In
shape they were square, round and oval, in all sizes. The
woods were cedar, pine, oak, English oak, walnut, black
walnut, cypress, poplar and bay. Sometimes they were
painted black, white and various colours. Naturally, the
pine were the cheapest. In 171 1, Nathaniel Wilkinson
(South Carolina) owned: a large cedar table, £2-10-0;
two small tables, £1. In 1722, we find Thomas Grimball
(South Carolina) with: one old side table, £1 ; a walnut
oval table, £4 ; one large oval cedar table, £8 ; a small
table, £5; one side table with mulberry frame, £1-10-0.
John Guerard, 1723, owned: five square tables, £9; a
square oak table, £2; one large oval table, £6; a pine
painted table, £1-10-0; an old oak table, £2.
The above examples show the relative values. In addi
tion to these there was the bay table, and the slate-topped
table. In 1727, a slate top table is valued at £1, and
Richard Woodward owned a square bay table (£4), two
bay and walnut tables (£8), besides an oval and cedar table.
The slate soon led to the marble. In 1727, Major Wil
liam Blaseway had three cedar tables (£12), two Dutch
tables (£3), and one marble table in cedar frame (£15).
This evidently was the latest thing out. Mahogany ap-
•39

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
peared a little earlier ; it was naturally costly. Major Per
cival Pawley owned two mahogany tables in 1724, valued
respectively at £9 and £1 1 ; and in the following year
we find John Saunders with a large oval one at £7-10-0.
Both men were rich. Sometimes the tables would be in
great variety in one house. Besides cedar tables, the in
ventory of Samuel Pickering (1728), includes; one old
Dutch painted table, £1 ; one Dutch table, £3 ; another
Dutch table, £1 ; a screen table, £1-10-0; and a card
table, £6.
C. W. Glover (1732) had six tables in his hall alone; T.
Somerville (1734) had seventeen tables of various kinds.
Among the varieties found are: two Madeira tables, £30
( 1 73 1 ) ; one tea table and one round three-legged tea table,
£10 (1738); one round mahogany claw-foot table, £4,
and one oval table, £6 (1740); small turn-up table with
drawers, £15 (1741); red bay table, £8 (1742); cherry
table, £7 (1745); six mahogany and two cypress tables,
£40 (1745) ; large and small swinging tables, £2 (1746) ;
cedar dining table, £3 (1746); oval maple table, £9
(1746); India tea table, £12 (1746) ; round stand mahog
any table, £4; marble table, £10; folding poplar table,
£5 ; little cedar table, £2 ; little pine table, fifteen shil
lings ; painted tableland side table, £10 (all 1751). In
1752> J- Roche owns a marble slab and frame valued at
£20; in 1753, a white oak table is set down at £10 ; and
in 1754, we find a small walnut flap table, £6, and small
marble side table, £6. Lastly, a " Manchineal table " is
appraised at £8 in 1741.
Turning now to the beds, we find many varieties. The
trundle-bed and the " sea-bed " gradually disappear. The
" standing bedstead " with sacking bottom was the com-
140

BEDSTEAD WITH TESTER VALANCE
This bedstead is in the general style of that shown facing page 142, but with the carving much less elaborate. This, vjith the
' desk, chair and bed, belonged to Chief Justice Marshall.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
monest. It was made of oak, and, later, of mahogany or
walnut, and was frequently carved. In 1727, Captain A.
Muller had a folding bedstead and furniture, £30 ; and in
1733 Jonathan Main, a "press bedstead," £2. Others
recorded are : a bedstead with poles, £5 (R. Vaughan,
1736); three screw bedsteads, £7-10-0 (T. Batcheller,
1737); a standing calico bed and furniture, £80, two
others at £70 each, and a red and a blue Paragon bed at
£35 each (Hon. A. Middleton, 1738) ; afield bedstead and
coarse pavilion (Thomas Oliver, 1744) ; two yellow "Saun
ders bedsteads," £8, two pine bedsteads, £2, and four feather
beds and bolsters, £180 (Isaac Cordes, 1745) ; a mahogany
settee bed, £50 (John Lawrens, 1745) ; a pine bedstead and
cord, £1-10-0, a " Sarsafaix" bedstead and cord, £1-7-6
(John Witter, 1746) ; a painted bedstead, £1 (G. Haskett,
1747); a four-post oak bedstead and bedding, £25, and a
mahogany bedstead and bedding, £50 (Joseph Wragg,
1751); a four-post oak bedstead, £10 (1753), a cypress
bedstead, £2 (1754).
It was, however, the bedding and adornment in which
the chief value still lay. Thus, while the above-mentioned
four-post oak bedstead and bedding were valued at £25 in
1 75 1, we find another without the bedding set down at
£10 two years later; and in 1746 S. C. Gaultier's mahog
any bedstead (probably a low one), with sacking bottom,
was worth only £5.
A fine specimen ofthe carved mahogany four-post bed
stead is shown facing page 142. The posts are beautifully
turned and carved in foliage designs and terminate at the
top in pineapples. It is unusually large, measuring eight
feet four inches from cornice to floor, six feet eight inches
long and five feet one inch wide. The posts are fourteen
141

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
inches in circumference, and the feet have deep brass
sockets and bands into which the castors fit. It is now
owned by Mrs. James H. Harris, of Richmond, and has
been owned by the family for more than a century.
Some of the bed furnishings were very costly, and the
materials and styles varied greatly. Mosquito netting, made
into a canopy and still known as a pavilion in South Caro
lina, was common all through the South. It was spread
over the hammock as well as the bed; it was sometimes
coloured and seems to have been quite expensive. Some
ofthe prices are as follows: a pavilion, £8 (1722); two
"gauzed" pavilions, £20 (1725); a pavilion and ham
mock, £5 (1725); a thread pavilion and hammock, £5,
and two gauze pavilions and hammocks, £4 (1745); two
gauze pavilions and hammocks, £30 (1745); and abed
pavilion, £10 (1746).
Curtains and quilts are even more important, and are
often clearly described. Thus, we have a set of green serge
curtains, £7 (1723); bedstead with blue curtains, £20-
5-0 (1723); set of green serge curtains, £7 (1723); suit
of curtains and quilt, £30 (1724); and a suit of calico
curtains, £7 (1725). John Jordon, of Maryland, owned
in 1729 a scarlet camblet bed frame, six window curtains
and three valance and one old red china bedding and bed.
S. Screven, of South Carolina, had in 1732 five bedsteads
and beds, eleven sheets, ninety-nine blankets, fourteen pil
lows, four quilts, one cover, and one set of curtains, amount
ing to £163.
John Washington, of Westmoreland County, Virginia,
left to his daughters " the white quilt and the white cur
tains and vallians"; Mary Washington left to her son,
General George Washington, her best bed, bedstead of Vir-
14a

BEDSTEAD
Richly carved high posts, and bars for light curtains or mosquito nets. This piece shows very elaborate
carving of a kind which, originating near the end of the seventeenth century, continued
to be used as late as l8jo.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
ginia cloth curtains, and a quilted blue and white quilt;
and to her granddaughter, Polly Carter, a bedstead draped
with purple curtains and covered with a white counterpane.
Anne Le Brasseur (1742) possessed a bedstead with
sacking bottom, bed, bolster, two pillows, two rails and a
head-board, a moulded wooden tester, and a blue and white
cotton counterpane, all worth £35. Among other bed-
furnishings we find: a cotton counterpane, £8; a suit of
calico curtains, bedstead, pavilion, mattress, feather-bed,
bolster and pillow, and window curtains, £100 (Thomas
Oliver, Esq., 1744); a lined set of curtains, £10; a white
pavilion, £6 (1744). James Matthews (1745) possessed
in his "front room upstairs" a blue chintz bed and furni
ture with pavilion and window curtains, appraised at the
astonishing sum of £200. The bed and furniture in the
"back room upstairs" was valued at £150; and in the
"front room garret," among other things, was a bed and
furniture, £70 ; two pavilions, a suit of chintz curtains and
chintz counterpane, £120; and bed-linen to the value of
£325. It is evident that these values are not very excep
tional, for the same year we find another householder in
possession of "2 sutes curtains, £100." The latter must
have been of chintz, which was plainly the fashionable
material and probably the "latest thing out." It seems to
have been imitated, and its relative cost to calico appears
from the following: "one set green curtains, £5; one set
Indian calico ditto, £7; one ditto, £10; one ditto mock
chints, £40."
The curtains at the windows frequently matched those
of the bed, and in the majority of cases this harmony was
observed. Among other kinds we find, in addition to those
already given, a set of curtains, lined, £10 (1744); 2 suits
•43

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
of curtains, £100 (1745); 3 red window curtains, 15
shillings (1747); 1 set calico curtains, £20 (1747); 3'
pairs window curtains, £3 (1751).
Feather or flock beds on corded sacking-bottoms were
the commonest arrangement, but hair mattresses were in
use in wealthy families, in the early part of the century.
Roland Vaughan owned two, valued at £10, in 1736.
Screens were by no means uncommon, but the hand-
screen is not often found. Sometimes they were small
round or square frames sliding on a post. These frames
were sometimes painted wood and sometimes they were
covered with embroidered materials. The values naturally
varied greatly. In 1725, a pair was appraised at £1, and
in 1727 one screen at £30. T. Fisher owns one at £6
(1736), and S. Eveleigh two at £15 (1738). A painted
screen, half worn, is valued at £6, in 1741, and two leather
ones at £15, in 1744. In the latter year a screen (kind
not stated) is worth seven guineas. In 1745, Sarah Trott
owns a leather one valued at £10-2-0, and in 1745, one
belonging to E. Heskett is put down at £8. T. Wragg
(1751) possessed two particularly choice specimens, one
gilt (£30) and one stamped leather (£20). In the latter
year we also find a painted screen (£4-10-0); and ten
guineas is the value of a four-leaved screen in 1754.
Till nearly the middle of the eighteenth century the
carpets mentioned were still only coverings for tables, bu
reaux, etc. The distinction is clearly drawn in the inventory
of Noah Serre (1746), in which we find two painted
table carpets, £2, and one painted floor cloth, £10. Other
carpets are Scotch, Indian, hair, and Turkey.
Thus we see that the rooms were bright and cheerful
with a variety of colour, and the somewhat sombre effect of
144

DRESSING-TABLE
This mahogany dressing-table is owned by Mrs. Andrew Simonds, of Charleston, S. C.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

mahogany did not dominate until comparatively late in the
century. Cushions were largely used to make the chairs
comfortable: they often had covers embroidered by the
female members of the family. Rebecca Axtell (1727)
had four chair covers worked, £1. T. Gadsden (1741)
owned eighteen green
damask cushions, one
cover for the easy
chair and for the
cushions for ditto, one
cover for the settee
with two bolsters,
£12; and two cush
ions covered with blue.
Anne Le Brasseur
(1742) owned an
" easy chair and cush
ion covered with
crewel wrought and a
calico cushion case," £30 ; and two crewel wrought chair
bottoms, £2. J. Wragg ( 175 1 ) had an easy chair and
cushion valued at £15, and in 1754 we find an easy chair
and three covers for same, £20.
The curtains also were frequently adorned with needle
work. An instance of this occurs in the will of Anthony
Walke, of Fairfield, Princess Anne County, Virginia: "To my
son Anthony my suit of embroidered curtains, in membrance
of his mother (Jane Randolph) who took great pains in
working them — my father's walnut secretarie and clock," etc.
Corner cupboards came into fashion about 1710, after
which date they constantly occur. Presses, cupboards and
chests of drawers were made principally of cedar, pine and
MS

( ?C«*&S.

MAHOGANY CHAIR AND DRESSING CASE
The dressing case was imported by Randolph of Curies in
1 72 1. The brass handles are original.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
cypress during this period. They were not cheap ; an
article of furniture containing drawers (especially with lock
and key) was always highly esteemed.
An example of an early mahogany chest of drawers is
given on page 145. It is very plain in form and diminutive
in size. The drawers have the original brass handles and
key-plates, and the colour of the mahogany is unusually rich.
It would probably be hard to find an earlier example in the
country, for it was imported by Thomas Randolph, of
Curies, and is now in possession of his descendant, Mrs. J.
Adair Pleasants, Richmond, Va. The dressing-glass above
it is also of mahogany and about the same age. The brass
candlestick is contemporary. The chair standing to the
left is of mahogany, lighter in colour. The plain square
back, with pierced jar-shaped splat, plain squared legs and
straining rails show that this also dates from early in the
century, probably not later than 1730. The castors, in all
probability, are later additions.
The plate facing page 116 shows an old mahogany
chest of drawers, with swell front and brass handles, owned
by Miss Susan Pringle, Charleston, S. C. Upon it stands
a japanned dressing-glass, of which we find so many
instances in the inventories. The present example was said
to have been one of the first imported into Charleston from
the East. A similar dressing-glass appears in Washington's
bed-room in Mount Vernon. (See Frontispiece.)
Clocks existed in considerable numbers : the high clock-
case was often carved and moulded, and made a handsome
piece of furniture in the hall or dining-room. The small
clock was used, however, and its price could be equally
high. In 1 75 1, the Hon. J. Cullom owned a table clock
valued at £100, while Dr. J. Gaultier's small alarm clock
146

TWO EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY CLOCKS
The clock to the lej't was made in Charleston, and tells tides as vuell as phases ofthe moon ; it is owned by
Mrs. Andrew Simonds, Charleston, S. C.
The clock on the right belonged to Franklin. See pages 147 and 106.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
(1746) was only worth £2-10-0. The cases were often
worth more than the works, and we have data for forming
an idea of the relative values. In 1727, John Bateson,
clockmaker, died, possessed of a silver repeating watch,
£90, and an eight-day clock movement, £25-10-0. In
the same year two clocks are appraised at £15 and
£40. In 1733, one clock-case is worth £50, and another
clock and case, £35. Other values are £40 and £20
(:734); £5° l1^8); and£35 (:740- T- L1°yd owned
a black japanned case clock, £35, in 1742 ; and Dr. J. Gaul
tier, an eight-day ditto, £50, in 1745. Captain H. Hext
and James Matthews each owned a clock valued at £80 in
the latter year. G. Haskett had one worth £50 (1747),
and J. Roche another at £75 (1752). Two years later,
two japanned eight-day clocks were appraised at £40 and
An accompanying example is a fine San Domingo
mahogany clock with handsome brass mountings, owned
by Mrs. Andrew Simonds, Charleston, S. C. It tells the
tides and the phases of the moon, as well as the month,
day and hour. Let into the wood and under a glass frame
is the date "1717." A brass plate on the face bears the
words " William Lee, Charles Town." The spelling is
that which was in use in the city during the first century
of the settlement, and is in itself evidence that the clock
is over 125 years old. It was used as a packing-case
for Revolutionary bayonets, which were, however, never
shipped to their destination.
Pictures and maps are found in considerable quantities
in the houses during the first half of the eighteenth century,
but unfortunately the inventories do not often state the sub
jects. The prices, however, are very moderate as a rule;
147

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
in fact, in many cases, we are forced to the conclusion that
the frames and glasses were valued as highly as the pictures
themselves. The maps are also set down without descrip
tion in most cases. The hall always had a generous supply
of what pictures the family possessed. Sometimes a distinc
tion was drawn be
tween "pictures" and
paintings," which
would argue the
former to be under
stood as engravings.
Frequently the num
ber is not mentioned,
the item simply read
ing "old pictures," or
"a parcel of old pic
tures." It is customary to
think of old and " Co
lonial" furniture as consisting entirely of mahogany. This
idea is erroneous, as we have already seen. Mahogany fur
niture was practically non-existent in the South before 1720,
and then, even among the wealthiest, its spread was very
slow. Twenty-five years later there were only a few scattered
pieces in most of the houses, and sometimes there was none
at all. In 1746 no mahogany is mentioned in the inventory
of Daniel Townsend, whose estate is appraised at more than
£20,000: his furniture consisted of walnut, cedar, pine,
and maple. Richard Wright, 1747, who was also exceed
ingly rich, had a good deal of mahogany, but it was liberally
sprinkled with "leather-bottomed, bass-bottomed, rush-bot
tomed" and cane chairs. People in moderate circumstances

TWO CHAIRS
These chairs are delicately carved in mahogany, and are very
valuable pieces ; date about 1750. See page 138.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
occasionally possessed a mahogany table, but their furniture
was almost entirely oak, pine, bay, cypress, cedar, and walnut.
Towards the middle of the century the rage for mahog
any was fast increasing. The Carolina planters were ex
ceedingly prosperous and their houses showed a degree of
luxury unsurpassed by the London merchants. In 175 1,
Mr. John Morton, whose estate was valued at £21,355,
possessed rich furniture and quantities of it. With the ex
ception of six common black chairs and an "iron japanned
table and waiter," it seems to have been all mahogany.
Among other things we find a harpsichord (£150); two
sets of prints of Hogarth's Rake's Progress and Harlot's
Progress (£30) ; another harpsichord and a spyglass, together
valued at £30 ; a mahogany bookcase (£1 00) ; 1 2 plain ma
hogany chairs (£40); 12 brocade bottomed chairs (£84);
a mahogany cradle and two cases of bottles (£15); and a
yellow silk bed-quilt, which must have been very choice,
since it was valued at £10.
The growing taste for furniture of the Chippendale
school is clearly seen towards 1 740. The prices of com
paratively minor articles show that the new style has
arrived. R. Vaughan, 1736, has a large mahogany chest
of drawers, £25 ; a mahogany bookcase, with sixteen
square glasses, £20; a mahogany paper case, £16; a small
mahogany writing desk, £10; a mahogany tea-box, £3-10-0.
T. Gadsden, 1741, has a glass bookcase escritoire, £40.
In Maryland, also, about this time, mahogany was in
vogue, and the best of it came by way of England.
Other evidence of the general practice of importing
the finer furniture from England, until the Revolution, is
afforded by the Will of Anthony Walke, of Fairfield,
Princess Anne County, Virginia: 149

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

" I give to my wife,
Mary Walke  the
sum of fifty pounds ster
ling to buy furniture for
her best room, in case I
should not send for it
before my death  ."
Facing page 140
is a mahogany bed and
chair from Boiling
Hall, Virginia. The
carving of the posts is
not very elaborate, but
is quite characteristic
of so many beds of the
period. The little
dressing glass and
drawer is also mahog
any and typical of so
many we have had
mentioned in the in
ventories. The secre
tary is mahogany, in
laid, and with brass
mounts. The two
sham top drawers are,
of course, one piece,
which lets down in
front to form a writing
Later years of eighteenth century. This special piece is ex- QeSK, Wltfl tfie USUal
traordinarily large,
arrangements inside.
It belonged to Chief-Justice Marshall, of Virginia, and is
now in the house of Mr. Thomas Boiling, Richmond, Va.
150

,-?,. c—^l,

BOOKCASE

SOME OLD NEW ORLEANS PIECES
Lady's working-table, candlesticks, liquor set and Russian Samovar. The table is in Louis XIV style
and has drawers with secret bottoms. The liquor set is very rare.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
A Chippendale bookcase is shown on page 150. It is
of colossal dimensions. This is the property of Mr. George
S. Holmes, of Charleston, S. C, and is an old family piece,
as two or three of the original drawers were used by the
British officers for horse-troughs. Their places have been
supplied by "new ones" made directly after the Revolution.
The wavy cornice is surmounted by the brass ornament.
Opposite page 92 is a room in the home of Mr. Andrew
Simonds, Charleston, S. C. It is furnished in the old
style, with brilliantly flowered chintz hangings, chair
covers, and wall-paper to match. The bed is an old
piece of Charleston mahogany, beautifully carved, each post
being a succession of pine-apples and foliage. The tester is
also carved. It belonged originally " to the fairest woman
in all the Carolinas," over a century ago. The rest of the
furniture is of somewhat later date. The dressing-table, a
handsome specimen, inlaid with brass, is shown facing
page 144. The chair at the foot of the bed is of the
Hepplewhite School, and is of an unusual size and very
rich carving. The chair in front of the table is exceed
ingly late.
Louisiana, though partly colonized during the Seven
teenth Century, contained no flourishing towns nor thriv
ing plantations, and therefore research into its furniture
yields little result. New Orleans, at first a penal settle
ment, knew nothing of wealth or fashion until late in the
Eighteenth Century. What good furniture the higher
officials possessed was naturally of French make, and
pieces of the styles of Louis Quatorze, Quinze, and Seize
undoubtedly found their way across the water. The fine
examples of those periods still to be found in the city, how
ever, were brought in or imported, at a considerably later date.
'5'

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
While the carved oak was the furniture fashionable
in England and her colonies, the furniture of France was
particularly luxurious. The general taste for magnificence
in the reign of Louis Quatorze produced the ornate
meubles de luxe, of which Boule and Riesener were the
most famous designers. Cabinets, encoignures, fauteuils,
tables, commodes, clocks, armoires, etc., were veneered with
tortoise-shell and inlaid with brass, and richly ornamented
with gilt bronze mounts. The styles of Louis Quatorze,
Louis Quinze, and Louis Seize will be treated in a later
chapter, but we give an example (see plate facing page
150) of Boule's work. The piece is a lady's work-table
of the Louis Fourteenth period. It is of ebony, with the
kind of veneering just mentioned. It has the usual bag,
or well, for small receptacles, and curious drawers with
secret bottoms. It was a present from Louis Philippe
to the Marquis de Marigny. Upon the table is a liquor
set with bottle and glasses of crystal inlaid with gold.
The case is ebony inlaid with nacre and bronze. This
was a gift from Gov. Villere to the Marquis de Marigny.
The silver candlesticks also belonged to Marigny, a present
from Toledano. Beneath the table stands a Russian samo
var of bronze.

THE FURNITURE
of our mufti
FOR&FATHERS

CARVED OAK CUPBOARD
Ovjned by Mr. Walter Hosmer, Wethersfield, Conn See page i6j.

THE FURNITURE
OF OUR
FOREFATHERS By ESTHER SINGLETON
WITH CRITICAL DESCRIPTIONS OF PLATES
By RUSSELL STURGIS

ILLUSTRATED

NEW YORK
DOUBLEDAX PAGE AND COMPANY
i g o i

COPYRIGHT, MAY, IOOI, BY
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & CO.

CONTENTS

The Early Settlers of New England 155
First houses, 156; Men of wealth, 156; home of George
Phillips, 156-7.
Early Houses in Plymouth and Salem . 158
Chests, Trunks, The Atlantic Passage 161
Possessions of those who Perished in the Great
Ship ........
Home of Governor Goodyear . . . .
Governor Eaton's Furniture . . 1 66
Notable and Aristocratic Settlers . 169
Indications of comfort and elegance, 171.
Joiners and Cabinet-makers, Upholsterers and
Carvers ...... 173-
Kinds of woods used, 173 ; value of furniture, 173; skilled
labour, 174; wages, 174; shop goods of certain joiners, 1 77—
8; importations of tropical woods, 179; New England fur
niture sent to the South, 179.
Chairs, Stools and Other Seats . .180
Prices of chairs, 180 ; the child's chair, 18 1-2; varieties of
chairs, 182—9 > materials and colours used for upholstering
chairs, 188— 190 ; buffet-stools, 190— I ; changes in the form
of the chair, 194; the passing of the oak period and the
growing Dutch influence, 194—5.
Extensive Use of Cushions . . . .196
Coverings and cases, 196; number and value of cushions,
197-8 ; carpets and cupboard cloths, 197—8.
Tables . . . • • • .198
Trestles, boards and forms, 198-9; drawing and folding
tables, 1 99 ; round, square and oval tables, 200-2 ; woods
used for tables, 201.

~lS7 -160-162 163164
-168-171¦179

—196

-198

-202

CONTENTS

Beds and Their Furnishings . . . 202
Four-post and trundle-beds, 202—3 > materials and colours of
curtains, 204—5 > quilts, blankets and coverlids, 204—5.
The Cupboard ...... 205
Plate and pewter displayed, 205-6 ; livery and court cup
boards, 207—8 ; cupboard cloths, carpets and cushions, 209 ;
changes and developments of form, 209—11.
The Press and the Frame . . . .211
Chests and Trunks . . . . -213
Varieties ofthe chest, 214; definitions, 215; evolution of
the chest with drawers, 215—6 ; chest of drawers, 218; de
velopments, 220.
Desks and Bookcases ..... 220
Scretore and furnishings, 220— I ; books and study, 221.
Metal Mountings, Locks, Keys and Hinges
The Cabinet ...... 222
Varieties of the cabinet, 223 ; china, porcelain and East
India ornaments, 223—4.
Musical Instruments and Clocks and Watches

-205

-21 1

-213-220

—222 222
-224

Virginals and " gitternes," 224; clocks with and without
cases, 224; watches, sun-dials and hour-glasses, 225.
Looking-Glasses and Fireplaces . . 225-
Artillery-Room of Major-General Gibbons
Wealthy New Englanders . . . .
Home of William Wardell . . . 229-
Home of Sir William Phipps . . . 230-
Dower Furniture . . . . .231-

224-225

-226 226227
-230-231-232

List of Illustrations
WITH CRITICAL NOTES ON MANY OF
THE PLATES BY RUSSELL STURGIS

ALL THE NOTES FURNISHED BY MR. STURGIS
ARE FOLLOWED BY HIS INITIALS, R. S.

Frontispiece: Carved Oak Cupboard facing 153

Kitchen in the Hancock-Clarke House facing
In which a number of miscellaneous articles, authentic relics of old times in America,
have been brought together. On the left the object on the lowest shelf is a foot stove
such as was used in church, and not only there. The andirons are of no importance as
works of art or industry. The leather portmanteau on an upper shelf should be com
pared with those facing page 224, but this is one of a later date than they and belongs to
the time when the stage coach was available. The chair is of the most interesting type.
The leather receptacle hanging on the wall above the chair is a trunk-mail only a little
larger than those which were used in days of horseback journeying. On the wall be
yond the door there hang first a pair of saddle-bags of leather. Benearh this is a settle
of the real fireside kind, such a piece of furniture as was used in the country houses of
England from very early times*; the back reaching the floor so as to shut out draughts.
In front ofthe fireplace are three "tin kitchens, " or " Dutch ovens," shaped so as to
gather and reflect upon the roasting joint the heat of the open fire. R. S.

l55

Carved Oak Cupboard . . . facing
Such as we should call to-day a cabinet, or, using a French phrase, bahut. The frontis
piece shows the same piece with the upper door shut. There is no reason for the half-
hexagonal shape of the upper part except the desire to preserve the decorative effect of
the two corner pillars standing free j and these pieces were made rather for their stateli-
ness than for mere utility. Consult a similar piece in Parti, plate opposite page 36.
In the present instance the sculpture is all in scrollwork, much more easy and flowing
than that common to Elizabethan design ; it is probably of the time of Charles I, and
the de:ails studied partly from Italian models. The fact that the sculpture is flat, a
mere sinking or "abating" of the background, indicates a provincial or up-country
piece of work as distinguished from that of a centre of manufacture and fine art. Other
pieces in the present chapter have the same peculiarity. This flatness is hardly abandoned
in any part, and the solid sculpture, as in the Ionic capitals, shows an unpracticed hand.
R. S.

I58

Settle with Table Top .....
The back of which is formed by a table top that can be dropped into a horizontal posi
tion. Exactly such a piece of kitchen furniture can be bought to-day, cheaply made, and
called an ironing table. R. S.

l59

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
VAGZ
Oak Table ..... facing 160
Which was originally made to lift, probably attached by hinges on one side in order to
save room in the fashion shown in the settle, page 159. The unusually large bulbs which
form part of the design of the legs are stained black. The very awkward form of the
straining piece is to be noticed. The attempt is evident to keep the horizontal bars away
from the ankles of those who may sit at the table. R. S.
Oak Chest . . . . . . .161
The decoration of which by means of mouldings worked in the solid wood is suggestive
of that lingering of mediaeval methods of design which exists, more visibly, in seventeenth-
century buildings of Rhode Island and Connecticut. There is no affectation of classical
design about this piece ; it is put together simply with tenons held in their mortices by
pins. R. S.
Carved Oak Chair . . . facing 164
Of which the form is simple and agreeable, the turned legs and balusters being well pro
portioned to the whole, and the unusually heavy parts very effective in giving the appear
ance of immovable solidity. The piece is of that epoch when the English artisans were
trying to work in a style which was new to them, and which involved as they thought
the covering of every part with ornament. The mediaeval leafage had to be abandoned,
and they were not provided with adequate material to replace it; for the peasant sculptor
has used the Elizabethan strap ornament only for the top rail, the rest of his work being
poorly designed scroll patterns of his own imagining. R. S.
Two Clocks ..... facing 168
Both clocks are of English manufacture and are good typical examples of the period.
Oak Cupboard with Drawers . . . .169
But with the balusters and the curious half balusters which are applied to the surface for
ornament made of some finer grained wood and stained black. The relation of these
curious half balusters to the engaged columns so much sought after in buildings of the
time would be curious to make out; for in either case it suggests the making of flat draw
ings rather than the working out the building or the furniture in modelling clay. The
idea that, because a whole round shaft or pillar is good, therefore a split one is good also
has done a great deal of harm to design. R. S.
Oak Cradle and Table . . . . .176
Two simple specimens of native make. The cradle was made in 1680. There is upon
it a slight attempt at decoration. The table, not a large one, is somewhat rougher, al
though the legs are turned. The drop ornament is characteristic of much furniture of
the period (see the chair on page 45 V E. S.
Chest with Drawers . . . facing 176
Of the kind which was called also Chest on drawers, from which term was probably de
rived the more modern term, Chest of drawers. In such pieces of furniture the chest
when spoken of by itself was often called "well;" of course because you dipped into it
from above. The design, with mouldings and half balusters applied and probably made of
different wood from the piece, is chiefly admirable for the painted ornament in red and
white. An Oriental propriety of feeling for color seems to have controlled it. R. S.
Court Cupboard

Called in modern times more commonly "cabinet." In this case the effect of free pil
lars at the angles (see frontispiece and facing page 158) is got by setting back the whole
upper part of the cupboard. In some few cases the quasi-architectural effect here men
tioned is got without the twofold inconvenience of having the doors open upon a solid

I78

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
table top, the things standing upon which are likely to be brushed away, and of not very
easy access to the interior; and this by the simple device of opening a door in each end of
the upper box, the front of which remains fixed. In this and in the cabinet shown
on page 207 the doors open in the front, with infinite inconvenience; for, indeed, the
ordinary box cabinet is as clumsy as it is monumental. R. S.
Oak Chest with Drawer . . . facing 178
The chest proper or Well being of unusual dimensions. This is an admirable piece of
panelling, the traditional character of the adornment by cutting and moulding being well
carried out in the decorative sculpture. The square panels of the front have their top
and bottom edges, viz. , those on the horizontal rails, chamfered with a simple splay end
ing in curved stops, but the upright mullions are elaborately moulded on both edges, a
system of mouldings which is not repeated on the sides of the corner stiles — an excellent
distinction and full of charm to the lover of solid woodwork. R. S.
Oak Chair . . . . . . .181
In which the carving shows a very slight advance from the flat, abated work facing page
158. The working of the stiff and sharp leaves in the uprights which form part of
the panelled back is very interesting as showing how very great a change in otherwise flat
work is to be obtained by a few well-imagined groovings and sinkings. R. S.
Table and Child's Chair . . . facing 182
The table leaves are supported by triangular brackets of unusual size. This belongs
to the third system described in the legend of table on page 201, but differs from nearly all
tables with swinging brackets in having the brackets so long as to frame into the straining
piece below. R. S.
Carved Oak Chair and Leather Chair . -183
The cane chair is of the Charles II period, with turned supports and straining-rail. The
second chair was originally an early variety ofthe low leather chair. E. S.
Cane Chair and Leather Chair . . .184
The cane chair is a transitional form, showing Dutch influences. The legs have a dis
tinct suggestion of the cabriole shape. The low leather chair has been re-upholstered
and is of a somewhat later development than that on the preceding plate. Engravings
of Abraham Bosse, 1633, show precisely this kind of chair. E. S.
Rush-bottomed Chair . . . facing 184
This early example of a "wing-chair " is interesting as showing no trace of carving or
other characteristics of the Jacobean period. Its comfort was increased by a cushion.
The feet show the growing Dutch influence towards the end of the century. E. S.
Rush-Bottom and Cane Chairs . . .186
The chair on the left shows the back with a more developed use of the plain central
panel as an ornament, the cane webbing on either side now having been discarded and
the top being slightly shaped towards the form of the bow which will shortly become so
popular. A little further development of the feet will also produce the hoof feet. The
centre chair has been cut down into a rocking-chair and its original proportions entirely
changed. The chair on the right is a late example of this period. E. S.
Rush-bottom, Turned and Cane Chairs . .187
These are three more varieties that were very common during this century. The centre
chair is very ungainly, the turned supports being very massive. The hollow prepared for
the cushion is plainly visible. E. S.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Cane Chairs . . . . . . .188
These are chiefly interesting for the panels of cane in the back and the combination of
turned and carved work in the frames. E. S.
Cane Couch and Armchair . . . .190
The couch is a good specimen ofthe period, the carving being uniform with the prevail
ing style of chair. The cane bottom has been replaced with modern material. E. S.
Carved Oak Cane Chairs . . . . 193
The chair on the left is an exceedingly handsome specimen and is more elaborately
carved than many of the chairs of this period.
Settle with Folding Candlestand . facing 194
The back of which does not seem ever to have reached the floor. The panelled back and
arms are high enough to guard the person against any draughts above, as from open or
leaking windows. The adjustable stand for a candle or a cup of tea is an unusual feature
— one that may well have been added at a later time, perhaps at the behest of someone
who liked the particular corner by the fire which the settle afforded him or her, and who
desired such a convenience at the elbow. R. S.
Turkey-work Settee . . . facing 198
This is an unusually interesting example, as the original Turkey-work covering has been
preserved and enables us to see the material that gave its name to one of the most
popular class of chairs for fully half a century. The variegated colors and patterns pro
duce a very bright effect. The framework is of turned oak and the settee is both com
fortable and attractive. E. S.
Oval Table ....... 200
With eight legs, very similar to that shown on page 201, the difference being that
while on page 201 all eight legs reach the floor, at least in appearance, in the present
example only six stand on the floor, while the other two are confessedly revolving up
rights into which the swinging structures supporting the leaves are framed. A compari
son between the designs of these two tables is very interesting. There are some reasons
for thinking that that shown on page 200 is much earlier than that shown on page
201, but the latter design with the baluster- shaped legs seems more graceful. There
is no common piece of late seventeenth-century furniture more pleasantly fantastic or
more agreeable, both for use and decorative effect, than these many-legged tables when of
pretty form, or, as is less common, of beautiful wood. R. S.
Oval Table . . . . . . .201
Of the more elaborate sort, in which the support for the leaves when open is afforded
by a revolving frame with two legs.
The three-cornered table in Part II, opposite page 1 18, gives another and sometimes a
very useful form. R. S.
Oak Court Cupboard ..... 207
This is practically identical with that described above and shown on page 178.
Cupboard Chest of Drawers . . facing 210
The uppermost large drawer oddly designed so as to resemble the front of a cupboard,
while the drawers are enclosed and concealed by two doors. The style of the work re
sembles that of the two chests, pages 217 and 218.
Two pieces shown in Part II may be compared with this, but they are secretaries
rather than chests of drawers in the ordinary sense. The general idea of having the
drawer fronts enclosed and concealed by doors, though good as a preventative against

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PACE
dust, was more commonly intended as an additional element in the dignity of design than
as a utilitarian device; for dust was not much to be feared in the small towns of the
seventeenth century. R. S.
Large and Miniature Chest with Drawer . 212
One ofthe earliest forms ofthe piece of furniture which grew into the modern chest of
drawers, called in French Commode (the only piece of furniture out of many which has
preserved that name), and in the United States generally Bureau. It can hardly be later
than the year 1 700, though the handles and scutcheons are more recent. As for the
little box set upon it, this, whether considered as a child's toy or as a convenience for
toilet articles, may be of any date from 1700 to 1800, the type prevailing longer in such
small objects. R. S.
Oak Chest with Drawer . . . . .213
Not unlike that illustrated on page 212 except that the somewhat elaborate panelling,
with mouldings planted on, implies an origin in a city workman's shop. It is possible,
however, that the piece has been altered, as the end, with a very elaborate raised panel
apparently boxed out, is certainly not of the same design as the front. R. S.
Oak Chest with Drawers . . . facing 214
And the usual "well" still retaining its full depth, so that, with the rim so high, it
must have been inconvenient to deal with the objects laid upon its bottom. The orna
mentation by applied black-stained half balusters and half ellipsoids is of one epoch, the
carving of the central panel and probably of the side panels of another. There is some
thing extremely attractive in the sun-flowers or dahlias sunk into the wood and only
slightly relieved from the sinking, and it would be pleasant to know when and by whom
that spirited piece of carving was executed. R. S.
Oak Desk ...... facing 216
In its present form apparently a reading desk but chiefly attractive on account of the very
unusual carving of the front. The date, 1684 and the initials W. H. are not to be
overlooked. The way in which these and the scroll ornaments are cut out and the
whole surface around them abated and punched with a rude point, probably a large nail,
the end of which had been filed — speaks of the up-country carpenter who had orders
to make something a little unusual. R. S.
Carved Oak Chest .... facing 216
Probably not later than 1640, and carved with extraordinary skill, taste and ability.
Such comment must needs be relative; the work lacks in grace if compared with Parisian
work ofthe period, or with that of the great central district of France, Touraine and
Berri and as far east as Burgundy; but it has close relations to the work of the seventeenth
century in the south of France, and is singularly bold and masterly with a willingness on
the part of the workman to sink deep into the hard wood, producing a kind of counter
sunk relief or cavo-relievo which is unusual in such work. R. S.
Oak Case of Drawers . . . . .217
One of the most unusual character. The purpose of the maker in providing ten drawers,
no one of which is of length sufficient to lay a gown or a cloak in without much fold
ing, is a puzzle; but one who had other chests of drawers would find this a valuable piece.
The decoration is of that vexatious sort which is limited to the planting on of turned
pilasters and worked mouldings, nor can anything be said in praise of the piece except for
the general character of its proportions. R. S.
Oak Chest of Drawers . . . . .218
Quite small compared with that shown on page 217. R. S.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Chest, or "Nest/* of Drawers . . . .219
And a very deep well. Such pieces as this, made perhaps of apple wood, perhaps of
maple, were common in New England towns and were usually the work of the local car
penter. It is nearly always impossible to date them, as the simple mouldings of the
drawers, the fronts of which project beyond the frame, are traditionally copied by genera
tion-after generation of workmen, and there is no other ornament whatever. R. S.
Oak Chest of Drawers . . . . .221
With the unusual added convenience of a hinged and dropping leaf at each end with an
adjustable bracket to support it. The character of the design is not different from that
of several pieces illustrated in this chapter. R. S.

Kitchen in Whipple House

facing 222

Which should be compared with that in Plate I. The room itself is of vastly greater in
terest on account of the unaltered and unceiled floor overhead, with its heavy moulded
timbers. The furniture in the room includes an excellent table with one dropping leaf
and six legs — at least there is no evidence of there having been another leaf with two
more legs on the side nearest the spectator; chairs of about 1700 and of unusual grace
and delicacy of design, and various utensils more interesting to the student of manners
and customs than to the artist. Such a student may enjoy the coffee-pot with a choice
of spouts, one spout set at a right angle to the handle and another in the line with the
handle, so that the mistress of the house can pour in the English or the French way at
pleasure. In this room the partition of heavy planks should be noted; each plank worked ,
with a bevelled edge on one side and a rabbet and moulded tongue on the other side, so
that they fit one another like clapboards. R. S.

Trunks and Foot-warmers . . . facing
(Compare also those in the Hancock-Clarke kitchen, facing page 155.) The cylindri
cal form of traveling trunk was rare in the seventeenth century. It was convenient for
packing on horses or mules; but the piece in question is a little too elaborate for that and
suggests rather the back ofthe traveling carriage or post-chaise. The design, if so sim
ple a composition can be called by that name, with large brass nails holding bands of
colored leather to the hair-covered trunk, is full of interest. R. S.

224

Oak Chest with Drawers

facing 226

Worked all over with very slight incisions which, though the manner of decoration is
feeble and the forms arbitrary, non-traditional and without purpose, has yet a pretty ef
fect when considered as a covering pattern — as if a wall paper of unusual design had been
applied to the surface. R. S.

Looking-glass Frame
This is a typical olive-wood frame of the period.

FACING 23O

THE FURNITURE OF
OUR FOREFATHERS Part III

KITCHEN IN HANCOCK-CLARKE HOUSE, LEXINGTON, MASS.
Nonjj onjjned by the Lexington Historical Society.

THE FURNITURE OF
OUR FOREFATHERS
Part III: Early New England
IMPORTED AND HOME-MADE PIECES OF THE SEVENTEENTH
CENTURY

a

,-/cX5V

5 HERE is a general impression that the early
settlers of New England were a somewhat
T fanatical band of Pilgrims who left the van
ities of the world behind them and sought
,   {>' the wilds of the west in order to live a
^s— ''"tj. simple life in accordance with the dictates
of their own conscience. We must remember, however,
that when the Pilgrim's Progress appeared, half a century had
already elapsed since the Mayflower had sailed, and therefore
the Pilgrim Fathers can scarcely have consciously taken
Bunyan's humble hero as a model. Many of them were far
from humble in station, and they certainly did not despise the
loaves, and, more especially, the fishes of the New England
coasts. They came in the interests of a trading company.
Freedom of worship, moreover, was no stronger inducement
to many to come, than was freedom from oppressive taxa
tion. Many left their country rather than pay the taxes,

155

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
and these No Subsidy men of course took their movables
with them, or had them sent on as soon as they were
settled. The first houses were small and rude enough, but
very soon we find commodious and comfortable dwellings
filled with furniture that has nothing suggestive of the
pioneer or backwoodsman. A thousand pounds was a
great sum of money in those days, but before 1650 there
were plenty of men in New England who were worth
that amount. Some were even more wealthy. In 1645,
Thomas Cortmore, of Charlestown, died worth ,£1,255.
Humphrey Chadburn, of York, £1,713, lived till ten
years later. Joseph Weld, of Roxbury, owned £"2,028 in
1 646, and the possessions of F. Brewster and T. Eaton, of
New Haven, were respectively valued at £1,000 and
£3,000 in 1643. Opulent Bostonians who were all dead
by 1660 were John Coggan, £1,339; John Cotton,
£1,038; John Clapp, £1,506; Thomas Dudley, £1,560;
Captain George Dell, £1,506; William Paddy, £"2,221;
Captain William Tinge, £2,774 ; Robert Keayne, £"3,000 ;
John Holland, £3,325; William Paine, £4,230; Henry
Webb, £7>8l9 5 and Jacob Sheafe, £8,528. It would be
an error to assume that the bulk of this wealth was due to
wide domains, for the average plantations in New England
were very small in comparison to those in the South. As a
rule, the personalty far exceeded the realty; land, more
over, was cheap. George Phillips will serve as a type of
the prosperous class of Boston in the early days. He died
in 1644. His estate was appraised at £553. Of this, the
dwelling-house, barn, outhouse and fifteen acres of land
only amounted to £120, whereas the study of books alone
was worth £71-9-0. The house contained a parlour,
hall, parlour chamber, kitchen chamber, kitchen and dairy.
156

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
The hall was furnished with a table, two stools and a chest.
The parlour contained a high curtained bedstead with
feather bed, a long table, two stools, two chairs and a chest
(all made comfortable with six cushions) and a valuable
silver "salt" with spoons. In the other rooms were five
beds, four chests, two trunks, one table, one stool, bed and
table linen, and kitchen stuff. A good example of a
kitchen, that of the Hancock House, Lexington, Mass.,
faces page 155.
William Goodrich, of Watertown (died 1647), is an
example of the settler of moderate means. "His furniture
is evidently of the plainest kind and probably made by a
local joiner, since his cupboard, chest, two boxes, chair-
table, joint stool, plain chair and cowl, are valued at only
eighteen shillings, while the flock bed with its furnishings
is appraised at £5-4-0. The latter, however, is worth
more than half as much as his dwelling house and five and
one-half acres of planting land in the township, three acres
of remote meadow and twenty-five acres of "divident,"
which total only £"io altogether.
The wealth of the settlers consisted, in many cases, of
"English goods" including all kinds of clothing, cotton,
linen, woolen and silk stuffs; and tools, implements, ves
sels and utensils of iron, pewter, brass, wood and earthen
ware. It is surprising, however, on scanning the numer
ous inventories of merchandise, to see how few articles of
furniture were on sale in the various stores. The mani
fest conclusion is that such furniture as was not brought
in by the immigrants was either specially made here or
ordered from local or foreign agents. Henry Shrimpton,
of Boston, who died in 1666 with an estate of £12,000,
had goods to the value of about .£3,300 to supply the
157

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
needs of the community, but practically none of his stock
was wooden furniture.
Thomas Morton, writing in 1632, says: "Handicrafts
men there were but few, the Tumelor or Cooper, Smiths
and Carpenters are best welcome amongst them, shopkeep
ers there are none, being supplied by the Massachusetts
merchants with all things they stand in need of, keeping
here and there fair magazines stored with English goods,
but they set excessive prices on them, if they do not gain
Cent per Cent, they cry out that they are losers."
The first' houses at Plymouth were constructed of
rough-hewn timber with thatched roofs and window panes
of oiled paper. The chimneys were raised outside the
walls, and the hearths laid and faced with stones and clay.
Edward Winslow, who next to Bradford was the leading
spirit in the colony, writes in 1621 : "In this little time
that a few of us have been here, we have built seven dwell
ing houses and four for the use of the plantation, and have
made preparations for divers others." In the same letter
he enjoins his friend to bring plenty of clothes and bed
ding, fowling-pieces and "paper and linseed oil for your
windows with cotton yarn for your lamps."
Quite early, however, imported glass was used in the
windows. In 1629, Higginson writes from Salem to his
friends in England : " Be sure to furnish yourselves with
glass for windows."
Framed houses were constructed very early. Roger
Conant had one that was taken down and re-erected at
Salem on his removal thither in 1628. These dwellings of
course were always in danger on account of the " great fires "
necessitated by the severe winter. Brick therefore was made
as soon as possible, and then the house was built around a
158

CARVED OAK CUPBOARD
Owned by Mr. Walter Hosmer, Wethersfield, Conn. See page 163.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
central chimney stack, big and solid. Before long also,
some houses were built entirely of brick, and glass took
the place of paper in the windows. Glass works were

SETTLE WITH TABLE TOP
Owned by Mr. James Floyd Russell, Lexington, Mass.

established at Salem before 1638, and the glazier appears
among the lists of artisans. In 1652 James Browne, gla
zier, sold a parcel of land in Charlestown. William
Wardell's " glass window, seven foot and the frame," was

'59

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
appraised at seven shillings in 1670. The towns regulated
matters relating to the dwellings. In the town records of
Boston are many entries showing the care exercised : " Oc
tober 26, 1636. Thomas Mount shall have leave to fence
in a peece of the marsh before his house for the makeing
of brick in." In 1658, John Conney presumed to set up
a kiln without permission and was enjoined. The same
year we find an order against the practice of carrying fire
"from one house into another in open fire pans or brands
ends by reason of which great damage may accrew to the
towne." In 1648, permission is given to build porches.
The abundant woods of oak, ash, elm, walnut, maple,
cedar and pine supplied all that was required in the con
struction of the houses and their furniture. Thomas Mor
ton, writing in 1632, says of the red cedar: "This wood
cuts red and is good for bedsteads, tables and chests, and
may be placed in the catelogue of commodities." He
also praises the red oak "for wainscot." "There is like
wise black Walnut of precious use for Tables, Cabinets
and the like."
House-building was of course the first task of the
settlers. A "great house" had already been built in
Charlestown in 1629, and here the Governor and some of
the patentees dwelt. "The multitude set up cottages,
booths and tents about the town hall."
The outfit of the average immigrant was a very simple
one and the wealthier settlers brought in the original ships
only sufficient for the needs of a rough existence. The
finer furniture followed as soon as the reasonable prospect
of permanent settlement warranted. Chests and chairs
that came with the first arrivals are still in existence.
One of these is owned by the Connecticut Historical
160

OAK TABLE WITH BLACK KNOBS
Brought to Salem in 1636. Owned by Mr. John Pickering, Salem, Mass. See page 166,

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

OAK CHEST
Now in the Whipple House, Ipswich, Mass.

Society in Hartford, having been brought over in the
Mayflower by William Brewster the Elder. It is a per
fectly plain chest of painted pine with plain iron handles.
A list of necessaries for the voyage in 1629 includes:
"Fifty mats to be under 50 beds on board ship, 50 rugs,
50 pr. blankets of Welsh cotton, 100 pr. sheets, 50 bed
ticks and bolsters with wool to put in them and Scotch
ticking." A typical oak chest of the period, brought from Eng
land in the ship Lyon about 1637, was presented to the
Historical Society of Rhode Island by William Field, of
Pomfret, Conn., and is now in the 'rooms of this society in
Providence, R. I. It belonged originally to the Field
family. The old oak chest in the accompanying illustra
tion is now in the Whipple House at Ipswich, Mass.

161

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
An example of an immigrant whose possessions were
not limited to the bare necessaries of an indentured servant
is offered by Peter Branch, who died on the Castle on the
voyage to New England in 1639. Besides clothes and
tools, he had a lot of household linen, six cushions, feather
bedding, twenty-seven shillings' worth of red wine, and
several trunks and chests. The total value of his goods
was about £34.
Public and private interests frequently required per
sonal attention in England, and therefore there was much
voyaging back and forth. On their recurn, the travellers
would naturally bring articles that were dearest, or hardest
to get in the colonies. All the products of the loom were
especially profitable, as were also all kinds of wrought
metal. Returning travellers brought home presents for
their families just as they do to-day. On his return from a
visit to England in 1689, the Rev. Samuel Sewall, the
famous diarist, had aboard the America three small trunks
carved with the initials of his children's names and the
year of their birth ; a barrel of books, a sea-chest, a bed
quilt and four blankets, a large trunk marked H. S. with
nails, two other trunks, a deal box of linen, a small case of
liquors and a great case of bottles.
The dangers and discomforts of a voyage at that day
were extreme. It is to be noticed that Mr. Sewall paid
two shillings and nine pence for "a bed of straw to lay
under my feather bed" for the voyage back to Boston.
Perhaps the most calamitous venture in the early days of
New England was that of the Great Ship which carried
large investments of many members of the New Haven
colony and some of its most prominent personages, includ
ing Captain Turner, Mr. Gregson, Mr. Lamberton and
162

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Mrs. Goodyear. The Great Ship was of only 160 tons
burden ; she sailed in 1 646 and was never heard of again.
The loss nearly ruined the little colony and so profoundly
impressed the popular imagination that the vessel's phan
tom became a local legend.
The inventories of the estates of those who were lost
in this disaster afford a clear view of the household goods
of prominent people of the early days of the colony.
George Lamberton was worth £1,200. He was especially
rich in linen (including 80 napkins), bed covering, "car
pets," cupboard, table, board and chimney cloths. He
also owned down and feather beds with "curtains, valence
and stuff for hangings;" 1 silk, 4 window and 8 other
cushions; needlework for a cupboard cloth, £1-10-0; sil
ver plate to the value of £36; 4 chests, 2 trunks and 6
boxes ; 1 1 chairs and 5 stools ; 1 square, 1 round and 1
drawing table; a case of boxes, a cupboard, and fire-irons
and andirons. A globe with a Turkey covering was worth
the large sum of £7 ; and the dwelling, lot, etc., with
outhouses and pump was valued at £255.
The above-mentioned cupboard, adorned with bright
cloths and silver plate, is found in practically every house
hold of the day. A fine specimen of carved oak, belong
ing to Mr. Walter Hosmer, of Wethersfield, Conn., is
represented both open and shut (see frontispiece and
facing page 158). It was called the "court cupboard,"
"press cupboard," or, simply, "cupboard." The present
example was probably brought in by one of the first
settlers, for the upper part has the half hexagon shape
of many of the Elizabethan pieces. (See plate facing
page 36.)
Mr. Thomas Gregson's house had seven or eight rooms.
163

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
The hall contained a table with carpet, a form, a chair, 2
covered chairs, 4 low and 5 joint stools, a clock and a great
chest. The chimney was furnished with andirons, shovel,
tongs, an iron crane and hooks. Two window cushions
made an additional comfortable seat. The other rooms con
tained eight flock and feather beds with curtains, rods, etc.;
there were "hangings for the chamber," window curtains,
and ample bed, table and household linen. Books to the
value of £2-5-0, silver plate (33 oz.), 77 lbs. of pewter
and a warming-pan are also found. The parlour was fur
nished with two tables (one of which was round) one car
pet, one cupboard and cloth, eight chairs with four green
cushions and thirteen stools, four window cushions, ten cur
tains, and andirons, hooks, fire-irons, etc. The house also
contained another table and cupboard. The estate totalled
£490, the house being worth about £148.
Mrs. Goodyear was the wife of the Governor, who sur
vived her twelve years. His inventory (1658), with a total
of £804-9-10, also shows much comfort and elegance.
Coverings, "carpets," hangings, cloths, curtains, cushions
and linen abound. The seats comprise "three covered
chairs, a great chair, twelve lesser chairs, a little chair,
stools, six stools, six joined stools and two plain forms."
Besides curtained beds, the furniture included chests, trunks,
a chest of drawers, a cupboard, a court cupboard, a side
cupboard, a "screetore," a drawing table, a long "draw
table," two round and two small tables. Brass andirons,
silver plate, and the usual pewter and kitchen stuff in suffi
cient quantity are also found.
The "great chair," above mentioned, was undoubt
edly similar to the one opposite, which is a massive
piece of furniture of turned and carved oak. The joints
164

CARVED OAK CHAIR
Brought to Ipswich in 1634. Owned by the Essex Institute, Salem, Mass. See page 165.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
are mortised and tenoned and held together with wooden
pegs. This kind of "baronial oak" was still found in many
houses during the Jacobean period. The desirability of the
ever present cushion is very evident. This handsome
specimen was brought to Ipswich by the Dennis family in
1634, and was presented by Mr. Robert Brookhouse to the
Essex Historical Society, Salem, Mass., in 1 82 1 . A similar
chair, which differs only in carving and inlay, is owned by
Mr. John J. Bingley, of Hanover, Penn. An oak chair
said to have been brought into the country in the Hector
in 1633, among the possessions of the first emigrants to
Newbury, is owned by Miss Poore at Indian Hill, near
Newburyport, Mass.
Mr. Francis Brewster, another of the early notabilities
of New Haven, died in 1647, when the colony had
already lost much of its prosperity. His estate was valued
at £555, whereas four years before it had been valued at
£"i,ooo. In the Great Ship he had lost £50. His "house,
home lot, and all the farm" were appraised at £200. His
furniture was not especially rich, though by no means
plain. An East India quilt and an East India cabinet and
some blue dishes show the intercourse with the neighbour
ing Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam, which was a
great emporium for Oriental goods, as will appear in our
next section. Besides the beds and a good deal of linen and
pewter, the most noticeable articles are a looking-glass, four
window cushions, five other cushions, and three blue chairs.
The only other seats mentioned are three stools. He also
has " two old sackbuts." He was connected with our next
example, Fear Brewster having been married to Isaac Aller-
ton in 1626.
Isaac Allerton, the enterprising and restless gentleman
165

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
trader, fifth signer of the Mayflower compact, lived in
Plymouth, New York, Virginia, and, finally, New Haven.
There he had a " grand house on the creek with four
porches." When it was pulled down the workmen reported
that the timber was all of the finest oak and the " best of
joiners had placed it in position." At his death in 1658,
his estate only amounted to £1 18-5-2. The furniture was
small in quantity, though by no means common. It
included a great chair and two other chairs, a draw table
and a form, a chest of drawers, a small old table, five cush
ions, carpets, beds, five brass candlesticks, and the usual
pewter, andirons, etc.
A fine example of the most fashionable table at this
period faces page 160. It was originally one of the
varieties of small " drawing tables." The top slab is
comparatively new. The great bulbs in the legs are black ¦
with the favourite ebony effect found in all the drawing
tables and so many of the old bedsteads. This is a rare
specimen, as the table with a drawer seldom occurs in the
New England inventories so early as this. It was brought
to Salem by John Pickering in 1636, and has been in the
present Pickering house ever since it was built in 1650,
where it is now in the possession of Mr. John Pickering.
Governor Theophilus Eaton, who was for so long the
dominant figure in the New Haven Colony, had a very fine
home for his numerous family. He died in 1658, and we
cannot find a better example of a man of wealth and posi
tion. Unlike the majority of so many houses of the day, his
hall contained no bed. We find two tables, one round and
one "drawing"; the latter was attended with two long
forms. Then there were two high and four low chairs,
four high and two low stools, and six high joint stools. To
166

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
make these comfortable, there were six green and four set-
work cushions. A livery, or court, cupboard stood against
the wall and was covered with a cloth and cushions. There
were two fireplaces in the hall, garnished with one large
and one small pair of brass, andirons, tongs, fire pans, and
bellows. The tables were adorned with two Turkey car
pets. There was also "a great chair with needlework."
Other articles mentioned are a pewter cistern and a can
dlestick. The livery cupboard above mentioned was prob
ably the "dresser" against which the Governor's violent
wife thumped her step-daughter's (Mistress Mary's) head,
according to the servant's evidence at the lady's trial.
The parlour contained a bedstead and trundle bed, with
curtains and bedding, a great table, a livery cupboard, a
high and a low chair, six high stools with green and red
covers, two low stools and the usual brass chimney ware.
" Mr. Eaton's chamber " contained a canopy bed
with feather bedding, curtains, and valance, a little cup
board with drawers, another bed, bedding and curtains,
two chests, a box, and two cases of bottles, a desk, two
chairs, three high joint stools and three low stools. The
room had hangings, and curtains were at the windows.
The hearth had its usual appointments of brass, and an
iron back.
Other apartments included the " Green Chamber," in
which the table and cupboard cloths, carpets, cushions and
curtains were green and some of them laced and fringed.
There were also Turkey-work and needlework cushions
and rich hangings about the chamber. A bedstead with
down bedding and tapestry covering, a great chair, two
little ones, six low stools, a looking-glass, a couch and
appurtenances, a short table, a cypress chest and a valuable
167

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
"cubbord with drawers" were also found here. The fire
place with brass furnishings was not wanting.
The "Blue Chamber" was also plentifully furnished,
the hangings, rugs and curtains being of the same hue.
A great deal of household linen was kept here in two
trunks, an iron-bound case, and a great cupboard with
drawers, which was worth half as much again as the one
in the " Green Chamber."
There were three other chambers besides the kitchen
and counting-house, all sufficiently furnished. The count
ing-house contained " a cupboard with a chest of drawers,"
which was the most expensive article of furniture in the
house, being valued at £4, a square table, a chair, and
two iron-bound chests, besides some other trifles. The house
contained china, earthenware, pewter, silver plate, and the
usual kitchen stuff; and some books, a globe and a map
valued at £48-15-0 also occur. The total amounted to
£1,440-15-0. The decline of prosperity had affected the
Governor, in common with the rest of the community,
since in 1643 his possessions had been valued at £3,000.
The great cupboard with drawers in the " Blue Cham
ber," as well as those in the " Green Chamber," cannot
be better illustrated than by the example, belonging to
Mr. Charles R. Waters, Salem, Mass., and shown on page
169, the panelling and applied black spindle ornaments of
which were in great favour, during this period, for cup
boards as well as for chests and chests of drawers. These
ornaments were often made of maple and stained black to
represent ebony. When brass trimmings are found, these
are often later additions, as the handles were generally
wooden knobs in character with the spindles. In most of
the cupboards, chests, etc., the drawers are not in pairs, as
168

CLOCK WITH JAPANNED CASE BRASS CLOCK WITHOUT CASE
Made in England. Ovjned by Mr. Walter Hosmer, Owned by Mr. Henry Fitz Waters, Salem, Mass.
Wethersfield, Conn. See page 171. See page 172.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

they appear, and as the knobs and divisions would seem to
show, but are one long drawer, as in this example. (See
also facing page 214.) The compartments above and below
the middle drawer are fitted with shelves. A glance at this
plate will make perfectly clear what is meant by the fre
quent mention of plate
and porcelain on the
cupboard, in the cup
board, and on the
cupboard head. The
cupboard has already
been defined on pages
22 and 36.
The household
possessions, already
enumerated, afford
ample evidence that
comfort and elegance
were by no means rare
in the New England
home during the reign
of Charles I. The
fanatical Puritan, with
his hatred of images
and idolatrous pictures
and carving, was not yet in full control. England was still
the principal battle-ground, and on the execution of the
King in 1 649, the colonies received a large influx of fugi
tive Royalists, followed in turn by Cromwell's followers at
the Restoration eleven years later. Domestic carved oak
naturally shared somewhat in the disgrace into which eccle
siastical art work had fallen in Puritanical minds. The
169

OAK CUPBOARD WITH DRAWERS
In the house of Mr. Charles R. Waters, Salem, Mass.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS-
bare walls and hideous plaster ceiling, for which our thanks
are still due to the Puritan iconoclasts, doubtless extended
their severe influence to the furniture in a "root-and-
branch" community. Anything that recalled the carved
rood screens, high altars, or choir stalls, would be objec
tionable, and so the great carved oak chairs, chests, livery
cupboards, cabinets, etc., became unpopular with this class
on both sides of the water, and Dutch influences in furni
ture reached New England through Leyden and New Am
sterdam even before the style accompanied William of
Orange into Old England. It must not be supposed, how
ever, that all were of the same mind. New England was
not settled exclusively by Nonconformists and schismatics.
Roger Conant was a good type of the Episcopalian, and Sir
Christopher Gardiner was as dissolute and turbulent as the
average cavalier was reputed to be by the godly. Men of
birth and breeding, men accustomed to courts and kings'
chambers, men of means and respectability, were by no
means the exception in the various settlements. Sir Harry
Vane was only a sojourner in the land; but the Saltonstalls
were aristocratic settlers. Ladies of title also did not hesi
tate to cross the seas and incur the hardships and dangers
of a frontier life. Among others there was Lady Arabella
Johnson, the daughter of an English earl. She, however,
died at Salem within a month of her arrival, in August,
1630; and her husband soon followed her. Lady Susan
Humfrey, sister of the Earl of Lincoln, also .arrived at
Boston in 1634. It was not poverty that brought them
here. Then there was Lady Moody, a cousin of Sir H.
Vane, who came to Salem in 1639. Unfortunately, she
seriously differed with the local authorities on the subject
of baptism and found it convenient to proceed further be-
170

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
fore very long. In 1643 slle went to Gravesend (L. I.),
and died there in 1659. Isaac Allerton successfully steered
his political craft through the shoals and breakers of the
corrupt Stuart court ; and Brewster had been with Secretary
Davison before he fell into disgrace with the Virgin Queen.
Men of position, wealth and learning came to New Eng
land in considerable numbers.
In 1638 Winthrop notes in his diary: "Many ships
arrived this year, with people of good quality and estate,
notwithstanding the Council's order that none such should
come without the King's order." Among those who in
tended to come, history mentions Oliver Cromwell himself.
If he had not been prevented, Charles I. might not have
lost his head. Some of those who arrived were quite
wealthy : Thomas Flint, of Concord, brought in an estate
of ^£2,000. Numerous inventories show that this class of
settlers was not satisfied with such primitive furniture as
could be constructed with a hammer, board and nails.
"Baronial oak," plate, pictures, clocks, fine linen, tapestry
and other hangings testify of luxury in addition to mere con
venience. It is noticeable too that even ministers of the Gos
pel would "manage to submit to these luxurious superflui
ties." The Rev. John Norton's inventory (Boston, 1663)
amounted to ,£2,095-3-0. Among his numerous posses
sions were 729 books, ,£300 ; 1 32 oz. of plate, £33 : a case
of drawers containing English and Spanish coins, £135;
and a clock and case in the parlour. Another divine who
owned something beyond his staff and scrip was the Rev.
Joseph Haines, of Hartford. In 1679, his estate totalled
£"2,280. Mr. Norton's clock and case is a very early instance of
the tall clock. An early example of one with a japanned
171

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
case faces page 168. According to the name on the dial,
it was made by Thomas Gardner, who was a member of
the London Society of Clockmakers in 1687. This speci
men belongs to Mr. Walter Hosmer, Wethersfield, Conn.
The brass clock without case is of earlier date. It was
made by Jno. Snatt, of Ashford, and belongs to Mr. Henry
Fitz Waters, Salem, Mass.
Evidence of " bravery," fashion and other worldly
vanities are plainly visible in New England during the
seventeenth century, despite the efforts of the city fathers
to repress such forms of sin. The pursuit of worldly
pleasure gave great trouble to the patriarchs. The taste
for elegance in the home, or the love of fine linen, was
not left behind in England by all the pilgrims, by any
means. An extract from a letter written by Winthrop in
1630 shows how serious the evil was in some cases. "A
godly woman of the church of Boston, dwelling sometime
in London, brought with her a parcel of very fine linen of
great value, which she set her heart too much upon, and
had been at charge to have it all newly washed and cur
iously folded and pressed, and so left it in the press in her
parlour over night. She had a negro maid who went into
the room very late, and let fall some snuff of the candle
upon the linen, so as by morning all the linen was burned
to tinder, and the boards underneath, and some stools and
a part of the wainscot burned, and never perceived by any
in the house, though some lodged in the chamber over
head, and no ceiling between. But it pleased God that the
loss of this linen did her much good, both in taking off her
heart from worldly comforts, and in preparing her for a far
greater affliction by the untimely death of her husband,
who was slain not long after at Isle of Providence."
172

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
The press mentioned above is plainly not a press cup
board, so often occurring in the inventories, but the screw-
press which is still used in some modern households for
keeping the linen smooth. The linen must have been ex
posed for the maid to be able to drop candle snuff upon it.
The "boards underneath" also show what it was.
Skilled craftsmen were among the immigrants, not
merely carpenters and housewrights, but turners, joiners,
cabinet-makers and even carvers ; and these men were
quite capable of making all the furniture in fashion from
the excellent and varied timber that abounded in the woods.
The principal woods used were oak, ash, elm, walnut,
maple and pine. Red cedar also frequently occurs. As
new fashions were introduced from abroad, they were
copied here, and the constant arrivals of English and
foreign workmen rendered importations unnecessary ex
cept in the case of what only the rich could afford. Even
the joiners seem to have produced most of their work to
order and to have kept a modest stock. As an example, we
may take David Saywell, who died in Boston in 1672. He
was an Englishman who came from Salisbury. His goods
on sale consisted of "new bedsteads, 32 shillings ; 10 joint
stools and 6 chair frames, £2 ; 24 pairs of iron screws and
nuts, £2-8-0; glue, 3 shillings; 2 chests, 3 tables, 1 cup
board, 2 desks, 2 boxes, 2 cabinets and some new work in
the shop not finished; working tools, a lathe and benches
in the shop, £5; boards and timber in the yard, £14."
John Scotton, another joiner of the same township (died
1678), had in his shop: 4 boxes, 7 shillings; 3 chests, 18
shillings; 2 bedsteads, £1-12-0; 1 chest with drawers, £2 ;
and boards, plank, timber and joiner's tools to the value of
£20-6-5. Three pounds was quite a high price for a chest
173

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
of drawers at that day, and shows that it must have been
an unusually fine piece of workmanship.
An example of an ornate chest with drawers of native
manufacture faces page 176. It consists of two long
drawers beneath a roomy well, the whole supported by four
plain square legs. The ornamentation consists of maple
or birch applied spindles, stained to imitate ebony, and
painted panels. The designs are conventional roses and
leaves of ivory-white and rich red, and the panels are of
soft wood, as was customary with painted chests made in
Connecticut and the vicinity during the seventeenth cen
tury. Sometimes, in similar specimens, the colouring is blue
and green. This piece belongs to Mr. Walter Hosmer,
of Wethersfield, Conn., and has been in the possession of
the present owner's family for several generations.
Labour was of course particularly valuable in the new
colonies. In 1626, the court of Plymouth Colony decreed
that " no handicrafts men soever as taylors, shoemakers, car
penters, joiners, smiths, sawiers, or whatsoever which doe
or may reside or belong to this plantation of Plimoth shall
use their science or trads at home or abroad, for any
strangers or foriners till such time as the necessity of the
colony be served." In 1630, the rate of skilled labour was
sixteen pence per day. In 1633, master carpenters, saw
yers, joiners, etc., are forbidden to receive above two shil
lings per day, "finding themselves dyett," and not above
fourteen pence if boarded. The joiners who came here
were not all indentured servants; some were already pros
perous tradesmen in England. In 1637, Samuel Dix, joiner,
left Norwich for Boston with his wife, two children and two
apprentices, William Storey and Daniel Linsey. In 1635,
John Davies, aged twenty-nine, arrived in the Increase;
174

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
and Ralph Mason, aged thirty-five, with wife and four chil
dren in the Abigail. A joiner named Edward Johnson,
who was certainly prosperous, arrived two years later from
Canterbury, with his wife, seven children and three ser
vants. Two Salem joiners mentioned in 1665 and 1671
were Samuel Belknap and John Taylor.
Although skilled labour was a great desideratum in New
England, the town authorities were very careful not to
admit shiftless persons into the community. Somebody had
to go bail for every new comer who was without visible
means of support. Numerous instances of this custom ex
ist. For example, on August 30, 1680, we read: " I, John
Usher, of Boston, merchant, bind me unto Captain Thomas
Brattle, treasurer of the said town in the sum of forty
pounds that William Smith, joiner, shall not be chargeable
to the town." Again on December 25, 1680, we find that
Robert Medlecot, merchant, signed the bond of John Blake,
joiner. There seems to have been nothing approaching a
guild, or solidarity, in the various trades: those who went
on the bond of others were not necessarily of the same
trades. To take a few examples: October 31, 1681, William
Taylor and Eliakim Hutchinson became sureties to the
town for John Clarke, cabinet-maker, and Robert Holland,
joiner, and their families. June 25, 1682, Manasses Beck,
joiner, is surety for John Hayward, shopkeeper, and family ;
July 31, 1682, Ebenezer Savage, upholsterer, for John Bur-
der and family; July 30, 1683, William Killcupp, turner,
for Roger Killcupp and family; David Edwards, mariner,
for William Davis, clockmaker and family ; Joshua Lamb of
Roxbury, merchant, for John Wolfenderer, upholsterer, and
family; October 27, 1684, Thomas Stapleford, chairmaker,
'75

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
for Thomas Mallet, draper, and family; August 5, 1685,
Thomas Wyborne and Stephan Sergeant for Joseph Hill,
varnisher, and family; March 31, 1690, Solomon Rayns-
ford, joiner, for Edward Morse and family ; May 7, 1 697,
Jeremiah Bumstead, joiner, for Provided Medwinter and
family; June 24, 1700, William Crow, trunkmaker, for
Exercise Connant and family. In a list of persons not ad-

OAK CRADLE AND TABLE
Belonging to the Coffin family. Now owned by the Newburyport Historical Society.
mitted as inhabitants of Boston in 1683 we find one "Alex
ander More, upholsterer, at Philip Squires."
On this page is shown an oak cradle made in 1680 by
Sergeant Stephen Jacques for John, the eldest son of Moses
and Lydia Coffin. The oak table belonged to Joseph
Coffin of the same family. Both pieces were presented to
the Newburyport Historical Society by H. and A. Little,
of Peabody, Mass. Sergeant Jacques was a master work
man who built the meeting-house.
Prosperous joiners and turners were plentiful throughout
New England. In 1647, Edward Larkin of Charleston,
turner, sold a tenement. Thomas Roads was a joiner of
i76

OAK CHEST WITH DRAWERS AND PAINTED PANELS
Owned by Mr Walter Hosmer, Wethersfield, Conn. See page 174.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
local importance at Kittery, Me., in 1680, and his name
appears in many deeds. Others of that trade in York
County were Philip Hubbard, Joseph Hill, Nathaniel
Mendum (Portsmouth), Samuel Brackit, Joseph Harris,
John Norton, and John Woodbridge of Newbury, who was
quite wealthy. It must be remembered that the joiner
was what we now call the cabinet-maker. The latter term
seldom appears in the records, though, as we have noted,
John Clarke, cabinet-maker, went to Boston in 1681.
The brave Phineas Pratt, prominent in the disasters
that overtook Thomas Weston's colony in Weymouth in
1622, was a joiner; so also was Kenelm Wynslow, of Ply
mouth in 1 634 ; a certain John Jenny was apprenticed to the
latter for five years, and died in 1672. Others of that craft
who lived at Boston during the seventeeth century included
Jacob Fernside, Samuel Chanler, Samuel Clough, Thomas
Edwards, William Smith, Thomas Hichborne, David Ste
phens, Mathew Turner, Richard Draper, George Nicker-
son, Jacob Halloway, William Wilson, John White,
William Payne, Thomas Livermore, William Howel, John
Pricherd, Henry Messenger, Ralph Carter, John Cunnabel
and Thomas Warren. Henry Messenger was a joiner
residing in Boston prior to 1640; he died in 1 681, owning
property appraised at £500. To his eldest son John he
left "five shillings and no more for reasons best known to
myself." Another son, Henry, was a joiner also. He died in
1686 worth £338. His timber, boards, plank, working tools
and glue at the shop were valued at £12-9-6. He did not
keep any stock. He had an apprentice named Benjamin
Threadneedle. The records occasionally give us a hint of
the actual work done by these local tradesmen. Captain
William Hudson, who seems to have kept an inn, died in
177

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

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1690. At that day the public rooms had distinguishing
names. In this case the rooms were called the " Rose," " An
chor," " Castle," and "Swan." The " Castle " and " Swan "
contained two
cupboards, each
appraised at eight
shillings, made by
Nathaniel Adams
of Boston. At
his death in 1690,
the latter had ash,
oak, ironwood and
lignum-vitas in his
shop. Thomas
Livermore had in
his shop at his
death in 1710,
" two cases of
drawers part made,
and 100 feet of
black walnut,
£2-15-0." Ralph
Carter (died
1699) was worth
£72, of which his tools and turning- wheel came to £6.
Matthew Smith, turner, and Thomas Webb and Jonathan
Wardell, joiners, also lived in Boston at the close of the
century. The latter was quite wealthy, his estate amount
ing to £1,207 at ^is death in 1721.
The example, on this page, of an oak court cupboard,
supposed to have been made by a New England joiner, is
owned by Mr. George Dudley Seymour, of New Haven,
178

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COURT CUPBOARD
Owned by Mr. George Dudley Seymour, New Haven, Conn.

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THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Conn. Ebony was scarce in this country, and therefore
the black egg ornaments and turned pillars of this piece
are of white wood stained black to represent this wood.
However, it is not to be concluded from this fact that every
specimen with stained black ornaments is of native make,
for pieces of English and Flemish make frequently have
ornaments of pear and other woods stained in imitation of
ebony. It will be noticed that this specimen is almost
identical with the one on page 207.
Although New England possessed such varied and
bountiful woods, choice foreign timber was not entirely
despised. Even cedar was brought in from Bermuda and
used in the construction of chests, and yet mahogany,
strange to say, was very slow in coming into favour, even if
it was generally known to the cabinet-makers. It seems to
have been practically non-existent in Boston till about
1730, when an occasional table or dressing-box begins to
appear in the inventories. The amount of furniture made
in the colonies, however, must have been considerable,
since it became an article of trade with the southern colo
nies, and articles of New England furniture are expressly
mentioned in the Charleston inventories. Delicate work
manship was at the command of the native cabinet-makers.
Edward Budd, a carver by trade, was living in Boston as
early as 1678 ; Richard Knight was another who paid his
tax in 1685, and the names of other members ofthe same
craft would reward research.
A specimen of native carving of this period faces page
178. It is a panelled oak chest with one drawer, and be
longs to Mr. Walter Hosmer, Wethersfield, Conn.
Another branch of the business was upholstery. Joseph
Juet, an upholsterer, appears on the Boston tax list for
'79

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
1688. A set of carpenter's and joiner's tools is found in
the inventory of many a yeoman, husbandman and trades
man, so that much household furniture of the rougher sort,
such as boards and trestles, forms, benches, settles, stools,
etc., must have been knocked together for common use by
many a householder. To be handy with the tools was a
common accomplishment. Entries in the diary of the
Rev. Jasper Green, of Salem, at the close of this period,
show that members of the ministry took pleasure in man
ual labor of all kinds. The following are a few examples :
" 1707, Apr. 1, Turned the entry door. Apr. 9, Saml
Goodale making our clock case. May 6, Very busy fin
ishing our clock case. May 9, Coloured our clock case.
Aug. 1 1 , I got the mantel-tree."
In the early part of this century, chairs were the seats
of the mighty only ; the more prosperous households rarely
contained more than two or three, and these are usually
found in the hall. The chair was a seat of ease for rest
after the day's toil ; it also had a certain dignity, and was
reserved for the heads of the house. Stools, forms and set
tles constituted the ordinary seats. In 1652, the only seats
in Adam Winthrop's house were four chairs, a settle-chair and
fourteen stools. Before 1650, the inventories seldom specify
the kind of chair ; but there were few varieties. The value
of the ordinary chair was very slight; a common entry in
the inventories is a trifling sum set down to "wooden
goods and other lumber," thus contemptuously dismissing
all the wooden furniture in the house. The cheapest kinds
of chairs that were considered worth separate appraisement
were eight pence each, which sum was a joiner's wages for
about half a day. The prices vary greatly, however. In
1646, four chairs and six stools come to forty shillings;
1X0

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

CARVED OAK CHAIR
Owned by Mr. Walter Hosmer, Wethersfield, Conn.
and in 1652 four small chairs are six shillings, while two
chairs and a child's chair are five times as much.
The child's chair was very general. It is noticeable
that its form has not changed to the present day. It was
made of oak, and several carved examples of a child's chair

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
with solid back, sides and seat still exist in museums. The
more usual kind, however, had turned arms, rungs and up
rights, and was rush- or sedge-bottomed. A bar was fitted
into holes at the ends of the arms to keep the child from
falling out, and a foot-rest was fitted at a convenient height
as in the modern chairs. William Blanchard (1652) had
a child's chair which, together with two others, evidently
of the same make (carved oak probably, considering the
very high price), was valued at £1-10-0. An example of
a child's chair faces this page. It was brought from Eng
land by Richard Mather in 1635. It long remained in
the family and was used by Increase, Cotton, and Samuel
Mather. The foot-rest has been lost, but the holes are still
visible ; the rod that served to keep the child from falling out
has also disappeared with time. The chair is now in the
rooms of the American Antiquarian Societv at Worcester,
Mass. The various kinds mentioned were the "wainscot," or
oak, chair with solid sides, seat and back, sometimes plain,
and sometimes ornamented with carving in relief; the
turned chair, with massive and ugly legs, rungs and back
bars; "matted," "bass," "wicker," "joined," "wrought,"
Turkey-work and leather chairs. With the exception
of "wainscot," the wood is rarely mentioned, although
black walnut was rapidly growing in favour as a substitute
for oak and was soon to take its place.
An example of the carved oak chair has already been
given facing page 164. Another without arms, belonging
to Mr. Walter Hosmer, Wethersfield, Conn., appears on
page 181.
The leather chair existed in several varieties and was
expensive. The seven leather chairs in John Cotton's
182

TABLE
From the collection of the Wayside Inn, Sudbury, Mass.
See page 202.

Owned by Mr. E. R. Lemon.

CHILD'S CHAIR
Owned by the American Antiquarian Society,
Worcester, Mass. See page 182.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

CARVED OAK CHAIR AND CHAIR ORIGINALLY COVERED WITH LEATHER
From the house of Mr. Charles R. Waters, Salem, Mass

Great Parlour in 1652 cost ^£3, which was also the value
of the eight "red leathered back chairs and two low
leather back stools" standing in the parlour of Captain
William Tinge in 1653; whereas the "seven leather and
one green chair" in the hall of Major-General Gibbons in
1654 were worth only £1. William Paddy had "eleven
Russia leather chairs in the hall, at eleven shillings, and five
others, .£3-5-0," in 1658; and six old leather chairs be
longing to John Coggan at the same date were together
183

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

CANE CHAIR AND CHAIR ORIGINALLY COVERED WITH LEATHER
Both specimens are owned by Miss Hayes, Cambridge, Mass.
valued at twelve shillings. This John Coggan was a mer
chant who in 1633 opened the first shop in Boston. In
1659, Jacob Sheafe's estate included twelve red leather
chairs, £5. The leather chair was therefore worth from
two to thirteen shillings, and was found only in the best
houses. The above gentlemen were all wealthy Bostonians.
The leather chairs were made high and low, with and
without arms. The high one in its simplest form was
what is now commonly known as the Venetian chair, and
was very general throughout Western Europe in the late
Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. It had a square frame
184

RUSH-BOTTOMED CHAIR
Originally owned by Philip Reed (idgS) ; novu in the Antiquarian Society, Concord, Mass.
See page 187.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
and was slightly carved on the front feet, projecting ends
of the arms, and tops of the back supports on which the
leather was fastened with brass studs. The top of the back
usually rose in a curved peak and the arms were slightly
curved and ended in a scroll. The leather back did not
come all the way down to the seat. The seat was also
covered with leather fastened down with studs. The arms
of the owner were often stamped upon the centre of the
leather back. The low leather chair was still simpler,
with square frame, the leather leaving the lower part of the
back open. More elaborate specimens, such as the Spanish
chairs made of chestnut, had dark brown leather stamped
with scrolls, birds, animals and floral designs. The frame
work was carved with leafwork and scrolls, similar to the
cane-backed walnut chair, which it closely resembled.
This style of chair has already been fully illustrated in
Parts I. and II. Two additional examples may be seen
on pages 183 and 184. These were low leather chairs,
although now upholstered with modern materials: that on
page 183, with a carved oak front bar, is now in the home
of Mr. Charles R. Waters, Salem, Mass. The second one
on page 184 is of somewhat later date and is owned by
Miss Hayes, in Cambridge, Mass.
The wicker chair of woven willow and other pliant
twigs occurs quite early. It was cushioned and luxurious,
and worth as much as a good leather chair. In 1652,
John Cotton's wicker chair was set down at six shillings
and eight pence, — eight pence more than his four bass
chairs. Four shillings was the sum credited to another
belonging to William Paddy six years later. In Henry
Webb's bedroom (1660) was a wicker chair and cushion,
£0-5-0. In 1646, Christopher Stanley had "one Cabbin
185

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

RUSH-BOTTOM AND CANE CHAIRS
The central one transformed into a rocking chair. Owned by the Connecticut Historical Society,
Hartford, Conn.

and one wicker chair, £1-10-0," — an exceedingly high
price. The bass-bottomed chair was worth from one to two,
the "mat" chair from two to three, and the joined chair
from four to five shillings. The value of the "sedge"
chair was about eighteen pence. Rush-, reed- and sedge-
bottomed chairs were very plentiful and popular.
The rush-bottomed chair was often painted green, the
fashion having been brought in by the English settlers from
Leyden. In North Holland this "green" chair was uni
versally used during the seventeenth century, and the name
frequently occurs in the New England inventories. Another
green chair often mentioned, however, is of quite a different
nature and far more costly.
Examples of rush-bottomed chairs are shown facing

186

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

RUSH-BOTTOM, TURNED AND CANE CHAIRS
Owned by the Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, Conn.

page 184 and on pages 186 and 187. The one facing page
184 originally belonged to Philip Reed (1698) and is now
in the Antiquarian Society, Concord, Mass. It is an early
example of the "wing chair." The back and sides are
covered with a gay flowered cretonne. The rush-bottomed
chair with back of slats painted black, on this page, be
longed to the Stanley family of Connecticut and is now
owned by the Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford,
Conn. The central chair on this page is an oak turned
chair of the seventeenth century, clumsy and heavy ; to the
right of this is a cane chair that came from the Wyllys
home, Charter Oak. It is interesting to compare this with
one of Penn's chairs on page 85. These specimens are in
the possession of the Connecticut Historical Society, Hart
ford, Conn., which also owns the pieces represented on page
186. The one in the centre is an old chair. It has been

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
transformed into a rocking chair in the rudest manner and
feeble arms painted black have been added. The chair to
its right has four splats rounded at the back and cut flat in
front. The third chair is rush-bottomed with split balus
ters in the back.

CANE CHAIRS
Owned by the American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Mass.

The three chairs from the American Antiquarian So
ciety, Worcester, Mass., are also typical forms of this period.
In some of the wealthier houses, the severe form of
chair that had to be made really comfortable with a cushion
was supplemented by another kind that made its way into
England from Venice. The chairs were upholstered on
the arms, seat and back, and the legs were made in the

188

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
shape of a curved X. Many examples of this style of chair
are to be seen in the seventeenth-century pictures. The
chairs were accompanied with stools and often with foot
stools, also supported by the curved X legs, and with stuffed
seats. Two armchairs and six stools made up the set, and
an upholstered sofa, or couch, often went with it. These
were certainly brought into New England before 1650, and
the favourite colours in which the pieces were upholstered
were red, green and blue. Captain William Tinge (1653)
had in his hall " one great green chair, six high back chairs
and two low back chairs, and one old green elbo chair all
cased, £6"; and "one green couch laid with a case,
^2-10-0." In another room there was "a great cushion
for a couch, £1." These high prices show that the arti
cles belonged to the class of sumptuous furniture. An in
teresting example of a couch of cane, with an armchair
the seat of which should be cane like the back, appears on
page 190. These pieces originally belonged to the
Bulkeley family and are owned by the Antiquarian Society,
Concord, Mass. The hall of Major-General Gibbons
(1654) contained one green and seven leather chairs valued
at £1. Velvet and damask were the materials used in
upholstering these chairs. William Paine (1660) had
four red stools and two red cloth chairs with fringe.
Major-General Gibbons possessed ten yellow damask chairs
which, although old, were worth £4-10-0. In the inven
tory of the late Comfort Starr of Boston (1659) a "great
damask chair" also occurs. The hall chamber of Henry
Webb (1660) contained "seven green chairs and stools,
four with fringes and three with galloone, £3-10-0;" and
twelve leather chairs, six low and six high, £4-4-0. These
"green" chairs were therefore in the same class with the
189

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

CANE COUCH AND ARMCHAIR
Owned by the Bulkeley family, now by the Antiquarian Society, Concord, Mass.

finest Russia-leather chairs of the day and must not be
confounded with the Dutch green rush-bottomed chairs.
The Turkey-work chair was also in use before 1650.
It was equal in value to the best leather chair. In 1658,
William Paddy had two, valued at sixteen shillings each;
but it became cheaper before long. Its bright-coloured
worsted designs made it very popular and, as chairs came
into common use during the second half of the century, it
was found in almost every household.
As we have seen, the stools which accompanied the
chairs sometimes had cross legs, curved or straight, and
padded seats covered with the same material as the chairs.
The edges were usually fringed.
The buffet (not tuffet), the seat occupied by Little Miss
Muffet of nursery-rhyme fame, has nothing to do with the

190

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
other buffet (spelt beaufait and beaufitt in the inventories
on its appearance late in the century) and must be carefully
distinguished from it. In 1 6 1 1 Cotgrave had defined the
French word scabeau as a "buffit or joined stool to sit on."
In Skinner's Etymologicon (1671) it is described as "a light
seat without arms or back, indeed it may easily supply the
place of a table." It usually had four turned legs with con
necting stretchers close to the ground, and thus resembled
a miniature table.
Governor Thomas Dudley's parlour chamber (1653)
contained "a chair and two buffet stools and cover for chair,
seventeen shillings; two green buffet stools, a livery cup
board and cloth, fourteen shillings." Other stools were the
joint stools, and low and high stools. These had three or
four legs, and were often made comfortable with cushions.
Dudley's parlour contained "six joine stools, three chairs
and ten cushions."
John Cotton (1652) had 26 chairs, including a little
table chair, about 30 stools, 6 forms, and a couch. Cap
tain Tinge's seats consisted of one form, one couch, 1 8
chairs and 20 stools. The latter were in considerable variety,
consisting of 4 back stools, 4 low stools, 2 low stools with
blue covers, 2 low stools with leather backs, 6 high Tur
key-work stools, and 2 low leather stools. Thus stools
were upholstered with the same material as chairs, and the
addition of backs makes it hard to draw a sharp line be
tween stools and chairs.
The foot-stool is seldom mentioned : Thomas Thatcher
has a cricket in 1686.
During the second half of the century, chairs became
much more plentiful, and a prosperous home contained a
great variety while the stools gradually diminished in num-
'9'

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
ber. In 1656, the wealthy Robert Keayne had only
half a dozen chairs in the house, the other seats being
stools and forms. Henry Shrimpton (1666) owned forty-
two chairs and twenty-four stools. Antipas Boyse (1669)
had forty-seven chairs and twenty-one stools. The varie
ties in these two houses included leather work with backs,
low leather, Turkey-work, arm, wicker, low green, turned,
low, child's, and matted high chairs; forty-two ofthe eighty-
nine being some form of leather. The stools were joint,
leather, wrought, and "cushion." In 1672, William Whit
tingham possessed forty-two chairs and but two wrought
stools. These included fourteen Turkey-work, eight Russia
leather, six calves' leather, one child's high, large arm, six
low chairs with covers and silk fringes and "six covered
with bayes." Richard Bellingham's stools were six and his
chairs twenty-six in number in the same year. Among
them were eight turned chairs with sedge bottoms and two
cushions. In 1675, Captain Scarlet had 6 Turkey-work, 2 wicker,
I great wicker, 3 blue, 6 red, 6 high leather, and 10 red
damask chairs. No stools are mentioned in his house, nor
in those of John Freack (1675) and Nathan Raynsford
(1676) who possessed forty-five and twenty-five chairs
respectively. In 1677, Hanna Douglas has seven serge and four small
green chairs, and Hope Allen has a large and a small green
chair and two green stools, worth £1-3-0.
No stools are in the inventory of Humphrey Warren
(1680), nor of Jeremiah Cushing (1681): their chairs
numbered sixty-three and fifty-one. John Wensley (1686)
owned sixty-two chairs and six stools; Captain Thomas
Berry (1697) fifty chairs and one stool; and Robert Brons-
192

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
den (1702), sixty-nine chairs. The chairs and stools
upholstered in red, green and blue are found in the best
houses until the end ofthe century. In 1691 Dr. Jonathan
Avery has "two red buffet stools wrought," twelve shil-

CARVED OAK CHAIR FROM NOVA SCOTIA AND CHAIR (CANE AND
OAK) FROM THE WYLLYS HOME
Both specimens are owned by Mrs. Wainwright, Hartford, Conn. See page 194.
lings; and four green ones, sixteen shillings. The cheaper
"green" chair also lingers: John White (1690) has "Six
green flag bottom chairs," nine shillings. The material
with which the seats were upholstered was often hand
worked: John Clarke (1691) had five needlework chairs
worth five shillings each. There was more than one variety
193

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
of the Turkey-work chair. Besides a cushioned armchair
in Robert Bronsden's hall (1702), there were "six Turkey-
work chairs," best sort, £3, and twelve ditto, worst sort,
£3-12-0. A very handsome carved oak chair, the seat of
which was originally cane like the back, was brought by
Bishop Wainwright from Nova Scotia. This is owned by
Mrs. Wainwright, Hartford, Conn. On the same plate is
a cane chair of the period. This belonged to the Wyllys
family, at Charter Oak, and is also owned by Mrs.
Wainwright. A similar chair from Charter Oak, be
longing to the same set, appears on page 187. The cane
of these is particularly fine and gives a handsome effect.
The chair towards the end of the century is losing its
rigid lines and submitting to the curves, sometimes gro
tesque, ofthe Dutch cabinet-makers. The turned legs with
"Spanish feet," sometimes straight and sometimes scrolled,
gradually develop well-defined knees and become cabriole
legs with hoof and similar feet, at the same time dispensing
with the curved front rail and turned straining-rails. The
cane frame of the back is first divided in half by a central
vertical bar, then the cane on either side disappears, leaving
the splat, which is then rendered ornamental by cutting it
into various forms. A glance at page 1 84 and page 1 86
will show this development. Presently the jar shape splat
becomes the favourite; this is then pierced and carved,
gradually following much the same course as Gothic win
dow tracery. Meantime, the carved top sinks into simple
curves that also develop into more elegant forms of the
bow shape. The French Renaissance is rapidly making its
influence felt in the second half of the century, and the
Dutch are applying the squat forms they receive from the
Orient. The carved oak period has passed and the cabriole
194

SETTLE WITH FOLDING CANDLESTAND
From the Talcott House. Owned by Mrs. Wainwright, Hartford, Conn.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
leg, bombe shapes, and hoof and ball-and-claw feet are
obtainable by those who like the new style. It is difficult
to trace its coming in default of contemporary notice, but
the change was by no means violent or sudden. A book
had been published as early as 1550, by Jacques Androuet,
in which there was a good deal of what we now call
Pompeian design, although it did not become fashionable
till the discovery of the buried city nearly two centuries
later. In Androuet's book we also find a good deal of
what is now styled "Louis Quatorze." Moreover, the leg
of a table or a chair ending in an eagle's or dog's claw, and
ornamented at the top with a low-relief acanthus leaf, is
there exactly. Androuet also uses for ornamentation what
Chippendale called " terms." Attention to these facts is
drawn by Heaton in his Furniture and Decoration in England
During the Eighteenth Century (London 1890-93).
Finally we have forms, settles, settle-chairs and table-
chairs or chair-tables. The settle with its high back,
pulled beside or in front of the fire, was a welcome shield
against the bitter winter gusts that penetrated the wooden
walls of the ordinary house. One of these, with folding
candlestand, was long in the Talcott house, Hartford.
This is shown facing page 194. It is owned by Mrs.
Wainwright, Hartford, Conn. The settle was frequently
carved and sometimes had a well, or a drawer, in the seat.
Cushions often added to its comfort. A small settle was
worth six shillings in 1652. A settle with drawers was
appraised at one pound on the death of Thomas Scottow
in 1 66 1. Occasionally a " settle chair " is mentioned. The
small settle was sometimes a combination table and settle,
the back turning on a pin and forming the table-top, like
the chair-table which was found in many houses (see page
¦ys

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
159). William Ludkin possessed an old chair-table valued
at two shillings and six pence in 1652. In 1658, John
Coggan had in his parlour " two table chairs, eight shil
lings " ; and Francis Chickering of Dedham in the same
year had a chair table, £2 ; so that the value of this ar
ticle of furniture varies surprisingly, the difference being
doubtless due to carved or inlaid ornamentation. A valu
able settee (£2) is found among the household goods of
William Bartlett of Hartford, in 1658. A fine Turkey-
work settee of this period faces page 198. This was
brought to Salem from Normandy by a Huguenot family
about 1686. It is owned by the heirs of John Appleton
and is now in the Essex Institute, Salem, Mass. The
frame is oak and the colours of the Turkey-work are rose,
blue, buff and light brown, curiously mixed with green,
magenta and black.
Twenty years ago the average house was severe and
bare so far as cushions were concerned ; a soft cushion in
a chair or on a sofa was a rarity. The taste for everything
Oriental has changed all that, and hard horsehair has been
practically banished, but we have only returned to the lik
ings of our Puritan forefathers after all.
The stiffness and severity of the carved oak furniture
was, as we have seen, greatly relieved by cushions. These
are found in profusion in all the comfortable homes.
There were cushions on the window-seat, on the chairs, on
the settles, on the stools, and even on the cupboards. They
were stuffed with down, feathers, flock, cat-tails and any
thing at hand that would serve. The coverings and cases
for these cushions were even more varied than the filling.
The ordinary cushion was worth about a shilling, and in
1666 feathers were worth eleven pence per pound. Henry
196

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Shrimpton possessed 834 pounds at that price. It is there
fore evident that the shilling cushion did not contain feath
ers. John George of Watertown (1646) had 11 cushions,
£1-10-0, kind not specified. Some of the materials with
which cushions were covered appear from the following en
tries ; 2 Turkey-work cushions, 1 646 ; 3 gilt do, £0-8-0,
1650; 5 Turkey-work do, £1-2-6, 1652. Captain
Tinge owned (1653) "6 raught window cushions in the
presse, ^£2-0-0 ; 6 green do, £0-18-0; 6 Turkey do,
£0-18-0; a great cushion for the couch, £153 pair
window cushions, £2; 1 velvet window do, £0-12-0;
and 10 old cushions, £0-16-0." Simon Eire (1653) had
6 cushions, £2 ; 1 window do, 5 pieces of stuff for 1 1
cushions and 2 pieces of fringe, £1-13-0. Major-General
Gibbons had 3 1 cushions, including "11 window cushions,
4 damask, 4 velvet, 2 leather, 1 Turkey-work, £1-10-0."
Anne Hibbins (1656) owned a green say cushion ; a " vio
let pinckt cushion, three shillings ; " a velvet do, ten shil
lings ; and a " wrought cushion with gold, five shillings."
The material with which the cushions were covered fre
quently matched the curtains and valance, especially in the
rich stuffs. The " carpets " and " cupboard cloths " were
sometimes uniform also with the cushions and curtains.
Needlework on the material was highly prized, and the
ladies found time for much work of that nature. The
above Anne Hibbins had in addition to her cushions : " a
wrought cupboard cloth or great cushion cloth, green say
valance, 1 green cupboard cloth with silk fringe, 1 green
wrought do with do (£2), 1 wrought valliants, 5 painted
calico curtains and valence, 1 cupboard cloth with fringe,
and 1 wrought Holland cupboard cloth." Bridget Busby
(1660) had 8 cushions, and 2 needlework cushions worth
197

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
twice as much as all the others together. She also owned
one wrought tester valued at £2-4-0. This sum was
more than the total of the furniture of her room, which
consisted of a table and form, a round table, two chairs, a
stool, two covered stools, six pictures, a great chest, and
irons, and " some odd trifles over the door." Among
Henry Webb's twenty-seven cushions, we note six green
cushions mixed with yellow, velvet do, fringed and
wrought do ; and " six needlework cushions wrought, four
drawn to work, and muskada ends, etc., £10." The value
of the last item is almost incredibly high. Leonard Hoar
had five hair cushions in 1675.
Tables in New England before 1650 may be disposed
of in a few words. The "table and tressells" of Joseph
Weld, of Roxbury, was worth three shillings and six pence.
Ten shillings was sufficient to buy the "plank table and
another small one" in the hall of Thomas Lamb of the
same town; in his parlour was a "framed table and one
joyned stool, £0-13-4." Another fellow-townsman, John
Scarbarrow, who died the same year (1646), owned a
"table and form, £0-14-0;" and John George, of Water-
town (also 1646) had three tables valued at fifteen shillings.
The tables in the hall of Alice Jones, of Dorchester ( 1 642),
were "a great table bord and form" and a "short table-
board" worth fourteen and two shillings respectively. The
above were the simplest kinds of table.
Tables had been used hitherto as a word to signify writing-
tablets. A familiar instance of this use is Hamlet's cry, " My
tables, my tables, — meet it is I set it down." Board was the
familiar name for the table and it lingered in New Eng
land, as in the above examples, after it had almost disap
peared in the old country. The Elizabethan tables were

TURKEY-WORK SETTEE
Brought from Normandy in 1686 Now owned by the Essex Institute, Salem, Mass. See page ig6.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
generally boards hinged in the middle for convenience of
setting aside when not in use. These boards were sup
ported by trestles. Trestle is the same as " threstule," the three-
legged stand which, as we have seen, was the single seat for
all but the heads of the household. It was sometimes
carved. The permanent was the "framed" table, the legs
of which were connected by stretchers close to the floor.
The early table, or board, was about thirty inches wide, and
the old custom of sitting only on one side was still kept up
in many houses. The "table and form" makes this evi
dent. During the reign of Charles the Martyr, broader
tables came into use, and the great stationary "folding"
and drawing-tables also made their appearance in many
homes. The folding-table had from twelve to twenty
legs, leaves being added on legs that drew out from the
ends and sides, as in a modern folding table. The draw,
or drawing, table was made of solid oak ; it was very mas
sive, the legs having the enormous acorn-shaped Dutch
ornament. It was inlaid with pear wood in geometrical
designs, stained black (see page 63). A handsome table
of this kind is owned by Dr. James Read Chadwick, of
Boston, Mass. It is 70 inches long, 30 inches high and 32
inches broad. The extensions that draw out from under
neath are the same width as the table and 31 inches in
length. In Captain Tinge's parlour (1653) was " one draw
ing table, £2 ; " and in his hall were " two tables one form,
£"2." These tables therefore were quite expensive. Gover
nor Dudley's parlour (1653) contained a "table and frame
and 6 joine stools and a carpet, £5-4-0 "; but this exceeding
ly high valuation may have been due to the " carpet." There
were other tables of smaller size, both square and round ; an
example even of an octagonal table, dated 1606, belongs to
199

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
the Carpenters' Company in London. A little leaf table,
£0-8-0, was in Simon Eire's inner hall (1658). Jacob
Elliott and Grace Brown ( 1 65 1 ) both had round tables ; and
John Cotton (1652) a small square one; he had eleven
tables in his house.
Small square, round, and oval tables became much more

OVAL TABLE OF OAK
In the house of Mr. Charles R. Waters, Salem, Mass. See page 202.
numerous in the second half of the century. The round
table varied greatly in value, showing that it was made of
many woods and in several sizes. In 1660, one cost four
shillings, and another three pounds. Antipas Boyse (1669)
had a small table with drawers, six shillings. In 1670,
William Wardell's round table with one drawer was worth
fifteen shillings. The "long" and the "drawing" table

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
were constantly found. Besides oak, walnut and cedar
were the usual woods. In 1669, a long cedar table is
appraised at £1-15-0, and in 1672, a square walnut ditto
at £1. A cedar table costs £1, and fifteen shillings is the
value of another of "Burmodos" cedar in 1680. The
Spanish table was in great favour in this second period : in

OVAL TABLE
Owned by Mrs. John Marshall Holcombe, Hartford, Conn. See page 202.
1676, we find one at twelve shillings, and in 1679, two for
sixteen shillings. The side table appears early in the sec
ond half of the century. It was not always an additional
table in the dining-room, but often a small bedroom table.
Robert Gibbs's Great Chamber contained four. In Humphrey
Warren's Red Chamber (1680) there was a side table, and
his Hall Chamber also contained a small one. These three
chambers were bedrooms. The dining-room contained four

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
small square tables and carpets, — a departure from the usual
custom of the big table. It would seem that it was now
the fashion to have several small instead of one great table
There were two in the hall and three in the dining-room
of Sir William Phipps. The sideboard table is also found
about this time as an adjunct to the great table. In 1683,
John Winslow's hall contains a square table and a sideboard
table of red cedar. The oval table becomes more frequent
towards the end of the century. Captain Thomas Berry
owns three in 1697, one at seven shillings and two worth
£1-15-0. An oval table of oak, of rough work, faces
page 182. It has falling leaves, the legs are strength
ened by tenons, and the pegs that hold it together are
wooden. The design is now popularly called the "but
terfly table." The piece is in the Wayside Inn, Sudbury.
Throughout the Stuart period there were two kinds of
oval tables. They were of the "falling" variety, having leaves
that could be let down so that the table should take up
little room when standing against the wall. The legs were
almost invariably turned in spirals or beads and had con
necting stretchers. Sometimes the side legs pulled out as
supports, and at other times the leaves had simple bracket
supports. Examples of each kind may be seen on pages
200 and 201. These are sometimes called to-day "thou
sand-legged" tables. (See also page 11.) Besides oak,
pine and black walnut, the oval table sometimes occurs
in cedar. Beds were the most important articles of furniture inthe
early homes; they were decorative and luxurious. The
great post bedstead, with the trundle bed below that pulled
out on rollers, was found in innumerable homes. The
trundle, or truckle, bed in baronial days was a couch of little

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
honour, being occupied by a personal attendant for protec
tion. It was a servile resting-place :
" He that is beaten may be said
To lie in Honour s truckle bed."
The children doubtless slept in it in New England.
These great beds, with their posts carved and swelling
into acorn-shaped masses of ornamentation, are no longer
to be found in this country; if a single specimen has
escaped destruction, it has escaped the writer's search. An
illustration, however, appears as the frontispiece of Part I.
The modern taste for hard bedding would have amazed
our forefathers, who would have stuffed their ticking with
sunset cloudlets if they could have procured them. As it was,
they had to be contented with down, feathers, fur, flock,
hair, silk grass, cat-tails and straw. The long bolster and
two pillows to each bed were filled with the same and cased
with fair linen. Sheets of canvas, Holland and other linen
were added and then came blankets, rugs a^i quilts galore.
From rods under the head, curtains hung generally by
hooks; but rings also were used, since one entry reads "9
dozen curtain rings, four shillings and six pence."
The value of the wooden framework of the bed was
always a very small proportion of that of the whole, as is
clear from an early example — that of Joseph Miriam of
Concord (1640). He had three bedsteads, fifteen shillings;
1 feather and 6 flock beds, £2-10-0; 2 pairs of curtains,
£4-10-0 ; and a pair of linen curtains, £1 . Again, Edward
Wood of Charlestown had a bed with curtain, valance and
rods, £"5-15-0; a truckle bed, one crown. Thomas Cort-
more of the same town (1645) owned a "bedstead with
trundle bedstead, matts and cord, £1-10-0." For this, he
had down bedding worth twice as much. The hangings,
203

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
which matched the window curtains, consisted of one pair
of striped silk curtains and valance, which, with five window
curtains and five window, cupboard and chimney cloths,
amounted to £5. His bed coverings included one silk red
and blue quilt, £1-6-0; one red and green silk do, £2-
10-0; and one tapestry coverlet, £1-6-0. Such elegance
may be considered somewhat excessive for a " lodge in some
vast wilderness," but it is perfectly evident that the wealthy
settlers carried their luxury with them into the virgin
woods, just as the Romans did into their barbarian conquests.
Mr. Cortmore is by no means an exceptional case. Mary
Hudson's beds (1651) further show the relative value of
bedstead and hangings: two standing and one trundle bed
stead, £1-10-0; one pair of say curtains and valance, £1-
5-0; one pair of striped ditto, £1-0-0; one "tapstree"
covering, £3-0-0. Joseph Weld's " darnell " coverlet, £1 ;
and two little old yellow blankets, £2-16-0, are also
astonishingly large sums in comparison with the contem
porary value of the best chairs, tables and " cupboards."
Robert Turner's two bedsteads and iron rods, £2-5-0, with
two trundle bedsteads, £0-6-8, also look small beside his
pair of curtains and valance, £2-15-0, and one flock and
three feather beds and bedding, £15. The rugs, blankets
and coverlids were as valuable and choice as the hangings.
An East Indian quilt costs £1-10-0, and a silk shag rug,
£3, which was also the value of two home-made coverlids.
Richard Lord of Hartford at the close of the century had
a silk cradle quilt, two silk striped blankets, and three other
blankets of white silk, watered silk, and double satin.
Henry Webb's bedstead and bedding, with green curtains,
green rug and coverlid with lace and fringe, was estimated
at £24 in 1660; probably these were the richest materials
204

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
employed. In the same year, Martha Coggan had a suit
of East India curtains, £7; a blue calico quilt, £1-10-0;
a pair of purple curtains and valance, £7; and blue ditto,
£2-10-0. Samuel Maverick's suit of blue serge curtains
(1664) came to £4. Other curtains mentioned are linsey-
wolsey (which were about three shillings a pair), linen
"green," "blue," yellow damask, "striped," "red," red
bay, green say, and shalloon (twelve shillings). In 1658,
a new suit of watchet serge curtains and valance cost £6 ;
and a pair of silk ditto, £3. Hangings of gilt leather are
also found in some houses. Screens are also very common
as an additional protection against draughts, and in some
cases portieres were used. Captain Berry, in 1697, had "a
curtain and rod for a skreen, fifteen shillings." The screens
were made of leather, painted canvas and painted buckram.
They had two, three and four leaves. In 1654, we find
"six pieces of painted buckram, £3."
The home-made coverlid (from the French couvre
lit) mentioned above may have been woven, instead of
being made by one of the many processes of skilled needle
work, for spinning-wheels were found in the great majority
of homes, and the loom also often occurs. Twelve shillings
was the value of the loom in Joseph Weld's study in 1646.
In 1640, English mohair cost three shillings per yard,
and green serge four pence more. Painted calicoes and
other products of Eastern looms became popular later in
the century. "Cheney" was then worth about two
shillings per yard.
The cupboard was originally exactly what the name
implies, — a board on which cups were displayed. The
cups and other vessels used at table were of pewter and
silver ; and silver plate in respectable quantity was found
205

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
in every home of moderate or ample means. The "salt"
was often an imposing piece of plate. George Phillips
(1644), whose estate amounted to £553, owned "a silver
salt with spoons, £4." Thomas Cortmore of Charles
town (1645) owned 106 ounces of plate, £23-17-0. Silver
plate at that date therefore was worth four shillings and
six pence an ounce, and George Phillips's salt and spoons
must have weighed about eighteen ounces. John Holland
(1652) had six pounds' worth of plate, and in the same
year Adam Winthrop's consisted of a silver tankard, £5 ;
a beer bowl, two wine bowls and a caudle cup, £7 ; two
silver sugar dishes, £2-10-0 ; a little silver salt and a dram
cup, sixteen shillings; and twelve silver spoons, £3. He
also had a stone jug tipped with silver, £1 ; and a toast
ing iron tipped with silver, ten shillings. Governor Dud
ley's 80^ ounces of plate was valued at five shillings and two
pence per ounce in 165 3, and Jacob Sheafe's 1 18 ounces at
five shillings in 1659; thus the price varied with the
years. Adam Winthrop's twelve spoons were probably
what are still so highly prized as "Apostles' Spoons." In
1656, Anne Hibbins had "four silver spoons, one with a
gilt head, a great silver porringer, a silver tankard, and two
silver wine bowls that weighed 39 oz. at five shillings, a gilt
salt, two gilt wine bowls, one silver beaker, one beer bowl,
two saucers, a silver salt, four gilt spoons with ten silver
spoons with Pictures of Apostles gilt and one caudle cup
at five shillings and eight pence per oz. which weighed 34
oz. % gilt." Enough has been said therefore to show that
there was ample use for the cupboard.
A typical example of a New England court cupboard
appears on the next page. This belonged to Gregory
Stone, of Cambridge, Mass., about 1660, and is now owned
206

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
by the Antiquarian Society, Concord, Mass. Unfor
tunately it has been painted black, and some brass drop
handles have been added. It is similar to the court cup
board on page 178.

OAK COURT CUPBOARD
Owned by Gregory Stone (1660). Owned by the Antiquarian Society,
Concord, Mass.
The early varieties were the "livery" and the "court"
cupboard. The livery cupboard in general appearance
much resembled the altar and super-altar in the high church
of the present day (see also pages 22 and 36, regarding
this piece of furniture). The cupboard cloths, often fringed,
fell over the ends, not the front, of the various stages. On
207

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
these stages, or shelves, the plate was displayed. Sometimes
hooks were driven along the edges of the shelves, and cups,
mugs and jugs were hung on them. The arrangement was
exactly similar to the dresser in many a modern kitchen ;
in fact the "dresser" of that day still exists downstairs. In
England it is universal. To guard against theft, doors were
added above and below, and thus the "court" cupboard
was developed. The fronts of these pieces of furniture were
decorated in a variety of ways with inlay, carving, panels
and superposition of split columns and studs stained black.
The cupboard was found in all sizes and varieties and the
value had a wide range. The appraisers described it vari
ously. We find: one small cupboard and chest of drawers,
£1-16-0 (1645); a great cupboard; a table and cupboard,
£2; a table-cupboard, twelve shillings (all 1646); a livery
cupboard, £1-10-0 (1650); a side cupboard, eighteen
pence; another "with a presse," £1-10-0; a chest and a
little cupboard, both with drawers, £3-10-0; "a cort cup
board, cloth and voider, £1," 2 presses, £1 (all 1652); a
plain livery cupboard, ten shillings (1653); a Press cupboard,
£1-4-0 (1654); a court cupboard with one drawer, sixteen
shillings, a sideboard cupboard, twelve shillings ; and a side
cupboard, fifteen shillings (all 1658). In the lower part
of this cupboard, or sideboard as we should now term it,
one or more drawers frequently occurred. Then came the
"table" or first stage, the superstructure not being as deep
as the lower part. Sometimes the upper part ran straight
across parallel with the front, and sometimes the corners
were cut off, making the shape like half a hexagon (see
facing page 36 and frontispiece to this number). Many
examples of these varieties still exist.
The cupboards were of all sizes, and in and on them
208

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
were kept articles of glass, earthenware, and china, besides
plate; and cushions as well as cloths were used to adorn
them. John Barrell, who died in 1658, had in his par
lour a court cupboard and cloth and small cushion, £1-5-0;
and "earthenware, glasses, etc., upon the cubbard head
and in the cubbard and shelf, fifteen shillings."
The cupboard cloths were of damask or diaper. Some
times the cupboard was garnished with a carpet, in which
case the material frequently matched the window curtains
and bed hangings, or was of Turkey-work. Abiell Everell
(1661) had a cupboard and a sideboard (£2-5-0), "a cup
board carpet suted to ye hangings" and eight shillings'
worth of Leghorn earthenware.
Many varieties of the cupboard are found during the
second half of the century. It became an indispensable
article of furniture in every comfortable home, and four or
five are frequently found in one house. The prices cover
a wide range, and there are very many varieties. The
woods of which they were made were usually oak or wal
nut, though pine was used in the commonest kinds. At
the date when New England was first settled, Sir Francis
Bacon writes : " Some trees are best for cupboards, as
walnut." The court and livery cupboard soon developed
into other forms as the century advanced by the addition
of drawers, etc., at the separate stages, and in some cases
the lower part was thrown back, leaving the second to be
supported by pillars (see page 169). The numerous vari
eties evidently bred confusion in the minds of the various
appraisers, for we find the latter describing these articles
of furniture with great latitude. It is plain that the word
cupboard was generic rather than specific and needed quali
fying phrases for clear understanding. Thus William Paddy
209

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
has a sideboard cupboard, twelve shillings, and a large cup
board chest with drawers, £2, and Thomas Buttolph, a
cupboard and chest table (1667), £9. The difference in
value of the above pieces is worthy of note, as it shows a
great variety of material, size and workmanship. Mr.
Paddy's large cupboard chest with drawers must have been
similar in character to the beautiful piece of furniture
facing this page. It is made of oak, the long top
drawer being veneered with snake wood, as are the central
ornaments of the panels and the side terminals. The dark
red of the snake wood affords rich contrast to the oak.
The- knobs are ivory, the handles metal. This is owned
by Mr. Walter Hosmer, Wethersfield, Conn.
In 1666, John Biggs owns a press cupboard, £1-10-0;
Nicholas Upshall, a small livery cupboard with drawers,
£0-10-0; John Baker, two cupboards with drawers, £4;
Henry Shrimpton, a livery cupboard, £3 ; and John
Brackett, a livery cupboard and furniture, £3, and a cup
board and cloth and things on it, £7. In 1667, Benjamin
Richaids has a sideboard cupboard, £1-10-0; William
Cheny, "a great cubberd, £1-10-0, a little ditto, £0-7-6."
William Wardell (1670) owns a joined cupboard, £1, a
"Livory cubbard, £0-15-0, and a side cubbard, a slight
one, £0-2-6." William Whittingham (1672) has a side
board cupboard, £1-10-0, and John Winthrop (1673) a
cupboard of drawers. The dresser was a form ofthe livery
cupboard, but the former word rarely occurs in the inven
tories. In 1676, a cupboard and a small dresser were in
Mary Minott's hall. The cupboard contained plate worth
£10-13-0. Dr. Jonathan Avery (1690) had a small cup
board on a frame. Thus there were considerable changes
and developments in this important piece of furniture as

CUPBOARD CHEST OF DRAWERS
Oak inlaid with snakevjood. Owned by Mr. Walter Hosmer, Wethersfield, Conn. See page 210.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
time passed. The simpler forms had become quite anti
quated by the end of the century. A cupboard belonging
to Captain Thomas Berry, in 1697, is described as "old-
fashioned." In some ofthe wealthiest houses we find the
cupboard absent, so that it may have been going out of
fashion. It will be noticed that it does not appear among
the possessions of Sir William Phipps. Of the very wealthy,
John Freack (1675) also possessed no cupboard.
The above examples are from the Boston records ; the
Hartford lists show a similar variety.
This brings us to the press, which now appears occa
sionally in the inventories. People were rising above the
grade of comfort in which trunks and chests suffice as re
ceptacles for clothes and household linen. The cabinet
was for articles of value ; the cupboard for plate, glass, china
and earthenware; and the press for linen and clothing.
The press much resembled the court cupboard externally,
though it was generally larger. The distinction between
press and cupboard is not always maintained. In 1659,
Thomas Welles of Netherfield owns " a linen cupboard,"
£1-5-0. In 1652, there were two presses (£1) in John
Cotton's "Gallarie"; and William Blanchard possessed a
cupboard with a press, £1-10-0. Other presses mentioned
are: a voider with a press, £1-10-0 (1652); a press cup
board, £1-4-0 (1654) ; and a press and cloth, £1 (1657).
A linen press also stood in Humphrey Warren's " Great
Parlour " in 1680. In Elizabeth Gardner's parlour also, in
1681, there was "a large press to hang clothes in, £2."
The press, therefore, was an important piece of furniture,
as is proved by the high prices given. The cloth shows
that it was adorned like the other cupboards, and some
times we find things placed on the head. It contained not

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
only clothes and linen, but sometimes bedding. as well. In
1653, Captain Tinge's hall contained "6 raught window
cushions in the presse, £2 ; " and " a feather bed and bol
ster in ye presse, £4." Moreover, there was a " presse bed
stead " which was a form of folding bed. Johnson's Dic-

CHEST WITH DRAWER AND MINIATURE CHEST WITH DRAWER ON TOP
From the Whipple House, Ipswich, Mass.
tionary describes it as a bed so formed as to be shut up in
a case. Robert Carver owned one in 1679. It was val
ued at £3, which is five or six times the cost of an aver
age bedstead.
The frame was a separate four-legged support to several
pieces of furniture. When the top of the table was not
fixed, the table and frame often occur. Other entries are :
chest and frame, 1652; cabinet and frame it stands on,
1654; desk and frame, 1672; a pair of virginals with

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
frame, 1672; trunk with the frame it stands on, 1674 ; and
small cupboard on a frame, 1691. The washstand is very
rarely met with, but a bason frame worth five shillings was
owned by Major-General Gibbons, 1654. In 1691 John
Clarke owns a cistern and bason worth four shillings.

OAK CHEST WITH DRAWER
From the Whipple House, Ipswich, Mass.

Chests were of supreme importance in the early days of
the settlement and were found in every house even at the
close of the century. They contained the clothes, linen,
valuables, and often the plate of the family. They were of
all sizes, sometimes plain and sometimes carved. The ini
tials, and often the date of birth of the owner, were fre
quently carved on the front. Many examples of the oak
chest still survive. Sometimes it stood on short legs like
those shown above and on page 2 1 2, and facing page 214. In
1652 John Cotton owns one, and examples are innumerable.

213

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
The commonest kinds were made of pine; cedar was
highly prized because of its supposed preservative virtues.
Chests varied in value in accordance with their size, mate
rial, condition and workmanship. A considerable variety
was found in New England homes before 1650. Cypress
seems to have been the most valuable wood. In 1645, a
cypress chest is worth £2-10-0, and another on the death
of its owner, ten years later, is listed at £10. The latter,
however, is quite exceptional, as a few examples from that
decade will show : a spruce chest, ten shillings ; a great
chest, six shillings and six pence ; a chest, thirteen shillings
and four pence; a joined do, fifteen shillings; one chest,
eighteen pence; a chest, a trunk and a long cushion, ten
shillings; a chest covered with red leather, £2; a "ci-
presse" chest, £5; a chest worth nothing; a wainscot do,
fifteen shillings; a cedar do, five boxes and a desk, £1 ;
two joyned chests, four shillings; two chests and two boxes,
£1-15-0. Thus the value varied between zero and ten
pounds. A narrow shallow box often ran along one end
just under the lid. This was called the till, and in it the
smaller articles of value and finery were kept.
A handsome oak chest with two drawers below the
deep well and a till to the right inside faces this page. It
is owned by Mrs. John Marshall Holcombe, Hartford,
Conn. The panels are carved and the decorations of spin
dles and egg-shaped ornaments are of white wood stained
black. A common name for this is the "bride's chest,"
as it frequently contained the trousseau.
Another chest of dark oak with carved panels and
floral ornamentation, belonging to Mr. Charles R. Waters,
of Salem, Mass., faces page 216. Upon it stands a small
oak writing-desk of the same period.
214

OAK CHEST WITH DRAWERS
¦Owned by Mrs. John Marshall Holcombe, Hartford, Conn. See page 214.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
The trunk was also commonly found. In 1647, a new
trunk belonging to the deceased Joseph Weld, of Roxbury,
is estimated at ten shillings. In 1654, a case and a trunk
are worth only half a crown. Others mentioned are as fol
lows : a trunk, ten shillings ; two trunks, sixteen shillings ;
a small red trunk, half a crown ; a small trunk with draw
ers, six shillings; two chests and three trunks, eight shil
lings; one trunk, twelve shillings. The trunk was often
covered. The sealskin trunk is frequently found ; and in
1652 a "great hair trunk" costs £1. Governor Dudley
owns an iron-bound trunk which, with a knife and
voider, comes to £1-2-6. In 1671, we find two trunks
with frames £1-10-0, and three others, £2. John Hull
(1673) has a small trunk with drawers, six shillings. The
distinction between the trunk and the chest is not always
clear, though the trunk was usually reserved for keeping
wearing apparel in. Its form usually resembled a section
of a tree trunk, and it seems in most cases to have been
covered with some form of hide. The lack of precision
in the early dictionary makers renders it vain to go to
them for information. For instance, in Phillips's New
World of Words (1662), we find the following definitions:
Trunk, a chest or box ; chest, a kind of coffer, box or trunk ;
casket, a little cabinet ; cabinet, a chest of drawers or little
trunk to put things in. Thus we have an endless chain and
are working in a circle in which everything seems to be
everything else. When terms were used so loosely even by
those who were trying to explain them to others, we can
not be surprised at the difficulties the appraisers seem to
have experienced in defining the various objects.
Two kinds of the trunk face page 224.
The first development of the simple chest was the in-
215

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
sertion of a drawer below. Then came more drawers, till
we have a bewildering array of chest with drawers, chest
of drawers, nest of drawers, and case of drawers. The
chest was the converse of the cupboard : the latter was
originally a series of shelves that were gradually closed in
with doors and had drawers added, finally taking the form
of a huge chest surmounted by a smaller one, as we have
seen ; while the chest gradually had its interior divided up
into compartments and drawers. While one became closed
in, the other opened up. The cabinet in its most simple
form was nothing but the chest, with drawers and shelves
inside, shut in by two doors into which the front was
divided. Thomas Cortmore of Charlestown (1645) owned a
chest of drawers, £2 ; a little cabinet, four shillings ; a lit
tle box of drawers, two shillings ; two chests, four cases,
and three trunks, one of which was covered with sealskin.
Captain Tinge (1653) had a sealskin trunk, six shillings; a
small chest of drawers, fifteen shillings ; a small cabinet,
five shillings; a chest of drawers, £2-10-0; an old box
with drawers, fifteen shillings ; two small chests of drawers,
£1 ; two plain chests, and a cypress and a "great" chest,
valued at £5 and £4 respectively ; the carving on the
two last must have been profuse and ornate to justify such
prices. Other articles of this class in the middle of the cen
tury include a chest of drawers, five shillings, and others at
£1-10-0, £3, £1-5-0, and £1-12-0 respectively. Then we
have cases and boxes of drawers. In 1654 we find a " box
of drawers," three shillings, and a " large carpet and an old
case of drawers, £1-10-0." As the century advanced, the
drawers multiplied, and this piece of furniture became more
elaborate. In 1670 William Wardell has a chest with five
216

s£

VJ

¦*" * r. ¦¦¦'( '/'¦

•— s~^\ ¦¦•-¦..._'> ¦jjy.f/ 'J'- '< ,* *-¦'*

Wm P

OAK DESK
Ma<& z'h .rdc?^. /« M* collection ofthe Wayside Inn, Sudbury. Owned by Mr. E. R. Lemon.
See page 220.
CARVED OAK CHEST AND SMALL WRITING-DESK
Owned by Mr. Charles R. Waters, Salem, Mass. See page 214.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
drawers, £2, and one with two drawers, £1-10-0. In
1675 John Freack has a case of drawers, £3. Several va
rieties are represented in this section. On page 213 is
shown an oak chest with drawer, standing on big ball feet.

OAK CASE OF DRAWERS
Owned by the Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.
An oak case, or " nest of drawers," standing on short,
square feet, is shown on this page. The drop handles
are old, but are probably a later addition to the speci
men. A simpler specimen, belonging to the collection of
the Wayside Inn is shown on the next page. Two of the
217

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

OAK CHEST WITH DRAWERS
From the "Wayside Inn," Sudbury, Mass. Owned by Mr. E. R. Lemon.
handsome bell-flower shaped handles are missing. Al
though the panels would seem to show that there are eight
drawers, the locks show only four. An old chest or
" nest of drawers," without knobs or handles, belonging
to Mr. F. Hotchkiss of New Haven, appears on page 219.
It is of the plainest workmanship. The top lifts up, re
vealing a deep well.
Chests of drawers were adorned with cloths as the cup
boards were. This is distinctly shown by an item of Gov
ernor Leete's inventory in Hartford County (1682), which
reads " one chest of drawers and cupboard cloth belonging
to it, £2-16-0." zi8

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

CHEST OR " NEST OF DRAWERS "
Owned by Mr. F. Hotchkiss, New Haven, Conn.

On page 221 is represented a chest of drawers with
a table top having falling leaves supported on brackets.
The wood is light oak and is ornamented with the usual
black spindles. This piece is owned by the Massachu
setts Historical Society, Boston, Mass.
An oak chest with two drawers faces page 226.
Its panels are edged with maple stained black, it stands on
square feet, and it is richly carved. This piece has long

219

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
been in the Talcott family, and is owned now by Mrs.
Wainwright, Hartford, Conn.
A further development of the chest with drawers was
the desk or " screetore " that occurs in 1658 among Mr.
Goodyear's possessions (see page 164). All that was necessary
was to take a great chest with two or three drawers in the
lower part and let down the front of the upper well on
hinges, supporting it with chains. The interior thus ex
posed was then filled in with convenient drawers, shelves
and compartments. It is abundantly evident that some
form of this desk, called the press desk, or scretore, existed
in New England in the first half of the seventeenth cen
tury. John Cotton had a "press desk and chest, £1," in
1652. The designation plainly shows the construction.
The small separate desk was also common. Simon Eire
had one in his bedroom (1653); Christopher Stanley
(1646) owned two, and Robert Turner (1651), one. A
box and desk in Joseph Weld's "inner chamber" (1647)
was valued at seven shillings. An oak desk, made in 1684,
with the date and initials W. H., is shown facing page
216. It is in the Wayside Inn, Sudbury, Mass.
As early as 1669, Antipas Boyse has an elaborate " scri-
tore and desk " valued as high as £10. In 1672, William
Whittingham owns a desk and frame, ten shillings; James
Edmunds (1676) two cedar desks, £1; Thomas Kellond
(1683) a scriptore, £2, and a small ditto, ten shillings;
John Bracket, a standing desk, standish and box, £1-5-0.
John Blackleach of Wethersfield, whose estate amount
ed to £1576-19-0 at his death in 1703, owned eight desks,
one of which was a valuable " desk with drawers," £3-13-0.
We see therefore that long before the end of our period the
escritoire had already reached its full development.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
A bookcase as a separate article of furniture appears in
the inventory of Henry Bridgham in 1671. Books of a
devotional character were plentiful. Many worthies of the
colonies must have found time for study and meditation
even in the early days of hardship, struggle and strife. Re
spectable libraries were not uncommon. The Rev. John
Morton's 729 volumes of which 189 were folios (1663)

OAK CHEST OF DRAWERS WITH TABLE TOP
Owned by the Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.
have already been mentioned. The study frequently occurs
as a separate apartment in the best houses. Here the mas
ter might read and write at his ease, for it was comfortably
warmed and furnished. John Cotton's is an early exam
ple. In 1652, it contained a table, three chairs, a stool and
a couch ; and the " liberary of books as valued in the will
by him though cost much more £150." Inside the press
desk were of course the usual quill pens, sand-box and ink
stand, or standish. The latter was of wood, pewter, silver
or iron. The wood was sometimes carved. Five shillings

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
was the value of Henry Webb's wooden standish in 1660.
The desk equipment of Colonel John Allyn (Hartford,
1696) comprises a standish, sealing (wax), inkhorn, pen
knife, etc., and a pair of spectacles and case.
The value of chests, trunks, cabinets, etc., was consid
erably increased when accompanied with metal mountings,
locks, keys, and hinges. Wrought iron and brass were in
great demand. Iron-bound chests and boxes were in most
shops and country houses, and in many bedrooms. It must
be assumed that the majority of boxes, trunks, cases and
chests had no locks, since in many cases the lock was worth
special mention. Thus William Bartlett of Hartford
(1658) has "a chest with a lock, ten shillings." For pull
ing out the drawers, knobs were principally used. In the
inventories of hardware in various stores, handles are very
seldom mentioned. In 1640 John Harbye had two old
locks at a shilling each, and four iron hinges at ten pence
each. Six years later a pair of curtain rods is entered at
three shillings, while five ditto cost a shilling each in 1653.
Prices scarcely varied during the next half century. Alex
ander Rollo (Hartford, 1709) had a door lock and key,
£0-7-6; 2 chests with locks and keys, £0-15-0; a desk
with ditto, £0-8-0.
The cabinet varied in value, but not so greatly as the
chest and cupboard. A stray cabinet of Eastern workman
ship is occasionally found, but when the other kinds reach
comparatively high value it is due to the articles contained
inside. In 1653 "a small cabinet five shillings" occurs.
In 1654 an iron-bound cabinet is appraised at three times
as much; and a cabinet, frame it stands on, and cupboard
cloth, at £2-10-0 ; but here the cloth may have been the
most valuable part of the item. Six years later the latter

KITCHEN IN WHIPPLE HOUSE, IPSWICH, MASS.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
sum also would pay for a " cabinet and some things in
it"; while another "cabinet with several things in it"
comes to £2, one ditto with drawers, seventeen shillings
and six pence, and a "green velvet cabinet, £1." Other
kinds of cabinets were known at this time, although they
do not appear till the owners die, a few years later. James
Edmunds (1676) has a cedar cabinet, £1. A crimson
velvet cabinet (twelve shillings) is found in the home of
Antipas Boyse in 1679. The cabinet was not necessarily
a very small piece of furniture as compared with the chest,
since, when small, the entry often so specifies, as we have
seen. Moreover, the " frame it stands on " indicates a
large object. The nature of the articles that were kept in
the cabinets may be gathered from direct evidence. At the
death of Henry Shrimpton in 1666 a small cabinet con
tained seven gold rings- and two purses, all worth £3. We
have seen that there were some blue china dishes in Mr.
Francis Brewster's East India cabinet in 1647. Porcelain
was coming in now through the Dutch and English trade
with the Far East, and not very long after the East India
Company was formed in London many examples are found.
Governor Eaton (see page 166) had a " sheney bason," and
Thomas Cortmore had some "chaney ware platters, £1."
A " chaney dish and others on the shelves, three shillings,"
belonged to Major-General Gibbons, while a " chaney cup
tipped with silver " was owned by Humphrey Damerell ;
and John Coggan possessed "six small chany dishes, £1."
These men all died before 1660. East India goods greatly
multiplied in the houses towards the close of the century,
not only porcelains but the cabinets and other Oriental wares
with which we have lately again become so familiar. In
1699 John Higginson writes from Salem to his brother in
223

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
India : " In the late war all East India goods were ex
tremely dear. . . . China and lacker wares will sell if a
small quantity."
Although the Puritans frowned down all kinds of mu
sical instruments but the trumpet and drum, yet in the
privacy of their homes there were many who played the
virginals in New England. In 1645 John Simeon of Wa
tertown has an old pair of virginals ; and Major-General
Gibbons has another old one worth £1 in 1654. Five
shillings is the value of another ancient specimen ; but one
in good condition is worth £2 in 1667, and another "with
frame" comes to the same in 1672. A " gitterne " is en
tered at a crown in 1653 ; Dr. Samuel Allcock owns "a
cittern and case" in 1677, and an old one belonging to
Thomas Sexton (1679) is worth only a florin. An old
guitar, at sixteen shillings, is found among Dr. John
Clarke's possessions in 1690.
Clocks were found in most of the prosperous homes
during the first half of the century. When Abraham Shaw
of Dedham passed from time into eternity in 1638 his
clock was still worth eighteen shillings to others. One-
third of that sum suffices for an old timepiece in 1654.
The tall clock from the Low Countries was in use here
many years before it is known to have been made in Eng
land. It is always described as the " clock and case " in
the inventories, and is quite expensive. In 1652 we find
a brass clock, £2 ; and a clock and case, £6. Specimens
of each appear facing page 168. The ordinary clock aver
aged from £2 to £3. In the dining-room of Sir William
Phipps, Governor of Massachusetts, was one worth £20, but
this must have been of rare workmanship. " In my Ladies
Room" was also "a repeating clock, £10."
224.

TRUNKS AND FOOT WARMERS
Novj in the Essex Institute, Salem, Mass. See page 2IJ.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Watches were also in use. Comfort Starr had one
watch (£2) in 1659; and ten years later Antipas Boyse
owned a silver watch-case with watch, £2- 1 0-0. The dis
tinction between watches and clocks is not always clear in
the minds of the appraisers, for in 1675 Captain Samuel
Scarlet is credited with "one watch with waites, £1."
Sun-dials are found, and hour-glasses are innumerable.
Looking-glasses were also in use here twenty-five years
at least before they were manufactured in England. When
Robert Bulton ceased seeing " through a glass darkly," in
1650, his hall contained "two looking-glasses, twelve shil
lings." Two years later, one at half a crown was included
in the estate of George Bennett. In 1652, we find a great
looking-glass, £1 ; and in 1654, "one great looking-Glass
of ibeny, £1." William Bartlett of Hartford, in 1658,
owns ten looking-glasses, two of them at £1 each. The
inventories show a scarcity of this article until the last
quarter of this century, although of those mentioned several
are valued at from three to eight shillings each, and one as
low as one shilling. Metal brackets for candles were soon
affixed to the frames. Humphrey Warren (1680) and
John Winslow (1683) each possessed a "looking-glass
and brasses." An interesting looking-glass frame inlaid
with olive-wood faces page 230. This originally belonged
to the Rev. John White of Gloucester and was presented
to the collection at the Whipple House, Ipswich, by Mrs.
C. E. Bomer. The olive-wood frame for looking-glasses
has already been mentioned on page 9.
The fireplaces were large and well furnished. Gener
ally there was an iron back, cast with some figure or floral
design. Andirons were universal; they were of brass or
iron, or iron with brass dog's-heads. Dogs are often men
us

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
tioned. They varied in price, costing anything from five
shillings to fifty shillings a pair. They were always ac
companied by shovel and tongs, but the poker is never
mentioned ; wood fires did not require it. Sometimes chim
ney-pans and fire-pans occur. Adam Winthrop (1651)
owned also an iron fender, and a toasting-iron tipped with
silver. The hearth needed a pair of bellows in order to
be fully equipped. Some of these were handsomely carved
and otherwise ornamented. In 1650 Captain Tinge had
a great lantern and a pair of bellows with a brass pipe, ten
shillings ; and a great pair of brass andirons and a pair of
carved bellows worth £3-10-0.
Till comparatively late in the century, offensive and
defensive armour was found in every house ; it was needed
against the Indians as well as for hunting purposes. The
military chiefs also had quite an arsenal in their houses.
It may be interesting to give the furniture and equipment
in the artillery room of Major-General Gibbons in the
middle ofthe century (1654). There was a big fireplace'
with andirons ; a drawing-table and large carpet, a long
cushion, two forms, three chairs and a case of drawers.
The arms consisted of seven muskets, seven pistols, five
harquebuses, one cross-bow, one long bow, dart arrows, one
pole-ax, five glass grenades, one Indian brusile club, sixteen
pieces of armour, one complete corselet and pike, a cornet,
and four brass guns and carriages.
The rooms in the early houses were few as a rule, though
spacious. Sufficient evidence has now been produced to
prove that in many cases elegance as well as comfort was
cultivated in the interior furnishings, although extravagance
in the building and furnishing of houses was discouraged
by the early Puritans. Governor John Winthrop reproved
226

OAK CHEST WITH DRAWERS
Owned by Mrs. Wainwright, Hartford, Conn. See page 2ig.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
his deputy in 1632, telling him that "he did not well to
bestow too much cost about wainscoting and adorning his
house in the beginning of a plantation, both in regard of the
public charges and for example." Winthrop's advice was dis
regarded before the commonwealth lost its charter, however,
and handsomer houses were erected, especially in Boston.
The pious Judge Sewall wrote to London for finer furniture
than could be obtained in this country. • Increase of wealth
bred luxury, and in the second half of the seventeenth cen
tury the number of wealthy individuals rapidly multiplied.
A long list might be compiled of estates of more than
£2000. In the Boston records alone we find: Henry
Shrimpton (1666), £12,000; Antipas Boyse (1669), about
£2500 ; Captain Peter Oliver (1670), £4572 ; James Penn
(1671), £2039; Governor Richard Bellingham (1672),
£3244; Captain Samuel Scarlet (1675), £2004; John
Freack (1675), £2391 ; Joshua Atwater (1676), £4127;
Thomas Lake (1677), £2445; Henry Mountford (1691),
£2722; Sir William Phipps (1696), £3337; Robert
Bronsdon (1702), £3252; Richard Middlecot (1704),
£2084; Florence Maccarty (1712), £2922 ; and Madam
Elizabeth Stoddard (171 3), £18,044. John Mico, a mer
chant who lived till 171 8, was worth £11,230.
The Hartford records also show some large estates, in
cluding James Richards (1680), £7931 ; Jonathan Gilbert
(1682), £2484; Colonel John AUyn (1696), £2013;
Richard Lord (1712), £6369; and John Haynes (1714),
£3330. Governor Leete's possessions in Hartford County
alone came to £1040; and there were dozens of other
estates between one and two thousand pounds. It is inter
esting to compare these sums with the Southern estates on
pages 109— 1 10. 227

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Josselyn, who visited Salem in 1664, said: "In this
town are some very rich merchants." The records of the
town show that this was not merely a complimentary state
ment. Salem's mercantile marine brought every kind of
foreign goods to her door. One of her distinguished
citizens was Captain Philip English, a trader, who built a
stylish dwelling in Salem in 1683. Down to 1753 it was
known as English's great house. During the witchcraft
mania, in 1692, he and his wife nearly fell victims, but
escaped by the connivance ofthe authorities. The governor,
Sir William Phipps, seems to have kept his head. The
witch-baiting mob, however, sacked Captain English's
house and destroyed or carried off the furniture that had
been brought in on many voyages. Compensation was
afterward offered, but refused as inadequate. The heirs
afterward accepted £200.
John Dunton, a London citizen, visited New England
in 1685, and has left some interesting notes. The first
person he went to see in Salem was George Herrick, who
was marshal of Essex during the witchcraft mania, Dun
ton writes: "The entertainment he gave me was truly
noble and generous, and my lodging so extraordinary both
with respect to the largeness of the room and richness of
the furniture, as free he was that had I staid a month there,
I had been welcome gratis. To give you his character, in
brief, my Dear, he is a Person whose Purse is great, but his
Heart greater; he loves to be bountiful, yet limits his
Bounty by Reason : He knows what is good and loves it ;
and loves to do it himself for its own sake and not for
thanks : he is the Mirror of hospitality, and neither Abra
ham nor Lot were ever more kind to strangers." Herrick
treated him also to "all that was rare in the Countrey."
228

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Dunton had a splendid supper and slept on a "bed of down."
"My apartment was so noble," he writes, "and the Furni
ture so suitable to it, that I doubt not but even the king
himself has been oftentimes contented with a worser
lodging." The better class of house in New England differed
from that in the South in seldom having a bed in the hall,
and only occasionally in the parlour. The hall was the
general family living and reception room, the parlour hav
ing an air of greater intimacy and retirement. The hall,
until the century was well advanced, often contained an odd
mixture of severe and luxurious furniture. In 1670, Wil
liam Wardell's hall contained an expensive table and " dar-
nix carpet " with five joint stools under it, — their position is
expressly stated. Then there were four leather chairs, one
small and one big joined chair, and four of the expensive
"green" chairs accompanied by two stools with silk fringe.
Five green wrought cushions added to their comfort. In
stead of a cupboard, there were a great chest with cupboard
cloth and cushion, and two other valuable chests containing
one and five drawers respectively. On one of these were a
bible and other books, and over the other was a looking-
glass. The hearth was garnished with the usual brassware.
The dining-room was furnished with a long cedar table,
and a small table (and carpet) with drawers in which was
a case containing a silver knife, spoon and fork. (This is
the earliest mention of the table fork in New England that
I have found.) The seats consisted of four leather chairs
and thirteen joint stools. Against one wall stood a glass
case, on the shelves of which were nine pieces of earthen
ware. A tin lantern, a chimney-back, andirons, etc., minis
tered to light and heat. 229

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
The little parlour contained a fine chest of drawers
covered by a green cloth with a border and containing a
brush and other toilet articles; a feather bed with red cur
tains and valance, two cushioned stools, two low leather and
six matted high chairs ; a spice-box with drawers ; and an
iron chimney-back, and andirons. The closet contained a
desk and some lumber.
Besides the kitchen, the house contained five other
rooms, handsomely furnished.
The house of Sir William Phipps, the governor already
mentioned, shows a degree of luxury and elegance that one
hardly expects to find in New England in 1696. This
home of wealth seems singularly modern as we reconstruct
it. There was no bed in the hall, the furniture of which
consisted of two tables and a carpet, twelve cane chairs . and
a couch. A large looking-glass valued at £8 hangs on the
wall, and two pairs of brass andirons tell us that two fires
burned brightly in this spacious entrance. Passing into the
dining-room, we find no less than three tables. There are
fourteen chairs, "one couch and squabb," and a clock
which must have been exceedingly handsome, for it was
valued at £20. A second looking-glass worth just half as
much as the one in the hall also adorns the room, and there
are one pair of andirons and a candlestick. In the closet,
probably built in the wall, there is a case of " crystall
bottles" worth £10; and some guns, swords, etc., worth £12.
In " My Lady's Room " there stands a very handsome
bed with its furniture of silk curtains and silk quilt, valued
at £7°- F°r further comfort we find a chest of drawers,
dressing-box, tables and stands, a looking-glass and six
chairs. A very valuable article is ^ " repeating clock "
worth no less than £10. 230

¦¦  ¦¦¦

¦ I

LOOKING-GLASS FRAME
Inlaid with olive wood. From the Whipple House, Ipswich, Mass. See page 22J.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
The " Hall Chamber " contains a still handsomer bed
which with its silk quilt and curtains and eighteen cushions
is valued at £100. This room also contains a "scriptore
and stand, table, dressing-box and stands," "twelve cane
chairs and squabb," and a looking-glass. " Chiny ware"
adorns the chimney-piece, where the logs blaze on brass
andirons. Of course the fire shovel, etc., stands conven
iently by the side of the chimney-piece.
There is also a "White Chamber" in the house, but
the bed here is evidently simpler, as it is only valued at
£20 with its furniture, quilt, and curtain. A chest of
drawers, a table, a looking-glass, and six Turkey-work
chairs furnish the room. Here are also two trunks and
linen valued at £63-8-0.
The "Maid's Chamber" contained a curtained bed,
table and looking-glass. The "Chaplain's Chamber" con
tained, besides the curtained bed and his case of barber's
implements and gun, a table and six leather chairs. This
shows that the condition of a private chaplain in New
England was by no means so servile as that of his brother
in the Old Country, and would not have excited Macaulay's
contemptuous pity. The other apartments consisted of a
closet in which was a bed, etc., and a "little chamber"
containing a negro woman's bed with curtains, garrets for
the servants, and the kitchen. In the kitchen, besides the
ordinary household and cooking utensils, there was silver
plate to the value of £415. Other possessions of Sir
William included a coach and horses, a saddle horse, and
a yacht. In the seventeenth century it was customary for parents
to give their children a generous portion of household goods
on their marriage. As a rule, this was all new furniture
23:

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
and passed into the possession of the husband. An example
of the varions articles included in this dowry is found in
the inventory of Alexander Allyn of Hartford, who died in
1708. It is headed "Estate that deceased had with his
wife, Elizabeth, in marriage (now left to her)." One round
table, a chest of drawers, a box, books ; white earthenware,
glasses, tin candlesticks, a pair of andirons, tongs and slice,
warming-pan; bed with curtain, valance and coverings; six
pair sheets, six pair pillowbeers ; diaper table cloth, twelve
do. napkins, four table cloths, two dozen napkins, sixteen
towels; one chest, a looking-glass; one "sive"; a porringer,
salt, wine-cup and spoon, all silver ; two trunks, earthen
ware, a child's basket; gridiron, brass kettle, two brass
skillets, iron pot and hooks ; two pewter platters, eleven
plates, one bason, nine porringers, two saucers, one salt,
three drin king-cups, three spoons; tinware, earthenware
and a stone jug; fork and skimmer; trenchers, two heaters;
four chairs; in silver money, £9 ; total, £50-7-0.
A fine example of a New England kitchen faces page
222. This is in the Whipple House, Ipswich, Mass.

I 11 ttto

S * 5

THE FURNITURE
of our mniif
FOREFATHERS

THE ILLUSTRATIONS FOR THE NEW ENG
LAND PORTIONS OF THIS WORK AND A
NUMBER OF THOSE IN NEW YORK STATE
ARE REPRODUCED FROM PHOTOGRAPHS
BY R. F. TURNBULL, OF NEW YORK

SOFA OF GOBELIN TAPESTRY
Onvned by Gerald Beekman, Esq.t New York. See page 280.

THE FURNITURE
OF OUR
FOREFATHERS

By ESTHER SINGLETON
WITH CRITICAL DESCRIPTIONS OF PLATES
By RUSSELL STURGIS

ILLUSTRATED

NEW YORK
DOUBLEDAX PAGE AND COMPANY
i _9 o i

COPYRIGHT, 1 901, BY
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & CO.
AUGUST, I 901

CONTENTS

The Early Dutch Settlers
First ships from Holland, 235 ; descriptions of New
Amsterdam, 236—7 ; wealth of citizens, 238.
Comfortable Homes and Early Furniture
A Typical Dutch House
Home of Cornelis Steenwyck
Chairs, Forms and Stools .
Beds, Bedsteads, Household Utensils and
Children's Furniture
House of Cornelis Van Dyke
Home of Captain Kidd
Marquetry and Mahogany
Oriental Goods and Furniture
Porcelain and Chinaware .
Pictures ....
Chimney and Cupboard Cloths
The Kas ....
Usefulness and value, 264; examples owned in New
Amsterdam, 265 ; the ball foot or " knot," 265-6 ; the
glass case and frame, 266.
Early Importations .
Woods Used for Furniture
Wealth of the Dutch
The Doten-Kammer .
Colonial New York .

235-238 239-242242—244 245-247248—250
250-252 253-254 255-256256-258258-259259—261261—263 ¦ 263
264—267

267-268268—269 . 269
. 269
. 270

CONTENTS

Furniture in the Early Eighteenth Cen
tury ......
Walnut and olive-wood, 271 ; Dutch styles in fashion,
271—2; homes of Captain Giles Shelley and George
Duncan, 272—4.
Home of Governor Burnet .
Development of the Splat and Advent of
Mahogany Furniture
Upholsterers and Bed-Furnishings
Paper-hangings ....
Architecture and Fashions
Woods and Metal Mounts .
Cabinet-makers ....
Specimens of Seats
Importations ....
Looking-glasses, ornaments and engravings, 292; mar
ble tables and other furniture, 293—4; carpets and floor
cloths, 295—6 ; fire-places and chimney-pieces, 296—7
China and Glassware
Tea-Table Appointments .
Ornamental China
Luxuries of the Dressing Table
Desk Furnishings
Clocks and Clock-makers .
Music and Musical Instruments.
Cards and Other Games, and Toys
Needlework ....
Looking-glasses and Sconces
Lamps, Lanterns and Candlesticks

270-274

274-276
277-278278-280280-282
283-284284-286
287-288 289-292
292—297

297-

-299

299-

-300

300-

-301

301-
-302 302
302-
-3°4
3°4-
-306
3°7~
-308
308-
-310
310-
-311
311"
-312
wafcw

List of Illustrations

WITH CRITICAL NOTES ON MANY OF
THE PLATES BY RUSSELL STURGIS

ALL THE NOTES FURNISHED BY MR. STURGIS
ARE FOLLOWED BY HIS INITIALS, k. S.

Frontispiece: Sofa .... facing
Carved sofa, about 1 760, the covering of French tapestry, Gobelins or Beauvais, of the
same or a somewhat later epoch. R. S.

PAGE iii

Kas

FACING
Cupboard, with two drawers in the base and two in the excessively large cornice, probably
provincial work of about 1 700, the reminiscence of the simple design of three-quarters of
a century earlier still lingering ; but the sculpture late and florid ; perhaps not originally
belonging to this piece. R. S.

235

Carved Oak Cupboard . . . facing
Oak cupboard, probably about 1575 and having in its frame, proportions, mouldings, and
ironwork the suggestion of a still earlier date. It seems like German work of one of the
Rhine towns, from which it might easily have been taken to Holland. R. S.

238

Annetje Jans's Chair

Chair with black painted frame and rush-bottom seat. The top rail is bowed ; the splat,
jar-shaped ; and the front legs turned and ending in hoof feet. E. S.
Old Dutch Chair ......
A heavy and solid chair painted black. The front legs and front stretchers are turned ;
the turned posts terminate in plain legs ; there are four slats and the top rail is arched.
The seat is rich crimson darmsk. E. S.

24O

24I

Two Chairs .......
The first is similar enough to one on page 49 to give it the same date. It is also similar
to those on page 188. The front legs and stretchers of the second chair are similar, but
the presence of curves shows that it is a transitional chair. A little further development
will produce the chair to the left on page 1 84. This kind of chair was frequently covered
with leather. E. S.

249

Dutch Church Stool

facing 250

A small stool about two feet long and one foot high. It is painted black and dated 1702.
It bears a picture of the Last Judgment and a Dutch verse. E. S.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Child's Chair and Mahogany Tea-Table .
The chair, very solid and heavy and painted black, resembles in some respects the chair on
page 241. Its dark red seat is much worn. Tables of the model shown here were in
use in Dutch houses considerably before 1 700. One with four legs is to be seen in an in
terior by David Teniers in the Prado, Madrid. E. S.

253

Warming-pan, Foot-warmers, Trunk and a
" scheppel " facing 254
The trunk and foot-warmers may be compared with the illustration facing page 224. The
warming-pan is of copper ; the <£ scheppel is a grain measure used in the New Nether
lands. E. S.
Mahogany Table ...... 257
A table said to have been brought to New York in 1668. It is of mahogany and made
in the old style of the oak tables with turned legs and stretchers. The chairs on the same
plate are much later. E. S.
Cradles and Children's Chairs and Fire
Screens ..... facing 258
Cradle of simple carpenter work made of four pieces of plank (for ends and rockers) and
fine pieces of board for sides and bottom. Handles are provided by sawed out piercings in
ends and sides, and one of these has split away and has not been repaired.
Child's rocking chair, made of four pieces of board and two pieces of heavy plank for
rockers. The two small holes in the arms of the chair are provided for a strap or cord.
A great deal of interesting and possibly tasteful work, which might be produced in country
districts, is rejected or made impossible by the modern disposition to have everything city-
fied in appearance. Good taste in furniture, and the cheap imitation of costly price are
incompatible and it seems they cannot exist side by side. R. S.
Cradle covered with leather and dated. Pieces made of simple planking and boards,
could be covered with leather or a textile material receiving in this way more finished
and furniture-like appearance. When there were no skillful workmen, the local car
penter having no cunning beyond a simple handicraft of saw, chisel and plane, such a
device suggested by the covered travelling trunks of the period would be resorted to. The
brass-headed nails were easy to bring from a distance. R. S.
Mahogany Table . . . facing 260
An unusually handsome specimen with regard to the work and design. It is made after
the style of the folding oak tables, with legs that move out to support the leaves when
raised. The wood is a very dark and rich red. Its height is %<)% inches; its length, 6
feet, 6 inches; and it is 5 feet, 1 1 inches, across the shortest diameter. E. S.
Marquetry Cupboard and Drawers . facing 262
Chest of drawers with closed cupboard; inlaid with light-coloured wood and, probably,
ivory. The style of design is of 1675; but this was one of those styles which became, at
once, a recognized new step in decorative art, and the designs which were made during
the first quarter-century have been repeated, almost without change, ever since.
It is noticeable that the full development of convex and concave curves in the chest of
drawers, a well-known characteristic of the Paris-made furniture of the time of Louis
XIV, is here shown only in the frontispiece; while the flank is as square and flat below
as it is above. This is an artistic fault, but as a curious mark of the Dutch re-issuing of
the statelier French design it is very interesting and not to be wished away. R. S.
Glass Case on Frame (Marquetry) . facing 264
Glass-fronted bookcase resting on table frame. Inlaid, light-coloured wood on dark
background, probably about 1725. The style seems to be that weakened or lowered

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
modification of the full Dutch Inlaid Cabinet style seen in plate facing 262. The more
slender forms of the legs, combined with the ungraceful shape of the glazed case itself and
the complicated straining-piece below, all indicate a decadent style in need of a re-awaken
ing influence. R. S.
Walnut Kas ..... facing 266
Chest of drawers with closed cupboard, plain cabinet work, of any date from 1750 to
1 800. A piece of considerable interest as exemplifying the simpler style of work which
was hardly ever wholly abandoned for domestic work, after its introduction early in the
eighteenth century. R. S.
Mahogany Kas ....... 266
Chest of drawers and cupboard, like the last, but still more simple, and somewhat less
elegant in design. R. S.
Kas of Marquetry with Delft Plaques facing 270
Wardrobe or cabinet solidly built of dark wood, the surface inlaid with light colored woods
and ivory and having about fifty circular plaques of Delft ware, each separately framed with
delicate mouldings in slight projection from the general surface. The color of the plaques
is in each case blue and white and these are therefore lighter than the piece : the inlays
forming a third number in the proportion. The sincere love of the Dutch workmen for
effective decoration, while still they retained a feeling for domestic simplicity, is evidenced
in this piece. It is like the English Jacobean pieces ; which we contrast for their simplic
ity with the statelier contemporaneous furniture of the royal and princely households of
France and Germany. A courtier of Louis XIV would not have esteemed such a combina
tion of pottery and woodwork as this ; but the Dutch were fond of the idea and they some
times used costly Chinese plates and saucers encrusted in exactly the same manner. R. S.
Old Chest with Drawer ..... 270
A rough and plain painted chest with a drawer. It has brass handles at each end, two
locks, and the drawer is furnished with brass drop handles of very old design, pendent from
a circular brass plate. E. S.
Three Chairs ....... 271
The chair in the centre is of oak. Similar chairs appear on page 6, and facing page 8 and
page 286. The other two are ofthe Anglo-Dutch school, with cabriole legs, ball-and-
claw foot, acanthus carved on the knee, the top rail bowed, with carved shell in the cen
tre, and splat pierced. They may be compared with chairs on pages 99, 101, 108, 137,
272, 289 and 309. E. S.
Marquetry Cupboard . - . facing 272
Bookcase, upper half with glazed doors ; frame and panels inlaid in the Dutch manner
(see plates facing 262 and 270). The present lights of glass are too large to be the orig
inal pieces, and the case loses much of its character by the change. The inlay is one of
fine quality and good design ; the parrots in swinging perches are noticeable. R. S.
Four Chairs ....... 272
The tallest chair, painted black, may be of oak, for it is similar to many already described.
The chair to the extreme right is similar to those just described. The third specimen is of
about the same period, but has straight legs and stretchers ; while the fourth chair is one
of Sheraton's models. E. S.
Mahogany Chairs with Turkey-work Bottoms facing 274
Two handsome examples belonging to the early Chippendale school. In proportion and in
detail, they are unusually fine. The simple jar-shaped splat is boldly and gracefully pierced

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
and carved; the top rail is carved and ' ' embowed. ' ' The two front feet end in a very fine
ball, and the claw clasping it is firm and strongly cut. The seats of Turkey-work are in
pleasing patterns of gay colors. E. S.
Plate-Back Chair ...... 276
An interesting example of Dutch design, with cabriole legs, hoof feet, one stretcher, em-
bowed top rail, and jar-shaped splat, forming a solid plate, unpierced. E. S.
Dutch Chairs ....... 277
Three chairs of the same period as the above ; the central one is an early form of the
chair that often occurs in the American inventories as the " crown back chair," so-called
from the shape given by its general outline. E. S.
Mahogany Table .... facing 278
This valuable specimen belongs to the same period as the one facing page 118. It is a fine
piece of wood. The table has two leaves supported by legs that move out or in at pleasure.
The ball-and-claw feet are boldly carved. E. S.
Settee ........ 279
This piece depends upon its shape and its upholstery for its effect and not its woodwork,
for its legs only are visible. These are cabriole in shape and carved, ending in the ball-
and-claw. E. S.
Mahogany Bedstead . . . . . .281
The posts are carved and turned, tapering gracefully toward the top. Unfortunately,
there is neither cornice, nor tester to give to the bed its proper finish. The blue and
white curtains are of the same age as the bedstead. E. S.
Gobelin Tapestry Chairs . . . facing 282
Two armchairs belonging to the same set as the sofa (frontispiece) and covered with sim
ilar tapestry. R. S.
Four Chairs ..... facing 286
The chair in the upper left-hand corner, of mahogany with yellow damask bottom, be
longs to the same period as those facing page 274. The splat is ornate, and the foot
ends in the ball-and-claw. The chair was brought to New York in 1763.
The oak arm-chair next to it is richly carved ; the legs form with the front rail a graceful
X and bear a shield with a lion rampant. The stamped red-leather seat is fastened with
brass nails, and a cushion of the same material is held to the back by brass rings and a cord.
The chair in the lower left-hand corner resembles many Dutch models already described,
save for the two handles, or ears, on either side of the back.
The chair in the lower right corner is similar to the one on page 271. E. S.
Mahogany Chairs ...... 289
Both chairs are a later stage of development than those on page 277. The seats of both
chairs are Turkey-work. E. S.
Three Chairs ....... 290
The two to the left belong to one set. The splat is pierced and in the centre an urn or
vase appears neatly carved. The other chair has its splat pierced in a graceful tracery de
sign. E. S.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Chair

A somewhat curious variety, with its straight legs ending in dog's feet, rush-bottom, bow-
shaped top-rail and pierced and carved splat quite uncommon as to outline. E. S.
Old Oak Chair ......
A chair of the type already shown on pages 183 and 1 90. The feet are similar to those
of a chair on page 193. In all probability the original back and seat were of cane. E. S.

29I

292

Old "Wing" or "Saddle-Cheek" Chair . . 293
A bedroom chair with stuffed back, seat and arms. The mahogany legs are short cabriole
with ball-and-claw feet. The covering is a kind of brown matting. Another example
of an earlier "wing" chair faces page 184. E. S.
Corner Chair ....... 294
A simpler specimen faces page 122, with solid splat; here the splat is pierced, but more
elaborately than that on page 123. It differs from these examples in having ball-and-
claw feet and cabriole legs, as well as in the curious ornamental pendents to the rail. E. S.
Two Chairs ....... 295
The one to the left is of the same period as those on pages 183 and 190; the second
chair is Dutch, and similar to those on page 277 with the exceptions of its arms. The
splat has been covered unfortunately with the same material as the seat, as was the chair
on page IOI. E. S.
Marquetry Chest of Drawers and Glass Case
facing 296
Dutch inlaid decoration of fine quality. The piece is to be compared with that shown in
plate facing 262, and is like that in many of its details. The decorative anthemions on
the ends, springing from conventional vases resting on cuts de lampt, are of great beauty.
R. S.
Oval Painted Table . . . facing 298
Table with painted top; probably about 1780. These painted pieces have a double origin,
first in the inlays of coloured woods which, in Italy and later in the Low Countries, had
been a recognized system of decoration since the fifteenth century, second, in the magni
ficent French work of the years 1720 to 1770, of which the celebrated painting in
Vernh Martin is the most brilliant. Once established, this fashion of painting the larger
surfaces lasted until 1 840, and much in reality and more in possibility was lost when that
fashion disappeared. R. S.
Two Clocks  facing 302
Tall clock, in lacquered case; the designs in painted lacquer appear to be really of Japan
ese work, and it may well be that the case had been sent out to Japan for the purpose.
R. S.
Bracket clock, the case wholly of metal, the front and sides elaborately worked in pierced
patterns, the dial inserted flush with the front plate is modern: the clock is held by hooks
to a strong horizontal moulding. R. S.
Two Bracket or Pedestal Clocks . . . 305
Of excellent design. The one to the left contains arches at each side carved in lattice
work- the second clock, made by Robert Henderson of London, has several chimes. The
latter is richly ornamented with metal. E. S.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Parlour Organ ......
This example is 52 inches high and 26 inches wide. The case is mahogany and the
pipes are ornamented with drapery. A bellows supplies the wind. The instrument plays
ten English tunes. E. S.

3°7

Mahogany Card Table and Chair

A table that is unusual in having five legs, one of which draws out to support the leaf.
The feet are claw-and-ball. The chair, also of mahogany, is similar to many already de
scribed. E. S.

Screen worked in 1776

3°9

311

The standard is of mahogany of the pillar-and-claw type; the legs end in the "snake
foot"; and above the regular patterns of now faded colours the date 1776 is worked.
E. S.

THE FURNITURE OF
OUR FOREFATHERS Part IV

¦= —

KAS, WALNUT, VENEERED WITH MAHOGANY
Owned by Miss Katharine Van Rensselaer, Vlie House, Rensselaer, N. T. See page 267.

J&V?r\_

^Vj^^jvEv/yx^^^^ATsy^

&•§ <A5l

^e?5^

THE FURNITURE OF
OUR FOREFATHERS PART IV i
DutcK and Eng'lisH Periods
NEW YORK FROM I 6 I 5 TO 1 776
l^/w^^SHE first pieces of furniture that were landed

on the shores of the Hudson were probably
brought in the Fortune, by Hendrick Chris
tiansen of Cleep, who founded in 1615 a
settlement consisting of four houses with a
3 ^3*2^£» ? population of thirty persons. The Tiger also
came about the same time under Captain Adrian Blok, and
these two had received from the States-General of Holland
the monopoly of trade with New Netherland, consisting
principally in furs. These ships were followed by the
Little Fox, the Nightingale , and again the Fortune. In
1623, the Privileged West India Company sent out thirty
families, chiefly Walloons; and, in 1625, the colonial au
thorities sent a vessel with six families and their household
furniture. The population was now about two hundred. In

235

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
1626, the Arms of Amsterdam arrived, as well as the Sea
Mew, with Peter Minuit who got the island of Manhattan.
The Arms of A?nsterdam took back to Holland 8,250 skins
of beaver, otter, mink, lynx and rat, together with much
oak timber and nutwood or hickory. This trading-post
was therefore now a success, but it could not be called a
town yet. Twenty years later, when Father Jogues visited
New Amsterdam and was received by Governor Kieft, he
wrote : " There is a fort to serve as the commencement of
a town to be built here and to be called New Amster
dam. . . . Within the fort there was a stone church
which was quite large, the house of the governor whom
they call Director-General, quite neatly built of brick, the
storehouses and barracks. On this island of Manhate, and
in its environs, there may well be four or five hundred men
of different sects and nations : the Director-General told
me that there were men of eighteen kinds of languages ;
they are scattered here and there on the river above and
below, as the beauty and convenience of the spot invited
each to settle; some mechanics, however, who ply their
trade, are ranged under the fort, all the others being ex
posed to the incursions of the Indians, who, in the year
1643, while I was there, had actually killed some two-
score Hollanders, and burnt many houses and barns full of
wheat .... When any one first comes to settle in the
country they lend him horses, cows, etc. ; they give him
provisions, all which he returns as soon as he is at ease ;
and as to the land, after ten years he pays to the West
India Company the tenth of the produce which he
raises." Rensselaerswyek, now Albany, he describes as a colony
of about a hundred persons residing in some twenty or
236

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
thirty houses constructed merely of boards, and thatched,
there being as yet no masonry except in the chimneys.
When Governor Stuyvesant arrrived in New Amster
dam in 1647, the town contained about 150 dwellings
with about 700 inhabitants. Most of the buildings were
built of wood and thatched with reeds, and some had
wooden chimneys. Sanitary conditions were almost in
conceivably filthy, and stringent measures were taken for
the construction of " suitable and convenient houses within
nine months." There was, consequently, great improve
ment in the town during the next ten years. Adrian Van
der Donck, writing about 1654, describes the fine kitchen
gardens of the New Netherlands, and mentions peaches,
apricots, cherries, figs, almonds, persimmons, plums, and
gooseberries, as well as quinces from England. Among
the flowers introduced, he enumerates various species of red
and white roses, eglantine, gilly-flowers, jenoffelins, various
tulips, crown imperials, white lilies, the fritillaria, anemo
nes, baredames, violets, marigolds and many others. In
1656, there were 120 houses with extensive gardens, and
1,000 inhabitants. In this year, the first article of the con
ditions offered by the Burgomasters of the city of Amster
dam to agreement with the West India Company reads :
" The colonists who are going (to New Amsterdam) shall
be transported in suitable vessels with their families, house
hold furniture and other necessaries." The majority of
these colonists were of the poorer class, but wealthy mer
chants came here in increasing numbers, and the trading-
post soon became a busy mart. With its extensive water
front, streams, canals, and meadows, the transplanted Dutch
town became very homelike. Most of the houses were of
one story with two rooms, and, rough as most of the fur-
237

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
niture undoubtedly was, yet a good deal had come across
the water. Articles of luxury were already on the spot
and in demand. In the Albany records for 1654, we
read : " Jan Gouw and Harmen Janse wish to sell a certain
casket inlaid with ebony and other woods." The payment
was to be made in " good whole beavers . . . within
twenty-four hours, without an hour longer delay." It was
bought by Jacob Janse Flodder for thirty beavers and nine
teen guilders. This handsome casket, therefore, fetched
about $125, as beavers were then worth from $3.50 to $4
each. An example of carved oak furniture, such as may have
been owned by the wealthy Hollanders at the time of the
first settlement of New Netherland, faces this page. It
is a curious oak cupboard on a frame, left by Miss Mary
Campbell to the Albany Institute and Historical and Art
Society. When New Orange finally passed into English posses
sion in 1674, ninety-four of its citizens owned estates of
more than a thousand guilders. Twenty-two of these were
between five and ten thousand guilders each ; and the
wealthiest were the following : Johannes van Burgh, 14,-
000; Jacob Leisler, 15,000; Johannes de Peyster, 15,000;
Cornelis Van Ruyven, 18,000 ; Jeronimus Ebbing, 30,000;
Jno. Lawrence, 40,000 ; Olaf Stevenson Van Cortland,
45,000 ; Nicholas de Meyer, 50,000 ; Cornelis Steenwyck,
50,000; and Hendrick Philipsen, 80,000.
In 1677, there were 368 houses and 3,430 persons in
New York; in 1686, the numbers had increased to 480 and
3,800 respectively. In 1689, Albany had 150 houses.
Thus, at this date, the New York dwelling-house harboured
from nine to ten persons on an average. Though the
238

CARVED OAK CUPBOARD WITH DRAWERS, ON A FRAME
Ovjned by the Albany Institute and Historical and Art Society.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
rooms were few, therefore, they had to be large. The
house of the prosperous merchant was of two stories and
contained seven or eight rooms. As a rule, the New York
inventories do not give the contents of separate rooms, but
the house of John Winder (died 1675) is one exception. Be
sides the shop, it contained six rooms. In the hall were
four Spanish tables covered with two leather Bristol car
pets and two of Turkey -work, a framed table, twelve Tur
key-work chairs and one leather chair, two trunks, two
stands, two looking-glasses, a screen, six earthen pots, brass-
headed andirons, and a pair of bellows.
The boys' room contained a bed and a chair. Mr.
Winder's chamber was furnished with a bedstead, six
child's beds, two stands, two chests of drawers, four stools
with covers, two chairs, a close-stool, a fire-pan, andirons,
dogs and brass tongs. The curtains were of wrought dim
ity, a mantel-cloth adorned the chimney, and in the
drawers was a lot of household linen, besides green cloth
and new and old tapestry for hangings. The shop was
furnished for living as well as trade purposes. It contained
a bedstead with purple curtains and valance, four chairs,
two stools, and a glass case. The back room had a bed
stead and curtains lined with sarcenet, six chairs, a table and
carpet, a looking-glass and andirons. Grey hangings and
two chimney-cloths adorned this room. Two bedsteads
and a looking-glass were in the maid's chamber; and a
table, a form and six chairs in the kitchen. The house
was liberally supplied with the usual linen, pewter, earthen
ware and utensils. Mr. Winder also possessed 447 ounces
of silver plate valued at £1 1 1-15-0.
The above house has an atmosphere of solid comfort.
There is little of the Dutch feeling about it; it is typical
239

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

of the English merchant. A glance at
the homes of others of this class at the
beginning of the English rule shows the
same conditions. Nathaniel Sylvester's
furniture (1680) included four tables,
six green, ten leather and twelve other
chairs, a clock, a Turkey-work couch,
ten feather beds and furniture, two cup
boards of drawers, four
looking-glasses, two great
chests, and two great
trunks. Robert Story died
in 1680 worth ^7, 572-1 6-
6. He owned an old
ebony chair worth £/\., a
large chest of drawers, £5,
and a large table, ^5, both
of black walnut. His
rooms were hung with
"dornix" (see page 17).
Early chairs are shown
on this and the next
page. The first, with black
painted frame and rush-bottom seat, jar-shaped splat, bowed
top rail and front legs turned and ending in hoof feet, is a
type frequently seen in the works of the Dutch masters.
This chair is said to have originally belonged to Annetje
Jans, who came to the New Netherlands in 1630. She was
first the wife of Roelof Jansen and after his death was mar
ried to Dominie Everadus Bogardus. Her bouwery, or farm,
was the land on which Trinity church now stands. The
chair is the property of Mrs. Blanche Douw Allen, of New

ANNETJE JANS S CHAIR
Owned by Mrs. Blanche Douw Allen, New York.

240

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

York, having descended to her through
the Douw family. A similar chair is
owned by Mr. Clarence Townsend, of
New York.
The chair represented on this page
is painted black and is very heavy and
solid; it has four slats, and simple top
rail arched; its turned posts terminate
in plain legs, the front legs and front
stretchers are turned. The seat is hand
some crimson damask. This chair has
long been in the Pruyn fam
ily, and is owned by Mr.
John V. L. Pruyn.
Facing page 286 is an
oak armchair of beautiful
design, the front rail and
front legs forming a grace
ful X, carved with a leaf
pattern, and a shield bearing
a lion rampant. The seat is
of dark red leather fastened
by brass nails. A cushion of
the same material is held to
the sides by brass rings and
cords. This artistic design is
familiar through the pictures of the Dutch masters. It be
longs to the estate of Mary Parker Corning, and is now in the
rooms of the Albany Institute and Historical and Art Society.
The difference between New York and New England
houses was sufficiently marked to strike a stranger. In
Madame Knight's Journal (1707), we have direct testi-

OLD DUTCH CHAIR
Owned by Mr. John V. L. Pruyn, New York.

241

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
mony : " The Cittie of New York is a pleasant, well com
pacted place situated on a commodious River wch is a fine
harbour for shipping. The Buildings, Brick generaly,
very stately and high, though not altogether like ours in
Boston. The Bricks in some of the Houses are of divers
Coullers and laid in Checkers, being glazed look very
agreeable. The inside of them are neat to admiration, the
wooden work, for only the walls are plastered, and the
Sumers * and Gist are plained and kept very white scowr'd,
as so is all the partitions if made of Bords. The fire
places have no Jambs (as ours have). But the Backs run
flush with the walls, and the Hearth is of Tyles, and is as
farr out into the Room at the Ends as before the fire, wch
is generally Five foot in the Low'r rooms, and the peice
over where the Mantle tree should be is made as ours with
Joyners work, and I suppose is fasten'd to iron rodds in
side. The house where the Vendue was, had Chimney
Corners like ours, and they and the hearths were laid wth
the finest tile that I ever see, and the stair cases laid all
with white tile, which is ever clean, and so are the walls
of the Kitchen wch had a Brick floor."
The above description was written at the end of the
period now under review, when the town had not yet lost
much of its Dutch character. The arrangement of the
common living-room of the ordinary Dutch home can be
readily reproduced. The most striking feature was the
ornamental chimney-piece, five feet square, as Mme. Knight
above explains. The Dutch love of carving is well known.
When the owner was wealthy, the chimney-piece would
be quite elaborate with caryatides surmounted by the con-
* Sumers is the " central beam supporting the joist, such as is now sometimes called the bearing
beam." 242

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
soles supporting the oak entablature ornamented with mo
tives picked out in ebony, or wood stained in imitation. On
the cornice, stood various vessels of brass repousse and Delft
ware. The hearth had a large cast-iron ornamented back, the
sides being faced with faience tiles often representing per
sonages in contemporay costume. Andirons with brass
handles, heads of dogs, or lions, an iron rack for the fire-
irons, pot-hooks, spits, a great "kettle," a pair of bellows,
a warming-pan, and pewter, brass, or iron candlesticks were
all to be found about this important feature of the cham
ber. Not far away, stood the large table with its carpet, or
several small ones. At meal times, the wealthy burgher's
table would be garnished with fine diaper or damask cloth
and napkins, a great silver salt-cellar of fine workmanship,
silver beakers, spoons, knives with handles of silver, agate,
ivory, or mother-of-pearl, an occasional silver fork in wealthy
homes, * jugs, mugs, glasses, plates and dishes of pewter,
earthenware, or porcelain. Sometimes the glasses, cups, or
mugs had silver or pewter covers. Near the host's great
chair would be a large wine-cooler, or cistern of pewter or
repousse copper. Affixed to the wall is a board with hooks
and a shelf above. Here hang pots and vessels of all
shapes and sizes, and on the shelf is some of the fine Delft
ware in which the mistress takes such pride. There is also
a large provision cupboard, and above it hangs a looking-
glass with an ebony frame of waved mouldings. Close by
stands a great linen press, and perhaps a second " Kas " is

* Forks were very scarce before 1670. In 1668, Governor Eaton bequeathes a " sylver meat fork "
to Mrs. Abigail Nichols. George Cooke owns one in 1679. Nine silver spoonsand six forks cost ^10
in 1690. It is surprising how long it took for them to become popular; there was a strange prejudice
against them. In Nicholas Breton's The Courtier and the Countryman, we read: '-For us in the
country, when we have washed our hands after no foul work, nor handling any unwholesome thing, we
need no little forks to make hay with our mouths, to throw our meat into them."
*43

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
also in the room. A bright and charming Frisian clock
(such as appears facing page 302) ticks on the wall. In
the background, a stairway, more or less ornamental, with
plain banisters or turned balustrading, leads to the rooms
above; and under it stand casks, and a lantern hangs there
to light the descent to the cellar. A carved oak glass
stand, or rack, is also frequently found ; and on it are gob
lets and glasses of all dimensions. Pails, brushes, brooms,
and all the implements for washing and scouring are con
veniently at hand. The window, with leaded diamond or
square panes, has an exterior framing of creepers or rose-
tendrils. At the entrance, or in the vestibule, were some
times to be found faience plates breathing the spirit of easy
going good-nature characteristic of the race. A typical
one bears the legend :
" Al wat gij ziet, en oordeel niet.
Al wat gij hoord, en geloof niet.
Al wat gij weet, en %eg niet.
Al wat gij vermoogt, en doet niet"
(Don't judge all that you see.
Don't believe all that you hear.
Don't utter all that you know.
Don't do all that you can do.)
Another plate, representing a grotesquely-garbed indi
vidual, reads : " Huijs is noijt zond
Gikkin die het niet
In dient de kan verstrekken "
(This house is never lacking in fools; he who does
not amuse himself in it can get out.)
The Friesland clock, mentioned above, is about 200
years old. It is owned by the Rev. John van Burk, Johns-
244

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
town, N. Y., and is in the rooms of the Albany Institute
and Historical and Art Society. The mermaids, cherubs,
eagles, and other ornaments upon it present a bewildering
and beautiful combination of scarlet, blue, white and gold.
The pictures on and above the dial are delicately painted.
The wealthy Dutch merchant naturally had more
numerous and luxurious apartments than the home above
described. Like his English brother, his rooms were full
of hangings, bric-a-brac, porcelains, plate, and furniture of
the choicest woods, marquetry and lacquer. We will now
examine a house of this class.
Cornelis Steenwyck, the second wealthiest citizen of
New Amsterdam when it passed into English hands, be
came Mayor of New York and died in 1686. His estate,
including debts, then amounted to ^15,931-15-1. He
owned one house south of Bridge Street and east of the
Fort, .£700 ; another, a little to the north, ^300 ; a gar
den between the houses of Peter Doriemer and Stephanus
Van Cortlandt, ^70 ; and " a small slip of ground lying in
the broad way on the back part of the lot of Laendert
Vandergrift, 22 feet by 15 feet, £7." Thus Broadway
real estate was already valuable. His home is a good type of
that ofthe wealthy burgher. It was an eight-roomed house
with cellars, etc. In the Great Chamber, was ^46 5-3-7^
in money, besides jewelry worth ^5 2-4-0, and 730 ounces
of silver plate worth £219. It was elaborately furnished
with a round table (£2) and square table (j£io), twelve
Russia leather and two chairs with fine silver lace, a cabinet
(£6), a great looking-glass (£6), and a very valuable
" cupboard or case of French nutwood "(^20). Fourteen
fine pictures adorned the walls, and there was a- pair of
flowered tabby curtains for the glass windows and a chim-
245

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
ney-cloth of the same material. The fire-place was sup
plied with a " hearthe iron with brass handles "; and one
part of the room was given up to a big bedstead with its
furnishings, and a dressing-box. There was also a " cap-
stock," or rack to hang clothes on, besides some table-linen,
striped tapestry, silver lace, feather plumes, three chamber
brooms and a carpet. On the chimney-piece and in the
great cupboard and cabinet were five alabaster images, nine
teen porcelain dishes, an ivory compass and two flowered
earthen pots. All this sounds very luxurious and attractive.
The Fore Room contained a marble table with wooden
frame, another table of wood with a carpet, one matted
and seven Russia leather chairs, one "foot banke," a
cushion, a clock, eleven pictures, and three curtains over
the glass windows. This forms a very pleasant sitting-
room. In the "withdrawing room" were two chairs, a cabi
net {£4), a chest, a trunk, a capstick, a close-stool, a
cushion, eight pictures, and five china dishes, besides a lot
of dry-goods. The kitchen chamber was evidently the common fam
ily living-room. It contained five Russia leather, three
matted, and four other chairs, an oval table with woolen
cloth, a bedstead and furniture with iron rods and curtains,
a case for clothes, two small trunks, two cushions, a chim
ney-cloth, a tobacco-pot, a glass lantern, a looking-glass
and a great quantity of linen and earthenware. There
were also three wooden racks for dishes and a " can-board
with hooks of brass." The latter appears in many a Dutch
interior of the seventeenth century.
The other rooms comprised the after-loft, chamber
above the kitchen, cellar-kitchen, upper chamber for mer-
246

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
chandise, cellar and garret. There was also a small stable,
and "in the streete" were fir planks, an iron anchor,
board and Holland pan tiles. Among the host of miscel
laneous household goods and utensils, we note a "cupboard
or case of drawers," two painted screens, a tick-tack board,
a paper-mill, some black lead and blue, tin ware to bake
sugar cakes, a marsepyn pan (marzipan or marchpane, a
sweet confection of almond paste and sugar), (£2), two tin
water spouts, thirteen scrubbing and thirty-one rubbing
brushes, twenty-four pounds of Spanish soap and seven
brushes. The household utensils and domestic conveniences in
New York were, as a rule, more varied and more numer
ous than in New England and the South. Cleaning and
scrubbing utensils especially were abundant; a few items of
this nature from inventories before 1 700 are as follows :
Whitening brushes, scrubbing ditto, painting brushes, hair
ditto, dust ditto, chamber brooms, " hearth hair brushes
with brass and wooden handles," hearth brooms, rubbers,
"brush to clean ye floor," "dust brushes called hogs," floor
brushes, rake ditto, " Bermudian brooms with sticks," sticks
to hang the clothes upon, washing tubs, pails, rainwater
casks, glass knockers to beat clothes, "tin wateren pot to
wet clothes," wicker baskets, smoothing irons, boards " to
whet knives upon," clothes brushes, leather buckets, fire
buckets, Dutch hampers and Bermuda baskets, and scrub
bers tied with red leather.
An important personage in Albany was Dom Nicholas
Van Rensselaer, who died in 1679. His house near the
mill, worth 1,200 guilders, contained a generous supply of
linen, china, earthenware, silver plate, pewter, brass and
iron. The wooden furniture comprised two beds, a chest
247

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
of drawers, two looking-glasses, a globe of the world, a
brown table of nutwood, a chest of the same, an oak table,
a table of pine with six stools or chairs, a sleeping bank
(see page 250) of pine, an old coffer with a desk, a seal,
a wooden sand-box and a brush, twenty-one pictures and
the King's Arms. Some of the miscellaneous articles
included "an instrument to swim withal, a tin pan to roast
apples, a flat dish to boil fish on, a brass pocket watch
that's out of order, and a fRagilet tipt with silver." The
above furniture was certainly not excessive for four
rooms, of which this house probably consisted.
The curious old Dutch chair, seen facing page 286
(lower left-hand corner), is owned by Mr. Gardner Cotrell
Leonard, of Albany. It has cabriole front legs ending in
hoof feet, turned stretchers, a jar-shaped splat and two
handles, or ears, at the sides.
The New York inventories give quite a different im
pression from those of the South, or even of New England.
It is plain that the oak age is past. The drawing-table
(see page 63) still survives, but the newer forms of light fur
niture are rapidly driving out the solid and cumbrous styles.
In the poorer houses, tables and chairs are scarce, and very
roughly constructed; in the richer homes, the latter are
good and plentiful. Between 1680 and 1700, a merchant's
house would contain from thirty to fifty chairs in ad
dition to forms and stools. The latter were not numerous.
Turkey-work, turned, matted, Russia leather (single and
double nailed), Spanish leather and cane chairs are the
principal varieties. Typical specimens of the day are shown
facing page 286 and on page 249. The most ornate, fac
ing page 286 (right-hand below), is from the Schuyler
house, on the Flats, Troy Road, N. Y. Similar chairs
248

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

CHAIR FROM WHITEHALL
Owned by Mrs. Cuyler Ten Eyck, Albany.

CHAIR FROM WHITEHALL
Owned by Mrs. Cuyler Ten Eyck, Albany.

appear also on page 271 and facing page 8. The other
chairs are owned by Mrs. Cuyler Ten Eyck, Albany, and
came from her home, Whitehall, the Gansevoort house.
Ebony chairs were possessed by a few families. " Foot-
banks" often added to bodily ease. Enough has been said
about the chairs of the period in former sections, so there
is no need to dwell on them here. Church chairs, stools
or stoofts are quite general in the houses ; they were car
ried to worship when wanted. One of these, shown facing
page 250, belongs to Mr. George Douglas Miller, and is
249

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
now in the rooms of the Albany Institute and Historical
and Art Society.* It is painted black and bears a picture
of the Last Judgment in colours; the angel is seen separat
ing the sheep from the goats. Beneath is the date 1702,
and the following inscription:
" Het oordeel Gotsir nu hereijt
Het is nogtijt Laet onsincingt
De vroome van de Boose Scheyt
Godt beddenom des Heemals ovcngt.
(" The judgment of God is now prepared
There is still time, leave unwisdom
The pious will be separated from the wicked
God's wisdom encircles the universe.")
Tables are generally the same as elsewhere ; the side or
sideboard table, with or without drawers, is frequently
present. Though the high-post bedstead was common, in some
of the Dutch homes the bedstead was a kind of sleeping-
bunk (slaap-banck), a shelf with doors in the wall; this
bedstead was literally the bed-place and not an ornamen
tal piece of furniture. This arrangement is still to be seen
in many farm-houses of northern Europe, Normandy and
Brittany, and constantly appears in the pictures of Gerard
Dou, Jan Steen and other contemporary Dutch painters.
Little beds, trundle beds (known as slaap banck op rol-
len), tent beds with curtains, sleeping benches, press-beds
and bedsteads "on fold" were other varieties. Slaves had
to be content with rough sleeping accommodations. A
temporary shake-down, or rough cot, such as guests had to
put up with at festival time, was called a Kermesse bed.
When Jaspar Dankers and Peter Sluyter, the Labadists,
* This of course is a small stool, but has been reproduced on a very large scale in order to show the
picture upon it. 250

DUTCH CHURCH STOOL
Owned by Mr. George Douglas Miller, Albany. See pages 24g-2jo.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
visited Simon at Gouanes in 1 690, they noted in their
journal: "It was very late at night when we went to rest
in a Kermis bed, as it is called, in the corner of the hearth,
alongside of a good fire." The warming-pan of copper or
brass was always in requisition. One belonging to Mrs.
Robert R. Topping, of Albany, is represented facing page
254 with some other articles now in the rooms of the Al
bany Institute and Historical and Art Society. These are
foot-warmers, owned by Messrs. Bleecker and James B.
Sanders, and a "scheppel," a Dutch grain measure used in
the New Netherlands, now owned by Mrs. S. G. Bradt,
and a trunk belonging to Mrs. Anna de Peyster Douw Mil
ler. A fine brass warming-pan, marked with the initials
of Philip Van Rensselaer, is at Cherry Hill, Albany.
We also find a multifarious assortment of cooking uten
sils and implements, including pots, funnels, pans, cullen
ders, kettles, chocolate-pots, apple-roasters, cake and pie
pans, sugar-cake pans, posset-pans, marchpane-pans, strain
ers, fish-kettles, skillets, jacks, spits and trammels.
Among the miscellaneous household goods mentioned,
we note steel to strike fire with, tinder-box, candle-box,
rack, spice-box, kettle-bench, mustard-querne, spoon-rack,
thing to put spoons in, sand-box, tobacco-box, spue-box
(which sometimes had a drawer), paper-mill, frame for
clothes to hang, rack to hang clothes and caps upon, hour
glass, weather-glass, dressing-stick and board, comb-box,
black walnut paper-box and rolling board for linen.
The attention paid to the comfort of children is often
apparent. Among the frequent entries are children's bed
steads, cribs, cradles, small children's trunks, child's stools,
sucking-bottles, nurse-chairs, rocking-chairs, childbed bas
kets, and toys and playthings. " Fenders to keep children
251

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
from the fire" are specially mentioned. Three interesting
pictures appear facing page 258 and on page 253.
The first represents a cradle belonging to the Pruyn fam
ily and a child's rocking-chair used by Sarah Lansing. Be
hind this stand two fire-screens (the latter belonging to the
estate of Mary Parker Corning) now in the Albany Insti
tute and Historical and Art Society.
The second shows an old cradle covered with leather
and ornamented with brass nails also forming date 1749,
and a child's high chair, with turned posts and stretchers,
and bearing a bar for the feet. The seat is covered with
leather. These pieces have always been in the Van
Rensselaer family, and are now owned by Mrs. H. Van
Rensselaer Gould, of East Orange, N. J., and are preserved
in the Van Rensselaer house, Cherry Hill, Albany.
The third is a child's chair long in the Lansing fam
ily. This belongs to Miss Anna Lansing in Albany. The
"tip and turn" tea-table of mahogany with ball-and-claw
feet is of later date. This also belongs to Miss Lansing.
For lighting the halls and rooms, there were lanterns,
earthen and other lamps and a great variety of candlesticks.
These were of pewter, tin, iron, brass and more precious
metals. Silver candlesticks were not rare, and some of these
were of elaborate form and workmanship. Besides the
simpler kinds that stood on tables and shelves, there were
high-branched standing candlesticks, sconces and arms
on the walls, and candelabra hanging from the ceilings.
A double brass hanging candlestick with snuffers and
extinguisher was worth ^1-4-0 in 1696. Some of the
varieties were hand-candlesticks, brass hanging and handle
candlesticks, brass standing ditto, standing ditto with
two brass candlesticks to it, and brass-plated candlestick.
252

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Cornelis Van Dyke (1686), whose estate amounted to
1,428 beavers, had a typical mixture of furniture in his
house. One room contained a walnut bedstead with
dark say hangings and silk fringe, a walnut chest contain
ing a spare suit of serge hangings, a painted chest of
drawers, " a walnut chest of drawers with a press for nap-

A CHILD S CHAIR AND MAHOGANY TEA TABLE
Owned by Miss Anna Lansing, Albany. See page 252
kins atop of it," an oak chest of drawers, an oak table and
carpet, eight Spanish stools, a walnut capstock to hang
clothes upon, a red table that folds up, an old case without
bottles, a hanging about a chimney ; and the usual linen
brass, pewter, earthenware and glass. The Fore Room
was furnished with a bedstead and green say suit of hang
ings, another bedstead of oak, a painted chest of drawers,
a wooden table, ten matted chairs, a Spanish leather stool,

253

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
a looking-glass, three pictures, " four racks that the pewter
stands on and earthenware," a desk, a pewter standish, a
painted eight-cornered table, three chests, a leather hat
case, andirons, fire-irons, bellows, long and short handled
brushes and the usual kitchen stuff. In the shop was a
sleeping bed of pine wood and bedding for the servant, and
"before the door a wooden sleigh."
From the above examples, it is evident that in the aver
age home there was no distinction between sitting- and
sleeping-rooms, and the hall is rarely named as an apart
ment, but that in the richest families the rooms were some
times reserved for distinct purposes. Col. Lewis Morris
(169 1, ^4928-17-1) had a bed in his dining-room as well
as in the great room and lodging-room. Thomas Crun-
dell's hall (1692) contained a bed. The other furniture in
this hall consisted of small square and large oval tables, cup
board, black walnut chest of drawers, glass case of the same
wood, seven leather and three Turkey-work chairs, a
chamber screen, andirons, etc. The chimney-cloth was of
fringed calico, and one large and three small landscapes
were on the walls.
The wives of the wealthier citizens had their own
apartments to which they could retire for rest or privacy.
Some of these were quite luxuriously furnished. William
Cox was a rich merchant, who died in 1689. His
widow's chamber contained a chest of drawers on a frame,
a side table with drawers, a chest of drawers and a dress
ing-box, a glass case, twelve Turkey chairs, a large look
ing-glass, a silver ditto, and a bed with serge curtains and
valance with silk fringe.
By this time, many a Vanderdecken had weathered the
Cape, and the beautiful fabrics and strange productions of
J54

\

WARMING-PAN, FOOT-WARMERS, TRUNK AND A "SCHEPPEL"
Now in the Albany Institute and Historical and Art Society. See page 2JI.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
the affluent East had found their way into every trade cen
tre. Oriental goods give a characteristic note to the rooms
of every prosperous Dutchman of the day. Porcelains,
lacquer goods, silk and cotton fabrics, carved wood and
ivory, and wrought metals were brought here almost as
freely as they are to-day. There is scarcely an inventory of
a person of ample means after 1675 that does not contain
some article of Eastern origin.
New York was an exceedingly busy mart, and English
and Dutch and other vessels unloaded at her wharves
merchandise as varied as was to be had in London or Am
sterdam. Thriving as this trade emporium now was, legi
timate commerce did not satisfy many of the merchants,
who, as is well known, were none too scrupulous ; they
had no hesitation in breaking the laws of trade whenever
possible, and pirates received much sympathy and aid.
Ships were even sent with supplies to the pirates' haunts
and returned with miscellaneous plunder and successful
pirates, who had come home to retire in comfort on the
fruits of their industry. The Earl of Bellomont was sent
out as Governor in 1697 to stop the illegal traffic. He and
others had entered into a commercial venture with a citi
zen and ex-privateer of New York, named Captain William
Kidd, with the object of exterminating piracy. Every
body knows the outcome of this scheme. In 1692, Cap
tain Kidd was a respectable member of society and mar
ried Sarah, the widow of John Ort who had been dead
only a few months. It may be interesting to see the
household goods that the future pirate acquired by this
marriage. There were five tables, one of which was oval, with six
carpets; eighteen Turkey-work, twenty-four single-nailed and
255

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
twelve double-nailed leather chairs ; three chests of drawers,
a glass case, two stands, two dressing-boxes, a desk, a screen,
four looking-glasses, a clock, four curtained beds, two pairs
of andirons, two fenders, three sets of fire-irons, three chaf
ing-dishes, four brass, four tin and four pewter candle
sticks, five leather buckets, 104 ounces of silver plate,
twelve drinking-glasses, and the usual bedding, linen, pew
ter and kitchen stuff. With the addition of his own ef
fects, therefore, Captain Kidd's home was quite luxurious.
The contents of the houses constantly bear evidence of
the extent of New York's foreign trade and imply that
little of the good furniture was made here. The new
styles that the Dutch had borrowed from the East were
rapidly growing in favour. Marquetry, already spoken of
on page 68, beautiful examples of which appear facing
page 262 and page 296, owned by Mrs. William Gor
ham Rice, of Albany, and Mr. John V. L. Pruyn, of
New York, was becoming a leading feature of furniture
decoration, and objects of strange shapes with inlay of
exotic woods were gradually eclipsing the old cabinets,
chests of drawers, cupboards and tables with mouldings and
mathematical patterns of ebony and imitation ebony. The
more picturesque and pictorial marquetry and the bombe
forms and cabriole legs had piactically superseded the
severe oak by 1690. William of Orange was now in
England, and the new Dutch furniture was all the rage.
Walnut was principally used, but chestnut was also in de
mand, and much hickory reached Holland from this side.
The Dutch recognized the value of mahogany in cabinet-
making earlier than is usually thought.
Stray pieces of mahogany unquestionably existed in
New York and perhaps in New England and the South at
256

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
this date. It is probable that the " fine red chest of draw
ers," belonging to Thomas Tyler, of Boston (1691), was
composed of mahogany. The " red table that folds up,"
already mentioned in the inventory of Cornelis Van Dyke
(1686), looks suspiciously like mahogany, and there is no

MAHOGANY TABLE
In the Van Cortlandt House, Croton-on-the-Hudson.

telling how long he had possessed it. The same remark
applies to the "cupboard of Cashoes tree, ^"i-io-o," be
longing to James Laty, of Jamaica, L. I., six years later.
Cashoes is, of course, mahogany (Dutch, kasjoe ; Brazilian,
acajoba ; French, acajou). An early specimen of mahog
any represented on this page belongs to Miss Anne Van
Cortlandt at Croton-on-the-Hudson ; it is said to have

257

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
been brought from Holland by Olaf Stevenson Van Cort
landt in 1668 on his return from a visit to his fatherland.
This, as well as the next example, closely follows the pattern
of the seventeenth century oak tables (seepages 1 1 and 97).
In transitional periods, styles overlap and the old forms are
often clung to after the new have been introduced. It is
quite possible, however, that the mahogany table belong
ing to Miss Van Cortlandt is, in fact, an early mahogany
example of the seventeenth century. The second table,
facing page 260, belonged to Sir William Johnson, and is
loaned to the Albany Institute and Historical and Art
Society by the heirs of the late Gen. John Taylor Cooper.
The wood is very rich red, the leaves drop on hinges at
each end, and are supported by legs that fold. Its height
is 29% inches; its length 6 feet 6 inches and 5 feet 11
inches across the shortest diameter. This piece of furni
ture was confiscated in 1776, and was purchased by the
Hon. John Taylor.
It is not, however, the new Dutch furniture designed
under the influence of the Orient that is noticeable in New
York houses, so much as the actual products in wood and
lacquer of those remote realms. Many a house contained
cabinets, baskets, trays, images and ceramics of all kinds
that had come direct from the Far East. Among others
we may select the following:
Christina Cappoens (1687) had an " Eestindia Cabbenet
with four black ebben feet,;^2-io-o." Margarita Van Varick
(1696), had "five silver wrought East India boxes, three
ditto cups, two ditto dishes, one ditto trunk, a Moorish to
bacco pipe, a small ebony trunk with silver handles, an
East India cabinet with ebony feet wrought, two East In
dia cabinets with brass handles, a small black cabinet with
258

OLD CRADLE, CHILD'S ROCKING-CHAIR AND TWO FIRE
SCREENS
In the Albany Institute and Historical and Art Society. Seepage 252.
VAN RENSSELAER CRADLE AND CHILD'S CHAIR
Owned by Mrs. Gould. See page 252.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
silver handles, eleven Indian babyes, ten Indian looking-
glasses, two East India cane baskets with covers, a fine East
India dressing-basket, a round ditto, two East India cane
baskets with covers, two wooden guilt East India trays
lackered, one round thing ditto, thirteen East India pic
tures, a fine East India square guilt basket and a carved
wooden thing," and quantities of porcelain.
Perhaps also " thirteen ebony chairs, a small gold box
as big as a pea, a gold piece the shape of a diamond, a
gold bell and chain, two gold medals, a small mother-of-
pearl box and fifty-five pieces silver playthings or toys"
may have come from the East. Mr. Jacob De Lange
(1685) also owned "one waxed East India small trunk,
one square black small sealing-waxed box, one silver
thread-wrought small trunk, one ivory small trunk tipt
with silver, two small square cabinets with brass hoops,
one East India basket, one East India cubbet, five small
East India boxes, one East India waxed cabinet with brass
bands and hinges with four partitions, one small East In
dia rush case containing nineteen wine and beer glasses,
one small waxed East India trunk, one ivory small trunk
tipped with silver, one square black small sealing-waxed
box, one silver thread-wrought small trunk, a gold boat
wherein thirteen diamants to one white coral chain and
one East India basket."
If, in addition to Oriental products, we examine the
porcelain, earthenware and pictures belonging to Mrs.
Van Varick and to Mr. De Lange, a rich barber-surgeon,
respectively, we shall have a very clear view of the best
that was procurable at the close of the third quarter of the
seventeenth century. The " Chyrurgian's " inventory
(1685, £74-0-1 7-7), includes: " Purcelaine. In the cham-
259

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
ber before the chimney. Seven half basons (^"12-15-0),
two belly flagons, three white men, one sugar pot, two
small pots, six small porrengers, one small goblet " (all
/2-14-0). Thus we see how a chimney-piece was deco
rated. The six plates were naturally stood on end. Upon the
case, or kas, were two great basons, one great goblet, two
pots, two flasks and four drinking glasses; — total ^4-16-0.
Other porcelain, some of which was evidently for sale, in
cluded : " Five drillings, thirty butter dishes, six double
ditto, seven small tea pots, two white ditto, one can with a
silver joint, one ditto with a joint, five small basons, one
barber's ditto, sixty-seven saucers, four salt sellers, three
small mustard pots, five oil pots, one small pot, 1 27 tea
pots, three small men, two fruit dishes." The total value
of this chinaware was ^1 5-1 1-6 The earthenware
comprised " two small cups, one bason, one small oil can,
one small spice pot, five saucers, six small men, one small
dog, two small swans, one small duck." These were all
worth only ten shillings. In addition, there were "ten
white dishes, seven white and blue ditto, two flat white
basons, one white cup, one salt seller, one mustard pot,
twenty-one trenchers, one chamber pot, one pan with pew
ter cover. Red earthenware : Five small saucepans, three
stew pans, four pots, one strainer, two small dishes, two
jars." Mrs. Van Varick's porcelain was as follows:
" Three cheenie pots, one ditto cup bound with silver, two
glassen cases with thirty-nine pieces of small chinaware and
eleven Indian babyes, also six small and six larger china
dishes, twenty-three pieces of chinaware, two white china
cups with covers, one parcel toys (^f 2-1 0-0), three tea
pots, one cistern and basin, fourteen china dishes, three
large ditto, three ditto basons, three smaller ditto, three fine
260

MAHOGANY TABLE
Owned by Sir William Johnson ; now in the Albany Institute and Historical and Art Society. See page 238.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
china cups, one ditto jug, four ditto saucers, seven ditto
smaller tea dishes, six painted tea ditto, four tea ditto,
eight tea cups, four ditto painted brown, six small ditto,
three ditto painted red and blue, three white East India
flower pots, three ditto smaller, three ditto round, one
china ink box, one lion, one china image." Other articles
of this class were : Eight white earthen plates, one tea dish,
two cups, six wooden tumblers, one carved wooden thing,
and three wooden dishes painted. Besides her Eastern
cabinets, already described, this lady had other pieces of
furniture for the safe-keeping and display of her precious
china. First, perhaps, comes " one great Dutch kas, which
could not be removed from Flatbush," and was therefore
sold for £2$. This must have been a very fine piece of
carved and inlaid work. Then we have a "painted
wooden rack to set chinaware in." The value, £1-7-0,
shows that either the painting or carving was elaborate. A
wooden tray, a wooden tray with feet, and a small oval
painted table also occur.
One of the most varied assortments of household goods
belonged to the above Jacob De Lange. His house con
tained a fore room, side chamber, chamber, shop, kitchen and
cellar. Besides the Oriental goods already mentioned, he
owned twelve chairs of red and six of green plush, and
eleven matted. Then there were seven wooden backs, two
can boards, two small cloak boards, a hat press, a church
chair, a clothes press, a small square cabinet with brass
hoops, a cupboard with glass front, " a black nut chest,
found under them two black feet," one oak drawing and
two round tables. His pictures numbered fifty-five. In
the side chamber were " a small zea, an evening, four pic
tures countreys and five East India pictures with red lists "

261

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
(list=frame). The fore-room was adorned with "a great
picture being a banquet with a black list, one ditto some
thing smaller, one ditto one bunch of grapes with a pome
granate, one ditto with apricocks, one ditto a small coun
try, one ditto a Break of Day, one ditto a Small Winter,
one small ditto a Cobler, a Portraturing of My Lord
Speelman, a board with a black list wherein the coat-of-
arms of Mr. De Lange." These landscapes, marines, in
teriors and still life of the Dutch school would be prized
in any house to-day. It is interesting, however, to note
that the owner's coat-of-arms was valued at ^"5-4-0, while
all the other pictures in the room totalled only £8. The
Chamber contained "one great picture banquetts, one ditto,
one small ditto, one ditto Abraham and Hagar, four small
countreys, two small ditto, one flower pot, one small ditto,
one country people frolic, one portraiture, one sea strand,
one plucked cock torn, two small countreys, one small print
broken, one flower pot small without a list, thirteen East
India prints past upon paper." These pictures, many of
which were, doubtless, by celebrated masters, reached the
grand total of £10-7-6 !
Pictures are found in considerable numbers in all opu
lent houses. Thirty-eight were owned by Cornelis Steen-
wyck, but the subjects are not recorded. Christina Cap-
pons, 1687, owned "two rosen picters, one ditto a ship,
one ditto of ye city of Amsterdam, two ditto small upon
boards, ten small picters, one great ditto with a broken list,
three small gilded ditto." These were collectively worth
^2-0-6. Besides two pictures not described, John Van Zee,
1689, had one of Julius Caesar and another of Scipio Afri
canus. " Landskips " are plentiful. Margarita Van Var-
262

MARQUETRY CUPBOARD AND DRAWERS
Owned by Mrs. William Gorham Rice, Albany. See page 236.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
ick, 1696, owned thirty-nine pictures, including portraits
of herself and relations, " three pictures of ships with black
ebony frame, one ditto of the Apostle, one ditto of fruit,
one ditto of a battle, one ditto landskip, one ditto large
flower pot, one ditto with a rummer, one ditto bird cage
and purse, etc., one large horse battle, one large picture
with roots." The others included prints and pictures with
ebony, black and gilt frames. In some houses the chim
ney-piece was not very high, especially towards the end of
the century. In this case the space above it was filled with
a large picture which was specially named. Thus, Mrs.
Van Varick possessed " a large picture of images, sheep,
and ships that hung above the chimney." The walls of
the rooms of the best houses were thus amply decorated ;
and with the gay hangings, table and chimney-cloths, and
cushions, the effect was exceedingly bright and rich. It may
be noted that wherever there was a board or shelf it received
some covering. The chests of drawers and dressing-tables
were often covered with a cloth called a toilet or twilight
towards the end of the century. Cornelis Jacobs (1700)
has " one white cloth for chist drawers muslin." Mrs.
Van Varick's chimney-cloths and curtains, which matched,
were green serge with silk fringe and flowered crimson
gauze. She also had a painted chimney-cloth, six satin
cushions with gold flowers, white flowered muslin curtains,
two fine Turkey-work carpets, chintz flowered and blue
flowered carpets, and a flowered carpet stitched with gold,
besides many other cloths and hangings. The "cup
boards" and "cases" in which the china was kept, espe
cially those with glass fronts, also had cloths on the shelves.
" Six cloths which they put upon the boards in the case "
is an entry in the inventory of Jacob De Lange.
263

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
The cupboards and cases in which china was kept may
have been similar to those represented facing this page and
page 272, both of which belong to Mr. George Douglas
Miller of Albany, and are in the rooms of the Albany In
stitute and Historical and Art Society.
The kas, or kos, was the most important article of fur
niture in the ordinary Dutch house. It is almost invari
ably found, often attaining enormous dimensions and
seeming almost to form part of the house itself. Before
the rage for antique furniture arose not many years ago,
superb presses of this class might still be found in very
modest Dutch dwellings. They were, and where they
exist, still are, looked after with special care, and lovingly
rubbed, oiled and varnished. They often had tall and
massive columns with broadly-carved capitals, and carving
abounded along their edges and mouldings. Beautiful
tones, enriched by the centuries, mingled in the contrasted
oak, walnut, and blackened pear woods. They had a most
impressive air that seemed disdainful of the rest of the
furniture. In a chamber adorned with Oriental produc
tions, their severity produced a most striking effect. The
dealers in antiques have stripped most of the small houses
of these great wardrobe presses, but a few specimens that
excite the admiration of tourists and travellers are still to
be seen in Gueldres and North Holland. They seem to
have been universal in the New Netherlands, and the inven
tories show that they lingered here long after the rest of
the furniture of their day had departed, — more on account
of their usefulness even than their beauty, in all probability.
That they were highly prized is plain from the fact of their
frequent appearance in wills as special bequests. Two in
stances will suffice: Judith, widow of Peter Stuyvesant,
264

GLASS CASE ON FRAME (MARQUETRY)
Owned by Mr. George Douglas Miller, Albany. See page 266.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
bequeaths to her son Nicholaes among other things : " My
great case or cubbard standing at the house of Mr.
Johannes Van Brugh, together with all the china earthen
ware locked up in said cubbard." Again, in 1687, Mary
Mathewes leaves to her granddaughter, Hester Erwin : a
bed and furniture, two silk coats and "one certain great
black walnut cupboard standing in my new dwelling-
house." Margarita Van Varick's kas that was too massive to
be moved has already been noted. (See page 261.) Mr. De
Lange's great kas is thus described: "One great cloth[es]
case covered with French nutwood and two black
knots under it, ^13-0-0." Other examples are: A great
press (Jno. Sharpe, 1 68 1 ) ; a cupboard or case of drawers,
£g, and a cupboard or case of French nutwood, ^20
(Cornelis Steenwyck) ; a small oak case, ^1-10-0
(Glaunde Germonpre van Gitts, 1687); a white oak cup
board, .£2-5-0 (Jacob Sanford, 1688) ; a large cupboard,
£6 (Widow Burdene, 1690) ; a "cupboard for clowes," a
press and porcelain, £5, "a Holland cubbart furnished with
earthenware and porcelain, ^15" (F. Rombouts, 1692); a
great black walnut cupboard, £10, and a Dutch painted
cupboard, £1 (Abram Delanoy, 1702); a black walnut
cupboard, £g (Jeremias Westerhout, 1703); a "case of
-nutwood," £10 (Jno. Abeel, 171 2).
The high prices of many of the above show that they
must have been of fine workmanship. Sometimes they
stood on square feet and sometimes on the favourite
Dutch ball, or " knot," as the appraiser describes it.
Humphrey Hall (1696) owned "a chest of drawers with
balls at the feet, .£1-16-0; ditto one loss, ^1-1 0-0." This
ball that is such a conspicuous feature in seventeenth-cen
tury furniture was sometimes flattened. We have seen it
265

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

in the bedposts, under
chests and in table legs.
The ball-and-claw foot
that succeeded it ap
peared before the close
of the century and re
mained in favour almost
a century. The cases
with glass or solid doors
frequently stood on
"stands" or "frames"
with four or six legs on
which the bulb, though
reduced in size, was still
conspicuous (see facing
264). Sometimes the
porcelain cupboards,
cases or cabinets stood on
a base that was closed
with doors. Mr. De
"cup
board with a glass," £1-
5-0. A good example of the latter variety appears facing
page 272. The kas on this page is a Van Rensselaer
piece and belongs to Mrs. H. Van Rensselaer Gould,
of East Orange, N. J., but it is preserved at Cherry Hill,
Albany. It is mahogany with ball-and-claw feet. The
four drawers are furnished with brass handles. In the cup
board above, the shelves run the whole length. On either
side of the doors are fluted columns.
The kas facing this page also stands on ball-and-claw
feet, but is made of walnut. A kind of Chinese pattern
266

MAHOGANY KAS

Owned by Mrs. H. Van Rensselaer Gould at Cherry Hilt, Lanjje OWned 3.
Albany. See this page.

WALNUT KAS
Ovjned by Miss Catharine Van Cortlandt Matthevjs, Croton-on-the Hudson, N. Y. Seepage 266.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
runs along the top. The drawers have brass handles. This
piece was partly burned by the Hessians during the Revo
lution. It is owned by Miss Catharine Van Cortlandt
Matthews, at Croton-on-the-Hudson, N. Y.
An example of the great kas, belonging to Mrs. John
V. L. Pruyn, faces page 270. It is of marquetry orna
mented with plaques of blue and white Delft.
A very interesting specimen facing page 235 is a
walnut kas, veneered with mahogany, now owned by Miss
Katharine Van Rensselaer, at the Vlie House, Rensselaer,
N. Y. It is more than seven feet high. Two large
balls form the front feet; the doors and two lower
drawers are panelled. The carving consists of flowers
bound together with cords and tassels (one of the latter is
missing). Heads of cherubs and grotesque animals appear
on the corners, and in the centre of the top moulding and
between the two drawers. This originally belonged to Kath
arine Van Burgh (daughter of Johannes Van Burgh and
Sara Cuyler, among the first settlers on Manhattan Island),
given to her on her marriage to Philip Livingston (grand
son of Philip Schuyler) ; it descended to the present
owner through the marriage of Stephen Van Rensselaer,
the eighth patroon of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck, with
Katharine Livingston, granddaughter of Katharine Van
Burgh. It is safe to say that the greater part of the good furni
ture found in New York was imported. Among the
merchandise brought in by the ship Robert in 1687 was a
cane chair. In the same year the Amity of London, besides
barrels, kegs, firkins, casks and puncheons, brought 13
trunks, 1 2 chests, 6 boxes, 3 cases, 9 bundles, 4 parcels of
bedding, 3 kettles, a pot, spit, basket, fire tongs, shovel,
267

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
bellows, desk and kas. Another lot of furniture on board
consisted of 2 tables, 2 bundles of chairs, a chest of draw
ers, bed, trunk, 2 boxes, spit and jack. In 1686, the
Bachelour, also from London, had dry goods, brandy, claret
and Rhenish wine, a saddle-horse with furniture, lanterns,
flat-foot candlesticks, funnels, saucepans, kettles, porringers,
spoons, basins, chest of drawers, table and frame, suits of
curtains and valance, close-stool and looking-glass. There
were, however, some workmen here who were capable of
making good furniture, and all the necessary fine timber
was on the spot. The Labadists, who visited New York in
1689, remark on the thick woods with which the shores
of the bay were covered. Timber was exported in large
quantities, and was wastefully used for fuel. The Labad
ists note : " We found a good fire, halfway up the chimney,
of clear oak and hickory, of which they made not the
least scruple of burning profusely." In 1710, " iyi cords
Nutten wood for the fire, ^o-15-o," belonged to Isaac
Pinchiero. Nutwood, as we have already seen, was hick
ory. Boards that may have been used in the construction
of furniture are frequently found in the inventories. C.
Steenwyck (1686) has 14 French nut boards, ,£3-3-0; C.
Cappoens (1687), 2 black walnut boards, ^£0-9-0; F
Richardson (1688), some walnut boards, ,£0-1 0-0; and T.
Davids (1688), 260 oak and chestnut planks. It is rea
sonable to assume that the cheap pine tables, forms, and
chests were made here ; probably, also, most of the maple
and hickory furniture came from local workshops. Cedar
we know was largely used. In 1703, Matthew Clarkson
owned " one fine chest of drawers and other things fitting
of maple wood ; " and in 1707 Morton Peterson had " one
cupbard of cedar home made, ,£i." The examples al-
268

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
ready given show that the cupboards and kasses were usu
ally made of white oak or black walnut.
Expensive marquetry, as well as Oriental goods, was
occasionally imported. In 1705, Colonel William Smith,
of St. George's, owned a fine chest of drawers of walnut
and olive wood worth as much as .£15. The latter wood
was common in looking-glass frames, and other articles
were sometimes composed of it. In 1692, Lawrence Del-
dyke owned an olive wood cabinet.
The inventories quoted above would prove th?t the
Dutch in the New Netherlands were possessed of wealth.
We have contemporary testimony from the Rev. John
Miller, who, in describing New York in 1695, writes:
" The number of inhabitants in this province are about
3,000 families, whereof almost one-half are naturally Dutch,
a great part English and the rest French. ... As to their
religion, they are very much divided ; few of them intel
ligent and sincere, but the most part ignorant and con
ceited, fickle and regardless. As to their wealth and dis
position thereto, the Dutch are rich and sparing; the
English neither very rich, nor too great husbands; the
French are poor, and therefore forced to be penurious. As
to their way of trade and dealing, they are all generally
cunning and crafty, but many of them not so just to their
words as they should be."
Before closing the Dutch period, one feature ofthe large
house must be mentioned, — the Doten-Kammer, a room al
ways kept shut up until a season of mourning and funerals.
It was generally furnished as a bedroom ; the high-post bed
stead was hung with white curtains, and the chest of draw
ers contained burial clothing. One of the longest preserved
of these rooms was that oi Whitehall, the Gansevoort home.
269

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
At the beginning of the eighteenth century, New York
was already an important place. Wealth and some degree
of fashion were to be found there. The distinguished
Earl of Bellomont and his successor, the wild Lord Corn-
bury, were accustomed to the best that money could pro
cure at that day. The extracts from the inventories
show that New York compared very favourably with
Amsterdam and London. A visitor, describing the town in

OLD CHEST WITH DRAWER AND DROP HANDLES
Owned by Miss Anna Lansing, Albany. See page 271.

1 70 1, says that it is built of brick and stone and covered
with red and black tile, producing a very pleasing appear
ance from a distance. He adds: "Though their low-
roofed houses may seem to shut their doors against pride
and luxury, yet how do they stand wide'open to let charity
in and out, either to assist each other, or to relieve a stran
ger." For the next twenty years, we do not notice any
great changes in the furniture. The old Turkey-work,
Russia leather and cane chairs still linger, and the matted
chairs are universal. The latter are usually black. Wal
nut is the favourite wood, and mahogany is scarcely ever

270

r-

KAS OF MARQUETRY WITH PLAQUES OF BLUE AND WHITE
DELFT
Owned by Mrs. John V. L. Pruyn, Albany. See page 267.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

UuM^si. tnM*.

THREE CHAIRS

Owned by Miss Anna Lansing, Albany. The central chair of carved oak is from the Coeymans
family ; the others belonged to Abraham Yates. See page 272.

mentioned. Olive wood is by no means scarce, as chests
of drawers and tables, as well as looking-glass frames (see
facing page 230), are made of it. Black walnut and Dutch
painted cupboards hold their own. Chests are plentiful,
ball feet and brass handles being often mentioned. Chests,
such as the one with drawer on page 270, long in
the Lansing family and now owned by Miss Anna Lansing,
of Albany, are very common. A wealthy home of this
time contains a great variety of chairs, old and new ; the
old drawing-table almost entirely disappears ; the tea-table
multiplies ; the cupboard is gradually relinquished as the
"beaufit," or china shelves and cupboard, takes its place;
dressing-tables and chests of drawers, with looking-glasses,
are plentiful ; Dutch styles prevail and stiffness is entirely

271

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

CHAIRS
Owned by Miss Anna Van Vechten, Albany, N. Y. The one to the right is a Schuyler piece,
the next a Dutch chair owned by Teunis Van Vechten, and the two others come from the Lush family.

banished. Fashionable chairs occur on page 271 and here.
Page 271 shows two chairs originally owned by Abraham
Yates, and a carved chair of the style now going out of
fashion, that belonged to the Coeymans family and de
scended to the present owner through the Ten Eycks.
These pieces are owned by Miss Anna Lansing, of Albany.
On this page appear an old chair painted black, orig
inally cane, that was brought from Holland by Teunis Van
Vechten, a fashionable chair owned by the Schuyler family,
and two chairs to the left that belonged to the Lush
family, the one to the extreme left being of a still later
period. These four specimens are owned by Miss Anna
Van Vechten, Albany.
Captain Giles Shelley, of New York, died in 171 8
with a personalty of _£68i 2-16-7^ . His house con
tained a medley that is typical of this transition period.

272

CHINA CUPBOARD (MARQUETRY)
Owned by Mr. George Douglas Miller, Albany. See page 266.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
There were seventy chairs, of which six were Turkey-
work, twenty-one cane, twenty-seven matted, twelve
leather, one easy, two elbow, and one red plush elbow.
One painted and three other large and small oval were
among the fourteen tables. Of three clocks, one was re
peating. Five looking-glassses, three pairs of gilt sconces,
one hanging and many other candlesticks and lamps, lots
of silver plate, brass, china lions, images, porcelain and
glass gave light and brilliancy to the rooms, the walls of
which were also adorned with seventy-seven pictures and
prints in black and gilt frames. Colour was added by
bright curtains and arras hangings. The position of one
fine picture is expressly stated ; it is a " landskip chimney-
piece." Two chests of drawers and another with a look
ing-glass, a dressing-box, a cane couch, a cupboard, five
chests and seven or eight bedsteads constituted the re
mainder ofthe important wooden furniture. The princi
pal bed curtains were of red china, blue shalloon, calico,
silk muslin and white muslin inside, and striped muslin
lined with calico. Among the miscellaneous household
goods, of which there was a great quantity, the following
are noticeable: a brass hearth with hooks for shovels and
tongs, four hand fire-screens, a pair of tables and men, a
pair of tables, box-dice and men, two brass ring-stands, a
plate-stand, two silver chafing-dishes, a wind-up Jack with
pullies and weights, two tea-trays, a red tea-pot, a cruet, a
work-basket, a flowered muslin toilet, a red and gold satin
carpet. George Duncan, also of New York, whose goods were
valued at ^4099-8-5^ in 1724, shows a still further ad
vance from the old styles, though no mahogany is speci
fically mentioned. The chairs were "old," black, matted
273

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
and cane. The most noticeable pieces of furniture of value
are an olive wood chest of drawers ; an inlaid scriptore,
^£6-5-0 ; a cedar ditto, _£2 ; a bedstead with dimity cur
tains lined with white damask, £ 10-5-0 ; a large looking-
glass, .£4-5-0; a clock and case, £10; and a plate case
with glass doors, .£3-5-0.
To picture a wealthy home in New York during the
reign of George I. we cannot do better than enumerate
the possessions of William Burnet, Governor of New York
and Massachusetts, who died in 1729, with a personalty of
^£4540-4-3^ . His house contained twelve tables and
seventy chairs. Some of the furniture was undoubtedly of
mahogany, though the only wood mentioned is walnut.
The chairs were walnut frames, red leather, bass bottomed,
black bass, and " embowed or hollow back with fine bass
bottoms." One easy-chair covered with silk was valued
at £10. The style of chair known as "Chippendale,"
with traceried splat and bow-shaped back, was thus found
here in the " twenties." Twenty-four of those belonging
to the Governor had seats of red leather, and nine of fine
bass, valued at twenty-four and twenty shillings each re
spectively. The tables were large and small oval, black
walnut, small square and round, plain and japanned tea
tables, card and backgammon tables. There were two
valuable eight-day clocks, a fine gilt cabinet and frame,
a writing-desk and stand, a chest of drawers and small
dressing-glass, a " scrutore with glass doors " valued at ,£20,
three chests and seven trunks. Besides six dozen silver
knives and forks worth ,£72, there were 1 172 oz. of silver
plate; china and glass (j£i 30-16-0) ; pewter (^£100-2-6);
kitchen stuff (^£140-1 5-0) ; and a variety of expensive beds
with red and chintz curtains. One bedstead was of iron ;
274

MAHOGANY CHAIRS WITH TURKEY-WORK BOTTOMS
Originally owned by Gov. William Burnet ; now in the Yale University Library. See page 278.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
and one "mattress Russia leather," one of " Ozenbriggs,"
and two of coarse Holland are mentioned. Some form of
carpet now covered the floor of the best houses, and tapestry
still adorned the rooms. The Governor owned " a fine
piece of needlework representing a rustick, ^£"20 ; 4
pieces fine tapestry, ^£20 ; a large painted canvas square as
the room, _£8 ; 2 old checquered canvases to lay under
a table, ^£0- 1 0-0 ; 2 four-leaf screens covered with gilt
leather, ^£i 5 ; 1 fire screen of tapestry work, £ 1 - 1 0-0 ;
2 ditto paper screens, .£1." Besides window curtains,
cushions for windows occur. The hall was lighted by a
large lantern with three lights. There were also twelve
silver candlesticks weighing 171^ oz., two branches for
three lights, two large glass sconces with glass arms. The
hearth furnishings included a brass hearth and dogs, a pair
of steel dogs, tongs, shovels, japanned and plain bellows,
and " an iron fender to keep children from the fire."
There were many other household conveniences, among
which we may note a linen press, a horse for drying
clothes, a plate heater, a plate rack, an iron coffee mill,
and a screen to set before meat at the fire. There were
large quantities of household linen. The rooms were lav
ishly adorned with pictures, as well as curtains, cloths, and
tapestries. Three sets of the genealogy of the House of
Brunswick recall the Governor's loyalty, and his family's
rewarded services to that House. A tree of the church
of Christ, Martin Luther's picture, a lady's picture over
the door, the Blessed Virgin Mary's picture with Jesus in
her arms (£2), five plans of Boston, and a view of Boston
harbour are the only subjects mentioned. There were
" two pictures in lackered frames, ^£5 ; 151 Italian prints,
;£i 5-2-0; 17 masentinto prints in frames, 3 ditto small,
275

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

3 ditto that are glazed, £5-
4-0 ; and 44 prints in black
frames, £7-15-0." The
possessions of the Governor
breathe -an atmosphere of
ease and luxury that one
would scarcely expect to
find in New York during
the third decade of the
eighteenth century. He
was evidently fond of good
living, games, sport, exer
cise and music. He had
three coach horses and a
horse for riding. Five cases
of foils and a single foil
show that he was a fencer ;
and three muskets and a
cane fishing-rod prove that
he was a sportsman. " Nine
gouff clubs, one iron ditto
and seven dozen balls "
show that the game was played on Manhattan Island nearly
two centuries ago. A chess-board, backgammon-table,
card-table, magic-lantern, harpsichord, clapsichord, double
courtell, tenor fiddle, large bass violin, two treble violins
and two brass trumpets testify that music and games were
played in the Governor's mansion. His cellar was well
stocked. The " embowed chairs " that occur in the above in
ventory were of that style that is now generally called
"Chippendale." The top bar was bow-shaped, and perhaps
276

PLATE BACK CHAIR
Originally owned by Elbridge Gerry ; now in old
State House, Boston.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
the word embowed also included the cabriole leg. Plate-
back chairs, examples of which appear on this page, fre
quently occur in the inventories. These were chairs with
solid splats, the outlines of which assumed various forms,
that of the jar prevailing. An excellent specimen of this
chair, that belonged to Elbridge Gerry, and is now in the
old State House, Boston, is shown on page 276. Here

DUTCH CHAIRS
Owned by the American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Mass.

we have the jar-shaped splat, embowed top-rail, and cabriole
leg ending in hoof feet. Dutch chairs of kindred model
appear on page 295 and facing page 286. For decorative
purposes, this splat was perforated with a heart or some
geometrical figure, and from this the step from plate to bar
tracery was a very simple one. This development is ap
parent before Chippendale is known to have been at work.
In the Dublin museum there is a very early example of a
mahogany arm-chair, attributed to about 1710, which has

277

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
a square back with scrolled top-bar, back-rail of openwork
with interlacing design, plain arms, square back legs, and
incurving, tapering front legs ending in hoofs. Another
mahogany chair in the same collection, made in 1710, has
the cabriole leg and other characteristics of the new style.
There are slight curves in the back, and the splat is un-
pierced. Instead of having a hollowed wooden seat for
the cushion, the latter is placed on a network of tapes.
By 1730, the solid splat has entirely gone out of fashion : it
is now sometimes carved into ribbons formed into loops.
Sir William Burnet's chairs, shown facing page 274,
which were bought in 1727, are good examples of the
" embowed " chair. These chairs, of which there are ten,
together with the handsome mahogany ball-and-claw foot
table shown on opposite page, are owned by the Yale Univer
sity Library, the gift of Mr. Abram Bishop of New Haven
in 1829. According to Professor Silliman's account, they
were imported in 1727 by Sir William Burnet, and passed
after his death into possession of his successor, Governor
Belcher. Mr. P. N. Smith bought them at auction, and
Mr. Bishop obtained them from Mr. Smith.
We have now reached a date, therefore, at which the
mahogany furniture, still so greatly prized, might be pro
cured by those who cared to pay for it. During the rest
of our period, the tendency was towards greater lightness
and grace of line. We will not dwell any further on the
contents of individual houses, but turn to the newspapers
of the day and note the goods and novelties that were im
ported and those that were made here by local shopkeepers.
It is plain that English and foreign skilled workmen
came here in large numbers and found employment. The
upholsterers alone were a numerous body. The kind of
278

MAHOGANY TABLE
Originally ovjned by Gov. William Burnet ; novj in the Yale University Library. See page 278.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
work upholsterers did during this period, and the goods
they kept on sale, are fully advertised.
A handsome upholstered settee of the period, with ball
and claw feet and carved with the acanthus leaf, is owned
by Gerald Beekman, Esq., and is shown below.

SETTEE
Owned by Gerald Beekman, Esq., New York.

A bedstead ofthe period is shown on page 281. It is
owned by Mr. William Livingston Mynderse, of Sche
nectady, N. Y. The old blue and white curtains that
drape it were originally in the Glen-Sanders house, Scotia,
N. Y. Bed furnishings were sold in bewildering varieties.
Sometimes the bed and curtains complete are offered
for sale. John Searson has a yellow silk damask bed,

279

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
bedstead and sacking bottom, in 1763. We also note
a mahogany bedstead with silk and worsted damask
curtains, 1764; and a moreen bed and curtains, 1773.
Some of the gay materials supplied for bed furnishings
are as follows : yellow camblet laced, 173 1 ; corded dimities,
1749 ; russels and flowered damasks, 1750 ; flowered russels,
1758 ; blue and green flowered russel damask, and blue cur
tain calico, 1759 ; checked and striped linen for beds and
windows, 1 760 ; chintz and cotton furniture for beds, 1 765 ;
fine bordered chintzes elegantly pencilled, and copper-plate
bed furniture, 1770 ; blue and white, red and white copper
plate cottons ; red and white, blue and white, and purple furni
ture calicoes, 1771 ; and India, English, and Patna chintzes,
1 774. In 1 774, Woodward & Kip, near the Fly Market, have
" fine laylock and fancy callicoes, red, blue, and purple, fine
copper plate ditto, laylock lutestring, light figured, fancy,
shell, Pompadour and French ground fine chintzes. Purple,
blue and red copper-plate furniture calicoes, ditto furniture
bindings, and black, blue, brown, Saxon ; green, pea-green,
yellow, crimson, garnet, pink and purple moreens."*
It will be noticed that plain white curtains do not pre
dominate. We also note bed cords, silk and worsted bed
lace, and silk fringe and snail trimmings of all colours.
"Jillmills for musketto curtains" are sold in 1750; "col
oured lawns and gauzes, plain, spotted and flowered for
musqueto hangings," 1760; and white and green catgut
for ditto, 1772. The upholsterers' announcements clearly
show the work undertaken by them, and the successive pre
vailing styles. Paper-hanging was evidently an important
part of the business, and the walls of the better houses were
papered before the middle of the century.
* The last chapter of this work deals further with upholstery.
280

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Among the advertisements we find :
" Stained paper for hangings," imported in the snow Nep
tune (1750); an "assortment of paper hanging" (1750);

MAHOGANY BEDSTEAD
Owned by Mr. William Livingston Mynderse, Schenectady. See page 279.
"flowered paper" (1751) ; "a curious assortment of pa
per hangings", brought by the snow Irene (1752);
« printed paper for hanging rooms " (1760) ; Roper Daw
son offers " a great variety of paper for hangings, stucco

281

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
paper for ceilings, etc., gilt leather" (1760) ; James Des-
brosses has " a large variety of paper hangings," arrived
from London in the brig Polly ( 1 76 1 ) ; Henry Remsen
"an assortment of paper for hangings" (1762) ; William
Wilson, Hanover Square, " a variety of flowered hanging
paper " imported in the Albany (1762) ; " gilt paper hang
ings " (1765) ; and William Bailey imports in the Samson
from London " a large assortment of paper hangings of
the newest fashions." Some interesting wall paper of the
period, the chief features of which are four large pictures
of the Seasons, is owned by Mr. William Bayard Van Rens
selaer in Albany, having been taken from the walls of the
Van Rensselaer manor house (built in 1765) before it was
demolished a few years ago.
In the average house, however, if we may believe a
contemporary eye-witness, the walls were not papered.
Kalm, a Swedish botanist, describes New York in 1748 as
follows : •' Most of the houses are built of bricks ; and are
generally strong and neat, and several stories high. Some
had, according to old architecture, turned the gable-end
towards the streets ; but the new houses were altered in this
respect. Many of the houses had a balcony on the roof,
on which the people used to sit in the evenings in the
summer season ; and from thence they had a pleasant view
of a great part of the town, and likewise of part of the
adjacent water and of the opposite shore. The walls were
whitewashed within, and I did not anywhere see hangings,
with which the people in this country seem in general to
be little acquainted. The walls were quite covered with all
sorts of drawings and pictures in small frames. On each side-
of the chimnies they usually had a sort of alcove ; and the
wall under the windows was wainscoted, and had benches

GOBELIN TAPESTRY CHAIRS
Owned by Gerald Beekman, Esq., New York. See page 28 g.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
placed near it. The alcoves and all the woodwork were
painted with a bluish grey colour."
About the middle of the century, we find traces of the
revived taste for the Gothic style, and the fashion of fitting
up rooms in various ancient and modern foreign modes.
Thus in 1758, we have a certain Theophilus Hardenbrook,
surveyor, announcing that he designs all sorts of buildings,
pavilions, summer rooms, seats for gardens, etc.; also " all
sorts of Rooms after the taste of the Arabian, Chinese,
Persian, Gothic, Muscovite, Paladian, Roman, Vitruvian
and Egyptian . . . Green houses for the preservation of
Herbs with winding Funnels through the walls so as to
keep them warm. Note : He designs and executes beau
tiful Chimney-pieces as any here yet executed. Said Har
denbrook has now open'd a school near the New English
Church where he teaches Architecture from 6 o'clock in
the Evening till Eight."
" In the City of New York, through our intercourse
with Europeans, we follow the London fashions ; though
by the time we adopt them, they become disused in Eng
land. Our affluence, during the late war, introduced a
degree of luxury in tables, dress, and furniture, with which
we were before unacquainted. But still we are not so gay
a people as our neighbours at Boston, and several of the
Southern colonies. The Dutch counties, in some measure,
follow the example of New York, but still retain many
modes peculiar to Hollanders. The City of New York
consists principally of merchants, shopkeepers, and trades
men who sustain the reputation of honest, punctual and
fair dealers. With respect to riches there is not so great
an inequality among us as is common in Boston, and some
other places. Every man of industry and integrity has it
283

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
in his power to live well, and many are the instances of
persons who came here distressed by their poverty, who
now enjoy easy and plentiful fortunes."
The above is a contemporary description of the city in
1756. The writer is speaking of the old conservative
element in the community that is always slow to adopt
new fashions. The richest families, and the members of
the aristocratic class in England who had their permanent
or temporary residence here, and there were many of these,
were supplied with the latest modes in furniture as well as
in costume as quickly here as they were in London. In tes
timony of this see page 115.
James Rivington, Hanover Square, has for sale in 1760 :
" Books for Architects, Builders, Joiners, etc., particularly
an entire new work entitled Household Furniture for the
Year I J 60, by a society of Upholsterers, Cabinet-Makers, etc.,
containing upwards of 180 Designs consisting of Tea-Tables,
Dressing, Card, Writing, Library, and Slab Tables, Chairs,
Stools, Couches, Trays, Chests, Tea-Kettles, Bureaus, Beds,
Ornamental Bed Posts, Cornishes, Brackets, Fire- Screens, Desk
and Book Cases, Sconces, Chimney-Pie ces, Girandoles, Lan-
thorns, etc., with Scales."
The above book was for sale here in the same year in
which it was published in London. It is therefore plain
that the native cabinet-makers could, and undoubtedly did,
make the newest styles of furniture here within a very few
months of their appearance in London. In 1748, Kalm
says that the native joiners used the black walnut, wild
cherry, and the curled maple principally. " Of the black
walnut-trees [fuglans nigra) there is yet a sufficient quan
tity. However, careless people take pains enough to
destroy them, and some peasants even use them as fewel.
284

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
The wood of the wild cherry-trees (Prunus Virginiana) is
very good and looks exceedingly well; it has a yellow
colour, and the older the furniture is, which is made of it,
the better it looks. But it is already difficult to get at it,
for they cut it everywhere and plant it nowhere. The
curled maple [Acer rubrum) is a species of the common red
maple, but likewise very difficult to be got. . . . The wood
of the sweet gum-tree [Liquidambar) is merely employed in
joiner's work, such as tables, and other furniture. But it
must not be brought near the fire, because it warps. The
firs and the white cedars [Cupressus thyoides) are likewise
made use of by the joiners for different sorts of work."
Cedar was brought from the Bermudas and Barbadoes.
In describing the latter in 1 74 1 , a writer says :
" The first and fairest tree of the forest is the Cedar ;
'tis the most useful timber in the island, strong, lasting,
light and proper for building. There have been great
quantities of it sent to England for Wainscoting, Stair-
Cases, Drawers, Chairs and other Household Furniture ;
but the smell, which is so pleasing to some being offensive
to others, added to the Cost, has hindered its coming so
much in Fashion as otherwise it would."
In 1745, Sheffield Howard advertised mahogany plank.
The Success brought in Braziletto wood in 1758 ; William
Gilliland imported mahogany plank in 1 760 ; and " a par
cel of choice red cedar, fit for either joiners or house car
penters," was sold in 1 76 1 . In 1 770, " A quantity of ma
hogany in logs and planks of different dimensions and brass
furniture for desks and bookcases of the newest fashion "
came to public vendue ; and Stanton and Ten Brook on
Deys Dock offered pine, cedar and " mahogany of all sorts
for joiners' work." 285

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
A cargo of 60,000 feet of choice large bay mahogany
was sold in 1772, and another cargo the following year.
In addition to choice timber, metal furnishings for
cabinet ware were readily obtainable. In 1745, Thomas
Brown, at the Sign of the Cross Daggers in the Smith's
Fly, sold ironmongery and all materials for cabinet-makers.
Among other announcements of this class of ware, we find
bolts and latches for doors ; drawer, desk, cabinet and chest
locks ; " polished brass handles and locks in sute for writ
ing desks, closets and door locks of sundry sorts"; hand
some brass locks for parlours ; " all sorts of locks and brass
handles " ; " closet, chest, and cupboard locks ; rimmed
and brass knobed do." ; " brass ring drops " ; desk and tea
chest furniture ; brass knockers, knobs for street doors, brass
locks, copper chafing dishes, and brass curtain rings, 1750;
" bookcase and escrutore setts, brass handles and escutcheons,"
1 75 1 ; "brass and wood casters, curtain rings, brass knobs
and all Sorts of locks, desk suits," 1752 ; brass chair nails,
" brass handles and escutcheons of the newest fashion,"
"HHL hinges," chest ditto, table hinges, table catches ;
" locks in suits for desks " ; " single and double spring,
chest locks " ; a large variety of brass furniture, etc., for
desks and chests of drawers ; brass handles for desks and
drawers, and brass hinges and casters, 1758.
It would seem that it was not unusual for some people
to supply their own timber, etc., to have made up accord
ing to their own fancy. In 1 75 1 , John Tremain, "having
declined the stage, proposes to follow his business as a cab
inet-maker." Among the inducements he offers for cus
tom, he says :
" Those who incline to find their own Stuff, may have
it work'd up with Despatch, Honesty, and Faithfulness."
286

CARVED OAK ARM CHAIR
See page 241.

MAHOGANY CHAIR
Owned by Mr. William E. Ver Planck, Fishkill,
N. Y. See page 2go.
DUTCH CHAIR CHAIR
Owned by Mr. Gardner C. Leonard, Albany. From the Schuyler Hou^on the Hats, New York.
See page 248.

See page 248.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Cabinet-making, moreover, seems to have been a
favorite occupation with some amateurs at that date, for we
find " chests of tools for the use of gentlemen who amuse
themselves in turning and other branches of the mechanic
art," for sale in 1771.
Many of the cabinet-makers of New York carried on
an importing as well as a manufacturing business. There
were skilled workmen here who had been trained abroad
and could produce furniture as good as the best foreign
article. In 1753, " Robert Wallace, joyner, living in Bea
ver Street, at the Corner of New Street, makes all sorts of
Cabinets, Scrutores, Desks and Book cases, Drawers, Ta
bles, either square, round, oval, or quadrile, and chairs of
any fashion."
Solomon Hays at his store, Beaver Street and Broad
Street, offers, in 1754, "a choice assortment of India, Ja
pan gilded Tea Tables, square Dressing ditto of which
Sort none were ever before in America ; beautiful sets of
Tea Boards, answerable to the Tea Tables ; fine marble
Tea Tables with complete sets of cups and saucers in
Boxes for little Misses."
" Stephen Dwight, late an apprentice to Henry Hard
castle, carver," in 1755 sets up business "between the
Ferry Stairs and Burling Slip, where he carves all sorts of
ship and house work ; also tables, chairs, picture and look
ing-glass frames, and all kinds of work for cabinet-makers,
in the best manner and on reasonable terms."
Gilbert Ash had a " Shop-joiner or cabinet-business in
Wall Street, in 1759; and Charles Shipman comes from
England and, in 1 767, settles near the Old Slip. He is an
ivory and hard wood turner, " having been an apprentice
to a Turning-Manufactory at Birmingham." He makes
287

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
" mahogany waiters and bottle stands, pepper-boxes, patch-
boxes, washball boxes, soap-boxes, pounce-boxes, glove-
sticks, etc., etc."
Flagg and Searle of Broad Street, in 1765, announce
"japanning and lacquering after the neatest manner."
In 1762, we find "John Brinner, cabinet and chair-
maker from London at the Sign of the Chair, opposite Flat
ten Barrack Hill, in the Broad- Way, New York, where
every article in the Cabinet, Chair-making, Carving and
Gilding Business, is enacted on the most reasonable Terms,
with the Utmost Neatness and Punctuality. He carves all
Sorts of Architectural, Gothic, and Chinese Chimney-Pieces,
Glass and Picture Frames, Slab Frames, Girondels, Chan-
daliers, and all kinds of Mouldings and Frontispieces, etc.,
etc. Desk and Book Cases, Library Book Cases, Writing
and Reading Tables, Study Tables, China Shelves and Cases,
Commode and Plain Chest of Drawers, Gothic and Chinese
chairs ; all sorts of plain or ornamental Chairs, Sofa Beds,
Sofa Settees, Couch and easy Chairs, Frames, all kinds of
Field Bedsteads, etc., etc."
" N. B. He has brought over from London six Artifi
cers, well skilled in the above branches."
A few months later he announces "a neat mahogany
desk and a bookcase in the Chinese taste."
Jane Wilson has " japan'd goods with cream coloured
grounds, and other colours of the newest taste ; The mod
els also are new constructions, some of them only finished
last May at Birmingham and imported to New York the
4th inst. in the ship Hope ; consisting of tea trays and
waiters, tea chests compleated with cannisters, tea kitchen
and compleat tea tables, ornamented with well painted
landskips, human figures, fruit and flowers."
288

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

MAHOGANY CHAIRS
Owned by Mr. William E. Ver Planck, Fishkill, N. Y. See page 290.

The painted table appears in many of the early inven
tories. Those of Dutch and French workmanship, deco
rated with flowers and birds and sometimes historical and
mythological subjects, were quite expensive. An elaborate
example of this class appears facing page 298. It belongs
to Miss Katharine Van Rensselaer, at Vlie House, Rens
selaer, N. Y.
Specimens of the more luxurious furniture of the period
are shown on the frontispiece and facing page 282. This
beautiful set of Gobelin tapestry, consisting of two large
sofas, two tabourets and eighteen chairs, was imported for
the ball-room of Mount Pleasant, the Beekman home on
First Avenue and Fifty-first Street, New York. The
house, which was built in 1763 by James Beekman and

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
remained standing until 1874, was associated with many
historic characters and events. It was the headquarters of
General Charles Clinton and Sir William Howe. Andre
slept here before he left for West Point, and Nathan Hale
was tried and convicted as a spy in its greenhouse. The
furniture preserves its original mounts; the sofas and
tabourets show hunting and pastoral scenes, and each chair
presents a different illustration from Msop's Fables.

TWO MAHOGANY CHAIRS FROM THE GANSEVOORT FAMILY, AND A CHAIR
FROM THE SCHUYLER FAMILY
Now owned by Mrs. Abraham Lansing, Albany.

The handsome chair facing page 286 (top left-hand
corner) is one of a set of twelve brought to New York
in 1763 by Judith Crommelin of Amsterdam, who was
married to Samuel Verplanck. This couple settled in
Fishkill, and the chair is now in the Verplanck home, there
owned by Mr. William E. Verplanck. The chair is hand
somely carved, and preserves its original yellow damask.
The interesting chairs, with Turkey-work seats, repre-

290

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
sented on page 289, are also owned
by Mr. William E. Verplanck at Fish
kill, New York.
Two chairs from the Gansevoort
family appear on page 290, with a
Schuyler chair. All three specimens
are owned by Mrs. Abraham Lansing
of Albany. Another chair belonging
to the Gansevoorts, and shown
on this page, is owned by
Mrs. Blanche Douw Allen of
New York. The top-rail is
bow-shaped, the splat pierced
and carved, the seat is rush-
bottomed, and the two front
legs end in curious dog-
shaped claws.
The chair, on page 292,
in the Schuyler house oppo
site " the Flats " near Al
bany, belonged to Stephen Schuyler, and is owned by
Mr. Stephen Schuyler.
An early example of a " wing chair," or " saddle-
check chair," appears on page 293. This belongs to
Mrs. Harriet Van Rensselaer Gould of East Orange, New
Jersey, and is kept in the Van Rensselaer house, Cherry
Hill, Albany. This is one of the old Van Rensselaer
pieces, and is covered with a sort of brown matting,
much worn. This kind of chair is usually covered
with chintz, and a deep flounce, or ruffle, nearly hides the
feet. The corner chair shown on page 294 was the property
291

CHAIR
Owned by Mrs. Blanche Douw Allen, New York.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
of John Stevenson, and descended through his grandson of
the same name to Mrs. Augustus Walsh, of Albany.
" Minshiell's Looking Glass Store,
removed from Smith Street to Hanover
Square (opposite Mr. Goelet's the sign
of the Golden Key), has for sale "an
elegant assortment of looking-glasses
in oval and square ornamental frames,
ditto mahogany; the greatest variety
of girandoles ever imported to this
city ; brackets for busts
or lustres, ornaments for
chimney-pieces as tab
lets, friezes, etc. Birds
and baskets of flowers,
for the top of book
cases or glass frames, gilt
bordering for rooms by
the yard. Engravings
by Strange, Woollet, Vi-
vares, and other eminent
masters. A pleasing va
riety of mezzotintoes
OLD OAK CHAIR Wel1 Ch°SeI1 ^ ^^^
Owned by Stephen Schuyler, now by his descendant, Mr. folly Coloured. AlsO an
Stephen Schuyler, Troy Road, N. Y. . r
elegant assortment or
frames without glass. Any Lady or Gentleman that have
glass in old fashioned frames may have them cut to ovals,
or put in any pattern that pleases them best. The above
frames may be finished white, or green and white, purple, or
any other colour that suits the furniture ofthe room, or gilt
in oil or burnished gold equal to the best imported." ( 1 77 5.)

292

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

Italian marble ta
bles are imported in
1750; "fashionable
chairs " are offered by
Sidney Breese in 1757 ;
Samuel Parker imports
in the Dove " a very
complete London made
mahogany buroe and
bookcase and other fur
niture " (1762); ma
hogany furniture and a
fine damask bed come
to public vendue in
1764; "japanned stands
of all prices beautifully
 ' © Owned by Mrs. H. Van Rensselaer Gould, at Cherry Hill,
are imported by Duyc- Albany- SeePase29i-
kinck, 1764; and handsome chairs with damask seats and
backs are advertised in 1765. Thomas Fogg offers "a
quantity of worsted furniture," and W. N. Stuyvesant
auctions "some mahogany chairs," 1765; Nicholas Car-
mer, Maiden Lane, imports " a neat parcel of mahogany
chairs and desks and bookcases, tables, etc., and a parcel of
mahogany plank," 1767; "some choice marble slabs for
side tables " are offered cheap by Captain William Stewart,
on King Street, 1767; "a mahogany fluted double chest
of drawers, a microscope, a good Wilton carpet, two bed
side ditto, and three sets fire furniture " come to public
vendue in 1768 ; " beautiful mahogany chairs" and "chests
upon chests " are sold in 1769 ; crimson worsted furniture,
1 770 ; " parcel of mahogany desk, desk and bookcase,
293

OLD " WING " or " SADDLE-CHECK " CHAIR

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
chest upon chest, dining tables, tea tables, stands, and
buroes, mahogany cases with knives and forks," 1771.
The above extracts are ample to show the kind of fur
niture that was imported and that was made in New York
Boston and Philadelphia also produced a lot of cabinet
work which occasionally is offered for sale in the papers.

CORNER CHAIR
Originally belonging to John Stevenson, now owned by Mrs. Augustus Walsh, Albany. See page 291.
Garrit Van Home Fisher, at his store in Smith Street,
" has some neat black walnut Boston made chairs with
leather seats to dispose of" (1759) ; and Perry Hayes and
Sherbroke advertise " Philadelphia made Windsor chairs "
(I763)- Two old chairs from the Van Cortlandt House, Croton-
on-the-Hudson, are shown on the opposite page.
We learn that the floors of the average house were
294

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

TWO CHAIRS
From the Van Cortlandt House, Croton-on-the-Hudson, N. Y.
sanded until towards the middle of the century when car
pets became more general. In 1747, bedside carpets are
advertised; and, in 1749, bedside and floor carpets. In
1750, the Neptune brings in flowered carpets. In 1752, the
Mary has white cotton bed carpets ; the Nebuchadnezzar,
haircloth for floors ; and the Irene, " painted floor cloths
in the handsomest manner." Then appear successively
" Rich beautiful Turkey fashion carpets," 1757 ; " Persian
and Scotch carpeting and ditto bedsides," 1758; Wilton
and the best Turkey carpets of all sizes, 175Q ; stair cloth,
Scotch carpets and " carpeting for floors, chairs and tables,"
1760. Thus the word carpet is not yet used exclusively
as a term for a floor covering. Next we have carpeting
for stairs, 1762; painted floor cloths and entry cloths,
295

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
haircloth for entries and staircases, and handsome mo
hair carpeting, 1764. At the same date, also, we have
" Persia, Scotch, list, entry, Floor, Bedside, Table, and
painted," besides " bordering lists for carpitting." Two
excellent Turkey carpets, one of them seven yards square,
are offered for sale in 1765. Wilton and Axminster
carpets cost from £3 to £60 in 1771 ; and in the next
year there are square and list carpets for beds, and the
Hero brings some beautiful plush carpeting from Ayr.
" Brass rods for fixing carpeting on stairs " could be
had at James Byers, Brass Founder, South Street, in 1767 ;
and large brass and iron wire for staircases, 1772.
The fireplace was a decorative feature of the room all
through this period. Coal gradually succeeded wood as
fuel, and grates took the place of andirons ; but coloured
tiles still made the chimney-piece and hearth gay with
scriptural, historical, and landscape subjects. The articles
manufactured here and imported for the" decoration and
service of the hearth were numerous. A few selections
from this class of goods include the following :
A marble chimney-piece, 1744; "new fire places,"
made by Robert Grace in Pennsylvania, 1744—5 ; "a par
cel of handsome Scripture tiles with the Chapter and some
plain white ditto," 1748 ; history and landscape tiles, 1750 ;
marble hearths, 1 75 1 ; "a parcel of choice iron ash pails
proper for taking up hot ashes from hearths to let them
cool in " ; green and yellow hearth tiles ; white and Script
ure galley tiles ; steel hearths with mouldings and stove
grates from England. " Just imported from Bristol and
to be sold by Rip Van Dam a large iron hearth plate with
brass feet and handles," 1752; two handsome marble
hearths with layers suited to the hearth are offered in
296

MARQUETRY CHEST OF DRAWERS AND GLASS CASE
Owned by Mr. John V. L. Pruyn, New York. See page 256.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
1753 ; John Beekman has some German stoves, iron backs,
marble chimney fronts and marble tea tables for sale in
1757; carved and plain chimney backs are imported, 1759;
and chimney tiles and stucco ornaments for ceilings and
chimney-pieces are sold by Bernard Lintot, 1760. "Ger
man cast iron stoves round and square, handsome marble
chimney fronts and hearth stones, hearth and Jam tiles "
are for sale by Robert Crommelin, 1 76 1 ; " mantel-pieces,
iron grates for coals, Scripture and landskip chimney tiles,
Boston do., for oven floors and hearths," 1 764 ; best blue and
white landscape tiles, common do., and purple best do. ; and
open work mahogany mantelpieces, 1765. Red and blue
hearth tiles are sold by Samuel Verplanck, 1765. James
Byers, brass founder in South Street, makes " brass mouldings
to cover the edges of marble or tiled fire places," 1768 ;
" marble hearths very beautifully variegated with different
colours" are sold by Philip Livingston at his store, Burnet's
Quay ; and elegant grates or Bath stoves are imported in
1768. Samuel Francis, VauxhaU Gardens, offers "two
carved formitif pieces for a fire place " ; and several sets
of very curious Italian, Derbyshire, and Kilkenny marble
for fireplaces just imported from London are sold by Walter
Franklin & Co., 1770.
From 1 75 1 to 1761, large importations of china are
constantly advertised, the varieties consisting chiefly of blue
and white earthenware, Delft, japanned, gilded and flow
ered, green ware, Tunbridge and Portabella wares, blue
and enamelled, " aggott," "tortoise," " pannel'd " and
Staffordshire Flint ware. In 1765, James Gilliland adver
tises at his Earthen and Glass-ware house " flower horns,
wash hand basins without bottles, pine apple and colly
flower coffee pots, cream coloured tea pots, white tortoise
297

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
mugs and jugs, coffee cans, pearl' d flower horns and land-
skip tortoiseshell coffee pots, black ware, white stone
tureens, mallon, all with stands." " Agate and melloned
ware" are advertised in 1766; "white and enamelled tea
table setts, white and burnt China bowls from y2 pint to
3 gallons, quart and pint mugs, jars and beakers, sauce
boats, spoon boats, children's tea table sets, dining sets
ranging from 16 to 24 guineas, blue and white enamelled
china, blue and white landscape china, enamell'd white
gilt landscape, nankin, brown edged sprig and duck break
fast cups and saucers, black and white ribbed and engraved
sauce boats, sugar dishes, enamelled gilt image and sprig
damasked tea pots, enamelled coffee cans and saucers, pen
cilled china, burnt china, blue and white china, white
quilted and plain sugar dishes, cream jugs, flower jars, etc.,"
are imported from London and Bristol in 1767. "A
parcel of china useful and ornamental, Queen's or yellow
ware, delf and black earthenware" is offered in 1769.
An earthenware manufactory is started at Norwich, Conn.,
in 1 77 1, and although domestic productions constantly
appear, the ships continually bring in china and earthen
ware of new patterns and shapes. " Enamelled salt cellars
pink, blue and green," and "one dozen very handsome
caudle cups and saucers" are advertised in 1771, and in
the next year John J. Roosevelt, Maiden Lane, imports
from England " an elegant assortment of burnt china jars
and beakers, fruit baskets, butter tubs, sauce boats and
pickel leaves." George Bell, Bayard Street, has " burnt
china, quilted china, pencil'd china, blue and white Queen's
ware, Delph, stone enamell'd black," etc., in 1773; at
Rhinelander's store in 1774, there was " a fine assortment of
china, including blue and white, blue and gold, purple and
298

OVAL PAINTED TABLE
Owned by Miss Katharine Van Rensselaer, Vlie House, Rensselaer, N. Y See page 289.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
gold and enamelled and burnt." " Several very elegant sets
of Dresden tea table china and ornamental jars and figures
decorated and enriched in the highest taste " are advertised
by Henry Wilmot, Hanover Square, in 1775. James
Byers was riveting broken china in 1769, and Jacob de
Acosta repaired with cement (see page 301).
^ Glass ware for the table seems to have been very plen
tiful. Wine, beer and water glasses, square and round
tumblers, cruet stands and cruet frames, and sets of castors
with silver tops appear from 1744 onward. Glass cream
jugs are advertised in 1752; "neat flowered wine and
water glasses, glass salvers, silver top cruit stands, a few
neat and small enamelled shank wine glasses, flowered,
scalloped and plain decanters jugs and mugs, salver and
pyramids, jelly and silly bub glasses, flowered, plain and
enamelled wine glasses, glasses for silver salts and sweet
meat, poles with spires and glasses, smelling bottles, scon
ces, tulip and flower glasses of the newest pattern, finger-
bowls and tumblers of all sorts," 1762. Cut glass and
silver ornamental cruet stands cost from 10 shillings to ^"1 5
each in 1762. Ten years later, " ebony cruet stands, jelly
glasses, soy cruets, carroffs, wine and water glasses and
bottle stands " are for sale by John J. Roosevelt in Maiden
Lane. Wine servers and " bottle slyders " appear in 1771-2 ;
and " pearl labels for decanters " and " corks with silver
tops for do." in 1773. American flint glass made at the
Stiegel Works, Mannheim is advertised in 1770.
A partial list of articles used in preparing and serving tea
includes: copper tea-kettles, 1744; pewter tea-pots, 1745 ;
"mahogany tea-boards," 1749; tea-chests, " neat ponte-
pool* japanned waiters," 1 750 ; mahogany tea-chests, brown
* So called from the town in England where it was made.
299

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Polish tea-kettles with lamps, 1 75 1 ; "japann'd and mahog
any tea waiters of all sizes," India tea-boards, " tea-chests
of all sizes mounted with plate and other metals," Dutch
kettles, lamps, and coffee-pots, 1752 ; "best Holland ket
tles with riveted spouts," 1758; sugar cleavers and bells
for tea tables, brass kettles in nests, very neat chased silver
tea-pots, sugar pots, chased and plain, milk pots double
and single, jointed tea-tongs, tea spoons, 1759 ; cannisters,
brass Indian kettles in nests, mahogany and book tea
chests, 1760; nests of kettles to hold from thirty gallons
down to a quart, 1761 ; plated tea-boards and tea-trays,
1762 ; tin kettles in nests, painted and plain sugar boxes of
various sizes, japanned cannisters, neat tea chests with can
nisters, " mahogany tea-boards, sliders, tea-trays, beautifully
ornamented japanned tea boards, waiters and kettles hand
somely japanned and gilt, Chinese tea tongs, tea chests and
slyders, the most fashionable octagon and square japann'd,
finiered and inlaid tea chests," 1764; open work mahog
any tea-boards, 1765; " curious japann'd Pontipool ware,
viz., tea equipage — a fine tea kitchen and waiter, a
beautiful 24 inch rail tea tray, cannister," 1768; "one
handsome double bellied plaited tea kitchen and stand,"
1768 ; urns or tea kitchens, silver plated, finely chased and
plain brown tea kitchens, tea pots gilt and enamelled of the
finest ware, 1771 ; japan'd tea tables, kitchens, trays, chests,
cannisters, waiters, bells, 1772; pearl and tortoise shell
sugar tongs, inlaid mahogany tea chests, tea cannisters
lined with lead, silver milk urns, japann'd Roman trays,
1773 ; "polished Gadrooned and fine open work silver tea
tongs, very fashionable," 1774.
Turning now to ornamental china used for the decora
tion of mantel-pieces, as well as for the tops of chests of
300

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
drawers, escritoires and bookcases, we find among the
importations birds, baskets of flowers and busts; "a
very curious parcel of plaster of Paris Figures," 1757;
"plaster of Paris ornaments for chimney-pieces/' 1758,'
"flower horns," 1758; "some beautiful ornamental
chimney-china," 1766; "white stone ware, including
complete tea-table toys for children, with a great collection
of different kinds of birds, beasts, etc., in stone ware, very
ornamental for mantle pieces, chests of drawers, etc.,"
1767 ; " one set of image china," 1768 ; " a few pieces of
very elegant ornamental china," 1769. Jacob de Acosta,
who mends china and glasses with cement, has " all sorts
of marble or china furniture such as is used in ornament
ing chests of drawers or chimney pieces," 1770; Henry
Wilmot has " the greatest variety of ornamental china,
consisting of groups, setts of figures, pairs, and jars just
opened," 1770; and Mr. Nash offers some "superb vases
for the toilet," 1771.
Wax-work ornaments appear in 1765 ; glass pyramids
in 1764; and "glasses to grow flowers," 1775.
The dressing-tables were furnished with every luxury,
and shaving boxes and brushes of all sorts are found in 1756.
" Neat Morocco tweese cases with silver door, lock and
key," 1759. Complete shaving equipages, japanned comb
trays, and India dressing-boxes are imported in 1759;
complete sets of shaving utensils in shagreen cases, 1 760 ;
ladies' equipage, with everything complete for a fashion
able toilet, 1 76 1 ; " shaving equipages, holding razors, scis-
sars, penknives, combs, hones, oil bottle, brush and soap
box with places for paper, pens and ink," 1761 ; straw
dressing-boxes with private drawers, 1 764 ; and fish skin
razor cases, 1774. "Very fine travelling cases for ladies

301

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
and gentlemen contain everything to make a journey com
fortable, and some of these are adapted for army officers."
The "seal-skin portmantua " is fashionable towards 1776.
The desk and escritoire were furnished with many ar
ticles familiar to-day : but sand to sprinkle upon and dry the
ink, and wafers and quill pens have now almost disappeared.
Hard metal inkstands with candlesticks are advertised in
1750; large and small pewter standishes in 1759; glass
ink pots with brass tops, ditto for sand, 1759; brass ink
pots, 1 76 1 ; "ink equipages with silver plated furniture
for the nobility, gentry, public officers, etc., and others of
inferior size and quality " are advertised by James Riving
ton in 1 77 1 ; and japann'd, brass, leather and paper ink
stands appear in 1774. Neat red and blue morocco letter
cases with locks (1750) ; red leather letter cases; beau
tiful red and blue morocco letter cases with spring locks ;
neat shagreen ink horns ; ivory and tortoise-shell mem
orandum books ( 1 76 1 ) ; fountain pens ; cedar pencils
(1750); sealing-wax, and quills; vermilion and common
wafers (1759); ivory paper-cutters (1761); lignum vitas
rulers ; letter scales ; black lead pencils with steel cases for
the same; ink-powder (1762); wafers, black and red;
gilt message cards ; and letter files (1765). Ivory, tortoise-
shell, shagreen and pear-tree memorandum books are also
advertised. Ladies' memorandum blocks occur in 1764.
Clockmakers are numerous, John Bell advertises in
1734; Aaron Miller, of Elizabethtown, in 1747; and
Thomas Perry, of London, in Dock Street, and "Moses
Clements in the Broad-way, New York," in 1749.
A handsome japanned clock, made by Allsop of Lon
don, appears facing this page. It has always been in the
Bleecker family, and descended from Garrit Van Sant
302

* «

FRISIAN CLOCK

JAPANNED CLOCK
house of Mrs. J. Ten Eyck, Albany. " **
o><? page J02.

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Bleecker, of Albany, to one of his daughters. It is now
in the home of Mrs. J. Ten Eyck, Albany.
"Clock case cupboards" are brought over by the
Batchelor, 175 1 ; Samuel Bowne, Bur ling-Slip, has some
"japanned and walnut-cased clocks," 1 75 1 ; Dirck Brinck-
erhoff is at the Sign of the Golden Lock, in Dock Street ;
" Uriah Hendricks, at his store next door to the Sign of the
Golden Key in Hanover Square ( 1 756), has imported " two
fine repeating eight day clocks, which strike every half hour
and repeat"; Thomas Perry, watchmaker, from London,
" in Hanover Square, makes and cleans all sorts of clocks
and watches." " He will import, if bespoke, good war
ranted clocks at £14, they paying freight and insurance,
and clocks without cases for ^10." (1756.)
George Chester, from London, opens a shop at the
Sign of the Dial, on the new Dock; and Carden Proctor
mends and cleans musical, repeating, chimney and plain
clocks in 1757 ; Abraham Brasher, of Wall Street (1757) ;
Solomon Marache, opposite the Fort ; John Est, at the
Dial and Time in Broadway ; and Thomas Gordon, from
London, opposite the Merchants' Coffee House (1759) sell
various kinds of timepieces. Edward Agar, in Beaver
Street, brings from London " a very neat table clock which
repeats the quarters on six bells" (1761) ; Joseph Clarke
imports from London some " exceedingly good eight-day
clocks in very neat mahogany cases," and two dials, " one
in a covered gilt frame large enough for a church or a
gentleman's house." (1768.)
In 1768, John Sebastian Stephany, Chymist, has " for
sale for cash a new and ingenious Clock Work, just im
ported from Germany, and made there by one of the most
ingenious and celebrated Clock-makers in Germany. It
3°3

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
plays nine different selected musical tunes, and every one
as exact as can be done on the best musical instrument ;
and changes its music every hour. It is done with 1 1
clocks and 22 hammers. It has an ingenious striking work
for every hour and quarter of an hour ; it repeats 8 Days,
Hours, and Minutes and shows the Month, and Days of
the Month."
" At the Sign of the Clock and Two Watches, oppo
site to Mr. Roorback's at the Fly Market is made and re
paired at reasonable Rates, Clocks and Watches ; will keep
in Repair by the Year, Clocks plain or musical ; . . . .
China is also rivited at the said Shop three different ways
and ornamented with Birds, Beasts, Fish, Flowers, or
Pieces of Masonry by a curious and skilful Workman."
(1769.) Isaac Heron (1770), watchmaker, facing the Coffee
House Bridge, has " a musical clock noble and elegant
cost in England £80," and " a neat and extraordinary
good chamber Repeating Clock."
Stephen Sands, 1772, William Pearson, jr., and Will
iam Kumbel, 1775, were also in this business. The two
bracket or pedestal clocks of the period represented on
page 305 are owned by Gen. J. Watts de Peyster of New
York. The one to the left was long in the Broadway
home of the Watts family ; the second one, with chimes,
belonged to the de Peysters and bears the name of Robert
Henderson, who made clocks at St. Martin's Court, Lon
don, in 1772, and at 18 Bridgewater Square in 1800-5.
The names of the tunes are engraved above the dial and
include the March from Scipio, Sukey Bids Me, and Miss
Fox's Minuet.
Music was by no means neglected in New York, and
304

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

CLOCKS
Owned by Gen. J. Watts de Peyster, New York. See page 304.
competent teachers were not lacking. In 1750, six very
fine violins and some German flutes are for sale; in 1757,
a good English spinet and some flutes. In 1759, a gen
tleman has a lot of musical goods imported from Naples
and London, including two good violins, a girl's six-
stringed bass viol ; " exceeding good German Flutes for
three Dollars, each ; likewise others with 2, 3, 4, or 5
middle Pieces to change the Tones and Voice do. Like
wise Bass, viol Strings of all Sizes, and silvered Ones for
Basses, Violins and Tenors. A great Collection of Wrote
and Printed Music from Italy and England."
James Rivington, Hanover Square, has in 1760 " Fid
dles with Bows or Fiddle-Sticks, Mutes, Bridges and Screw
3o5

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Pins, German Flutes, common Flutes, Fifes, Pitch Pipes,
Hautboy Reeds, Bassoon Reeds, and mouth-pieces for
French horns. ist, 2d, 3d and 4th Fiddle Strings, very
excellent; ditto Blue, for Basses;" also a lot of Music
Books. Other instruments on sale include: a "harpsichord
with three stops," 1758 ; " a complete set of bagpipes £4,"
1 760 ; " a chamber organ, with 5 stops, silvered pipes, case
9 feet high and 6 feet wide, new bellows, and good in con
dition, £60 New York currency, scarce a quarter of the
sum which a new organ will cost," 1762 ; violins in cases,
German flutes, " speckled screw bows," " a violoncello
and case" and "an excellent bassoon with reeds," 1764;
" two very fine handorgans, one with four barrels and the
other with two barrels," 1767; "a new chamber organ
of six stops and neat gilt front," 1768 ; "a very fine tone
harpsichord and a forte piano," 1770. John Shimble,
" organ builder from Philadelphia makes and repairs all
kinds of organs harpsichords spinnets and pianos," 1772.
A parlour organ of the period shown on page 307 be
longed to Anthony Duane, an officer in the English navy.
It descended to his son James Duane, first Mayor of New
York under the new government, and from the latter's
youngest daughter, Catharine Livingston Duane, to James
Duane Featherstonhaugh. It is now owned by Mr.
George W. Featherstonhaugh, Schenectady, N. Y. The
organ is fifty-two inches high and twenty-six inches wide.
It is made of mahogany. The wind is supplied by a bel
lows worked by a crank. , The keys are lifted by wire
elevations on a revolving barrel. The organ contains five
barrels, playing ten tunes each. All the tunes are English.
The card table on page 309 belongs to Miss Anna
306

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
Vandenberg, of Albany. It was owned by the Lush
family, and is somewhat unusual in having five legs.
Games were no less popular in New York than in the
Southern cities and plantations.

PARLOUR ORGAN
Owned by Anthony Duane, now by Mr. George W. Featherstonhaugh, Schenectady. See page 306.

The "best playing cards " are advertised among the
importations of 1 749 ; battledores, 1 75 1 ; " quadrille boxes
for the fashionable game," 1761 ; "Henry VIII. and
Highland playing-cards," 1761 ; "Merry Andrew and
Highland playing cards" and "Great Mogul playing

307

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
cards," 1764; backgammon tables and drum battledores
and shuttlecocks and " backgammon tables lined to pre
vent the odious sound of the boxes," 1764; chess, draft
and cribbage boards, with men, dice and boxes, 1 771 ;
" quadrille pools," 1772; "paper and japanned quadrille
pools, and pearl and ivory fish and counters," 1773.
Children's toys are frequently mentioned in the impor
tations : the Charming Rachel brings " all sorts of children's
toys," 1752 ; "boxes of household furniture for children"
occur in 1759 ; and "a large quantity of Dutch and Eng
lish toys " in 1767.
The ladies of the period were accomplished in needle
work, and that they made various ornaments for their
homes is evident from advertisements for teaching the
fashionable decorative arts ofthe day. One in 1 73 1 is:
" Martha Gazley, late from Great Britain, now in the
City of New York, Makes and Teaches the following curi
ous Works, viz. Artificial Fruits and Flowers and other
Wax-Work, Nuns-Work, Philligree and Pencil Work upon
Muslin, all sorts of Needle-Work and Raising of Paste, as
also to Paint upon Glass, and Transparent for Sconces,
with other Works. If any young Gentlewomen, or oth
ers, are inclined to learn any or all of the above mentioned
curious Works, they may be carefully taught and instructed
in the same by the said Martha Gazley at present at the
Widdow Butlers, near the Queen's head Tavern, in Will
iam Street, not far from Captain Anthony Rutgers."
In 1761, the wife of John Haugan, at the Horse and
Cart Street, advertises that she " stamps linen China blue
or deep blue, or any other colour that Gentlemen and La
dies fancies. Bed sprays, Women's Gowns."
In 1769, "Clementina and Jane Fergusson intend re-
308

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

MAHOGANY CARD TABLE AND CHAIR
Owned by Miss Anna Vandenberg, Albany. See page 306.
moving their school the first of May next to Bayard Street,
opposite the house of John Livingston, Esq., where they
will continue to teach reading, writing, plain needlework,
sampler, crowning, Dresden catgut : shading in silk on
Holland or cambrick and in silk or worsted on canvas;
as also all sorts of needlework in use for dress or furni
ture." In 1773, Mrs. Cole, from London, teaches ladies
" tambour-work and embroidery " ; and in the same year
William and Sarah Long, from London, teach "Tambour
work in gold, silver, and cotton."
In 1774, Mrs. Belton, who has a French and English
school, teaches " tapestry, embroidery, catgut, sprigging
of muslin," etc., etc.
A specimen of the handiwork of the period is shown
3°9

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
on page 311. This is a screen worked in 1 776, and
owned by Mrs. Edward Rankin at the Van Rensselaer
house, Cherry Hill, Albany. The standard is mahogany
with " snake " feet.
Among the importations, " catgut gauze," " catgut
silk " and " drawn catgut " frequently occur. We also
find " cruels sorted in shades," 1752; " ivory shuttles for
knotting fringe," 1 752 ; ladies " knitting and work boxes,"
1 794 ; " coarse and fine yellow canvass for work or win
dow blinds," 1 77 1 ; and tambour cases and needles, 1774.
The looking-glass was very important at all periods.
In 1730, James Foddy from London undertook "to
alter and amend old looking glasses," and it would ap
pear from the constant advertisements that there was a
great demand for looking-glasses of the newest fashion.
The large pier glass with its carved frame, a glass over
the mantel-piece and convex mirrors with sconces on
either side were common ornaments of the drawing-room.
" New fashion sconces and looking-glasses" are constantly
appearing among the importations from 1 749 onward. From
about 1752, they are carved and gilt; " a variety of sconces
with branches in wallnut frames with gilt edges," are offered
in 1757 ; pier glasses of all sizes are favourite importations;
and convex lenses and concave mirrors, 1 764 ; " two carved
white framed sconce glasses and one mahogany ditto,"
1768; oval sconces with gilt frames, 1773; "looking
glasses the most fashionable, neat and elegant ever im
ported into this city, oval glasses, pier do. and sconces in
burnish'd gold, glass border'd, mahogany and black walnut
frames with gilt ornaments of all sizes; likewise some
elegant gerandoles," 1774, framed mahogany and black
walnut, square and oval sconces, glasses and girandoles,
310

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
1775- Handsome dressing-
glasses are constantly being
offered for sale; sometimes
these are gilt, sometimes ja
panned, sometimes black wal
nut, and frequently they are
furnished with sconces.
Lamps and lanterns were
imported in considerable vari
ety : the entries and halls were
lighted by square and spherical
lanterns. The standard sizes
were 18 x 14 inches, 16 x 12,
10x14, 9x4, 8x4 and 7x4.
A few of the announcements
are as follows: fine large lamps
at twenty shillings apiece, 1752;
barrel and bell glass lanthorns
for entries, 1753; glass lamps
and chamber lamps, 1759;
horns for lanterns, 1759;
pocket lanterns, 1 76 1 ; glass
lamps for halls, 1 76 1 ; glass,
tin, and horn lanterns, 1763;
square and globe lanterns for
halls and staircases, 1 764 ; large
glass lanterns and chamber
lamps, 1765; "lamps ofthe
newest patterns, very useful for sick persons," 1770; and
" square glass and globe lanthorns and chamber lamps,"
I7?I- Candlesticks of all kinds were made here as well as

Uudtdm-dL Q^rfjui  •

SCREEN WORKED IN 1 776
Owned by Mrs. Edward Rankin, Albany.
See page 310.

3"

THE FURNITURE OF OUR FOREFATHERS
imported. Among the kinds in demand we note : brass
ball iron candlesticks, " some curious four armed cut glass
candlesticks ornamented with stars and drops, properly
called girandoles," 1762 ; brass snuffer dishes, 1764; " eh-
amel'd and japan'd candlesticks for toilets and tea-tables "
and "candle shade slyders" 1765 ; "Japanned and Ponti-
pool table and chamber candlesticks," 1768; "iron and
japann'd candlesticks, 1773; red, green, gilt, and black
japanned candlesticks, with snuffers and extinguishers,
1773 ; candle frames and screens, with japanned and skin
cases, 1774; and candle screens, 1776.

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