•¦¦.-. : k'.\.vv 39002027116095 FUR] OUR FO \ w. L Kraaif Garvan^ 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 • 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 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 mmm wB^RHg&W mm m III p r m fill 1 ,,i]ii ill ,|iii|Siu ,, -,, JiWffell Hi 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 sl! ill hxImI ij til Pi h ¦ < 1 «B| Si COURT CUPBOARD Owned by Mr. George Dudley Seymour, New Haven, Conn. T^O '^~ ir ¦ 1 ! » for k\s? ."w N S Lr £ ^ h £ •/j w •~ £ §¦ u ^ > u < ?* c o Si 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^ &•§