Cabinet makers in 18th century America produced a wide range of
free-standing furniture-- high boys, low boys, chest-on-chests and
other bureaus, sideboards, tables, bedsteads, and sofas.
They also made chairs, but these were usually advertised separately
and, in some cases, were the sole product of a "chairmaker."
Furniture was produced by sophisticated urban cabinetmakers and by
rural craftsmen who often copied urban styles. Early furniture makers
were often also farmers or engaged in other crafts.
Early furniture was custom-made by neighborhood craftsman but became
ready-made furniture became increasingly available in urban retail
stores called "furniture warerooms."
Noted cabinetmakes like Chippendale, Afleck, Goddard, etc. had
workrooms in major cities like Philadelphia, New York and Boston.
The American Chippendale style originated in the middle to late 18th
century. Named for furniture designer Thomas Chippendale (1718- 1799),
the style was based on the designs he conceived of in his large volume
entitled The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Directory.
Chippendale's designs were widely copied by both urban and "country"
furniture makers.
Customers could choose a design from a cabinetmakers book or from
pieces in his showroom or they might be shown a miniature example.
Miniature furniture was used as advertisments in shop windows of
furniture makers and retailers. A potential purchaser could examine
the piece and discuss extra cost details, such as further inlays or
choice of woods such as oak, walnut or mahogany. Equally important was
the travelling retailer going to the small town or country house where
the customer or patron could be shown a miniature example, the viewing
of a three dimensional example being more effective than only sketches
or drawings.
As the population increased after the American Revolution, so did the
demand for household furniture. So many tables, chairs, and bedsteads
were needed that some artisans could specialize as furniture makers
and give up farming as well as general woodworking. Even these men,
however, continued to repair furniture, make architectural trim, and
build coffins
Between 1790 and 1820 cabinetmakers gradually replaced general
woodworkers as the primary providers of furniture. During the same
period a few furniture makers identified themselves as Windsor chair
makers. By 1820 the manufacture of chairs had already emerged as a
distinct specialization
Warerooms, where furniture was stockpiled and sold at retail, first
appeared in New York and Philadelphia and later in other urban
centers. By the mid- 1820s, they had spread into central
Massachusetts. Wareroom operators acquired their stock in several
different ways. Some were hands-on cabinetmakers who continued to
construct tables, chests, and bedsteads while purchasing chairs
wholesale. Other wareroom owners purchased all their "cabinet
furniture" from working cabinetshops or hired journeymen to make goods
behind the scenes. If a wareroom had a cabinetmaker on the premises,
repair services were often advertised and some warerooms even provided
coffins on a custom-ordered basis.
Early 19th-century images of warerooms sometimes depict the
storefront with pieces of furniture placed outdoors--a way to
advertise wares and attract attention.
See: http://www.osv.org/education/OSVisitor/MakingFurniture.html
Making & Selling Furniture in Central New England, 1790-1850
By Donna Baron and Caroline Sloat
From Old Sturbridge Visitor, Spring, 1993; pp. 4-6
As to how transactions would take place, they were conducted not too
differently from today.
Either the man or the woman of the house would deal with the
cabinetmaker, or any other vendor, for that matter. Women generally
took responsibility for running the household, including choosing and
purchasing the furnishings. They might visit the cabinetmaker just as
they would any other merchant. It is possible that part of the
process might be handled by a servant under direction of the master or
mistress of the house, but that would be after the design choices had
been made.
So, whether it was a man or woman, who dealt with the cabinetmaker was
very much a matter of circumstance -- location and social status, for
instance. City life and shopping patterns were certainly different
from those in rural or frontier areas. In rural areas, the
cabinetmaker might well be one's neighbor.
In frontier areas, fine furniture would have been "imported" from a
city.
It is important to note, however, that no matter the location it was
not at all unlikely that a woman conducted the transaction.
Take a look at
http://etext.virginia.edu/journals/EH/EH42/Wright42.html
for an interesting discussion of the role of women in financial
matters in 18th century America
Also, follow some of the footnotes for some additional sources of
information.
search strategy:
18th century cabinet makers
colonial women
18th century america household management
I'm sorry but Google Answer rules prevent me from giving you my name
as an "interview" source.
I can tell you that I am currently a freelance writer who often writes
on American history and on early houses. Also, in a previous
incarnation, I worked as a restorer of 18th century American
furniture, including on some private collections cataloged for
Winterthur. |
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