Thomas Lee and [P. J.?] Grimball
Charleston, South Carolina, 1804-1813
Mahogany with white pine, red cedar, tulip poplar, and yellow pine
Catalog no. 125
Among the transplanted craftsmen who arrived in post-Revolutionary Charleston was Scottish cabinetmaker Thomas Lee (ca. 1780-1814), who built and signed this mahogany clothespress. Lee's British training is apparent in both the overall form and the details of this press. With its secretary drawer and removable cornice, the piece parallels many surviving British examples. The resemblance was heightened by Lee's decision to model parts of the press on illustrations in Cabinet-Makers' London Book of Prices, and Designs of Cabinet Work, an English manual first issued in 1788 and expanded in 1793 (see graphic).
Lee was working in Charleston by 1804 and remained there until his untimely death at age thirty-four. One of many local cabinetmakers of Scottish origin, Lee ran a moderate size furniture business. Built for the wealthy Ball family, this clothespress is similar to other Charleston-made examples in several ways. Although unusually conservative in style, its great height (nearly eight feet) and the inclusion of a secretary drawer are typical of Charleston presses of the early national period.