Georgetown, South Carolina, 1795-1810
Mahogany with yellow pine, holly, ebonized maple, and satinwood
Catalog no. 156
This sideboard represents one of the most widely available variations of the form in both Britain and the United States. Made in South Carolina, it is ascribed to Georgetown, a small seaport about sixty miles north of Charleston. In spite of its southern origin, the piece closely resembles contemporary New York sideboards, particularly in the design and arrangement of the inlaid panels and stringing. The migration of New York furniture- and cabinetmakers to the Low Country is well documented. So lucrative was the market that in 1797, South Carolina cabinetmaker Charles Watts advertised in a New York newspaper for “8 to 15 Journeymen Cabinet and Chair-Makers, to go to Charleston,”while in 1818, another enterprising Charleston tradesman opened a shop called ”The New-York Cabinet Furniture Warehouse.”