The sleek lines, block feet and contrasting dark and light sections of this wardrobe reveal the influence of the Biedermeier style, which was popular in Germany and Austria between 1815 and 1848.
These stylish schranks or wardrobes represent the continuation of German cabinetmaking traditions in the Milwaukee area. The first major wave of Germanic settlement in Milwaukee, from 1845 to 1860, included German-speaking immigrants from Alsace, the Rhine Valley, Bavaria, Prussia, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. Many skilled craftspeople were among these settlers, including cabinetmakers who learned their trade under the rigorous apprenticeship system in Europe. The artisans who made these wardrobes were probably among the small number of cabinetmakers who continued traditional craft practices and made furniture for the German-speaking community. Many other European-trained furniture craftspeople were unable to compete with successful Yankee merchant-manufacturers like John F. Birchard and A. D. Seaman and, instead, found work as day laborers in these large shops.