Carswell Rush Berlin
"A Shadow of a Magnitude": The Furniture of Thomas Cook and Richard Parkin

American Furniture 2013

Full Article
Contents
  • Figure 1
    Figure 1

    Side chair attributed to Richard Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1834–1840. Walnut and walnut veneer with tulip poplar. H. 32 1/4", W. 18", D. 18". (Courtesy, Carswell Rush Berlin, Inc.; photo, Gavin Ashworth.) 

  • Figure 2
    Figure 2

    View of Walnut Street between Third and Fourth Streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1830–1840. Watercolor on paper. 18 3/4" x 33 1/2". (Courtesy, Library Company of Philadelphia.) Cook and Parkin’s shop is in the middle of the block on the left. John Hancock and Company occupied the building on the left corner. As was the case with Cook & Parkin, Hancock’s business was in the central business district. Only the most successful firms could afford to operate at that location.

  • Figure 3
    Figure 3

    Joseph Drayton, Plan of the City of Philadelphia, published by H. C. Cary and I. Lea, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1824. Hand-colored engraving on paper. 15 1/2" x 17 194". (Courtesy, Historical Society of Pennsylvania.) This detail shows the central business district and the locations of businesses maintained by Cook & Parkin, Thomas Cook, and Richard Parkin.

  • Figure 4
    Figure 4

    W. H. Rease, engraver, “George Mecke Cabinet Maker and Upholsterer,” published by Wagner and McGuigan, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1846. Lithograph. 20" x 13". (Courtesy, Arader Galleries, Philadelphia.) This lithograph shows the shop of cabinetmaker George Mecke at 355 North Second Street. The building is a typical Philadelphia row house with a cabinet shop in the front. 

  • Figure 5
    Figure 5

    A Shop Front in the Egyptian Style (Courtesy, Sir John Soane’s Museum, London.) The façade of Parkin’s shop may have resembled this storefront in the Egyptian style. In addition to a new façade, the redesign of Parkin’s shop opened the show room to the street, making it more inviting and conducive to display.

  • Figure 6
    Figure 6

    Egyptian Hall, designed by Peter F. Robinson for George Bullock, Piccadilly, London, 1811–1812. (Courtesy, Sir John Soane’s Museum, London.)

  • Figure 7
    Figure 7

    Sideboard bearing the label of Cook & Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1819–1824. Mahogany and mahogany veneer with white pine, tulip poplar, and oak. H. 63 1/4", W. 98 1/2", D. 24 3/4". (Courtesy, Baltimore Museum of Art; purchase fund with exchange funds from gift from estate of Margaret Anna Abell, gift from Mr. and Mrs. Warren Wilbur Brown, gift of Jill and M. Austin Fine, bequest of Ethel Epstein Jacobs, gift of William M. Miller and Norville E. Miller II, Bequest of Leonce Rabillon: Bequest of Philip B. Perlman; and Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Louis E. Schecter, BMA 1989.26; photo by Mitro Hood.)

  • Figure 8
    Figure 8

    Detail of the label on the sideboard illustrated in fig. 7.

  • Figure 9
    Figure 9

    Design for a “large library or writing-table flanked with paper presses, or escrutoirs,” illustrated in pl. 11 in Thomas Hope, Household Furniture and Interior Decoration (London, 1807). 

  • Figure 10
    Figure 10

    Detail of a Pergamene capital on the sideboard illustrated in fig. 7.

  • Figure 11
    Figure 11

    Photograph showing the dining room of the Anthony Wayne House, Easttown Township, Paoli, Pennsylvania, 1930–1940. The sideboard has later brass drawer pulls. 

  • Figure 12
    Figure 12

    Pier table bearing the stenciled label of Cook & Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1825–1830. Mahogany and mahogany veneer with white pine and tulip poplar; marble. H. 40 3/4", W. 47 3/4", D. 20". (Private collection; photo, Johnny Miller.) A molding with a cavetto frieze of similar profile is illustrated in pl. 1 in the Philadelphia Cabinet and Chair Makers’ Union Book of Prices (1828).

  • Figure 13
    Figure 13

    Detail of the stenciled label on the pier table illustrated in fig. 12.

  • Figure 14
    Figure 14

    Design for a table illustrated in pl. 12 in Thomas Hope, Household Furniture and Interior Decoration (London, 1807).

  • Figure 15
    Figure 15

    Detail of the pier table illustrated in fig. 12, showing the dovetails used to attach the pilasters to the bottom board.

  • Figure 16
    Figure 16

    Detail of the pier table illustrated in fig. 12, showing the stepped miters of the boards above the frieze.

  • Figure 17
    Figure 17

    Detail of the pier table illustrated in fig. 12, showing the construction of the base. 

  • Figure 18
    Figure 18

    Pier table possibly by Cook & Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1824–1833. Mahogany and mahogany veneer with tulip poplar; marble. H. 38", W. 38", D. 20". (Courtesy, President James Buchanan’s Wheatland, Lancaster, Pennsylvania; photo, Lancaster County Historical Society.)

  • Figure 19
    Figure 19

    Center table bearing two stenciled labels of Cook & Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1824–1833. Mahogany and mahogany veneer with white pine and ash; marble. H. 29", Diam. 38". (Courtesy, Carswell Rush Berlin, Inc.; photo, Richard Goodbody.)

  • Figure 20
    Figure 20

    Design for table à thé illustrated in pl. 515 in Pierre de la Mésangère, Collection de meubles et objets de goût (Paris, 1821). (Courtesy, Carswell Rush Berlin, Inc.)

  • Figure 21
    Figure 21

    Drum table attributed to Cook & Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1824–1833. Rosewood and rosewood veneer with unidentified secondary woods. Dimensions not recorded. (Allison Boor and Jonathan Boor, Philadelphia Empire Furniture [West Chester, Pa.: Boor Management, 2006], p.129).

  • Figure 22
    Figure 22

    Photograph showing the second-floor parlor of the George Eveleigh House, 39 Church Street, Charleston, South Carolina, ca. 1927.

  • Figure 23
    Figure 23

    Mechanical easy chair attributed to Cook & Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1824–1833. Mahogany with white pine. H. 46 1/2", W. 27 1/4", D. 29". (Courtesy, Carswell Rush Berlin, Inc.; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 24
    Figure 24

    Detail of the left arm of the mechanical easy chair illustrated in fig. 23.

  • Figure 25
    Figure 25

    Detail of “Chairs with inclining backs” illustrated in pl. 10 in Thomas King, Modern Style of Cabinet Work Exemplified (London, 1829).

  • Figure 26
    Figure 26

    Detail of the crest of the mechanical easy chair illustrated in fig. 23.

  • Figure 27
    Figure 27

    Detail of a sideboard table illustrated in pl. 45 in Thomas King, Modern Style of Cabinet Work Exemplified (1829). (Courtesy, Carswell Rush Berlin, Inc.)

  • Figure 28
    Figure 28

    Thomas Cook, extension dining table, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1836. Mahogany and mahogany veneer with white pine and oak. H. 28 1/4", Diam. 85 1/2" (with large leaves). (Courtesy, Telfair Museum of Art, Savannah, Georgia.)

  • Figure 29
    Figure 29

    Side chair, possibly Thomas Cook, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, ca. 1830. Curly or figured maple. H. 33", W. 19", D. 22". (Courtesy, Telfair Museum of Art, Savannah, Georgia.)

  • Figure 30
    Figure 30

    Design for a dining table in pl. 31 in Thomas Sheraton, Designs for Household Furniture (London, 1812).

  • Figure 31
    Figure 31

    Design for a dining table in pl. 8 in Richard Brown, The Rudiments of Drawing Cabinet and Upholstery Furniture (London, 1820). (Courtesy, Carswell Rush Berlin, Inc.)

  • Figure 32
    Figure 32

    Designs for “Supports for Sideboard Tables” illustrated in pl. 17 in the supplement of Thomas King, The Modern Style of Cabinet Work Exemplified (London, 1829). (Courtesy, Carswell Rush Berlin, Inc.) The center design relates to the supports of the table illustrated in fig. 28.

  • Figure 33
    Figure 33

    Richard Parkin, washstand, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1833–1840. Mahogany and mahogany veneer with white pine; marble. H. 37", W. 26", D. 20 1/2". (Courtesy, Neal Auction Company, New Orleans, La.)

  • Figure 34
    Figure 34

    Detail of the label on the washstand illustrated in fig. 33.

  • Figure 35
    Figure 35

    Carter Hall, Millwood, Virginia, 1814. 

  • Figure 36
    Figure 36

    Sofa bearing the stenciled label of Cook & Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, ca. 1830. Mahogany and mahogany veneer with unidentified secondary woods. H. 35", W. 89", D. 24 1/2". (Private collection; photo, Bob Godwin, RGB Photography, Santa Fe.) 

  • Figure 37
    Figure 37

    Wardrobe bearing the stenciled label of Cook & Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1827–1833. Mahogany and mahogany veneer with unidentified secondary woods. H. 84 1/2", W. 80 3/4", D. 23 1/4". (Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commision; photo, Richard Sexton.) This example has five stenciled labels. 

  • Figure 38
    Figure 38

    Wardrobe attributed to Cook & Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1827–1833. Mahogany, mahogany veneer, maple, and maple veneer with white pine and tulip poplar. H. 87 1/2", W. 81 1/2", D. 23". (Courtesy, Charles and Rebekah Clark, Woodbury, Connecticut; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 39
    Figure 39

    Bookcase attributed to Cook & Parkin or Richard Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1825–1835. White pine; paint. H. 102", W. 71 3/4", D. 16 1/2". (Courtesy, Carlton Hobbs, LLC, New York.) Demilune panels like those on the cornice occur on other furniture attributed to Cook & Parkin (see figs. 37, 38). The beaded Romanesque panel of the base is a larger version of that on the door of the washstand illustrated in fig. 33. The pediment is virtually identical to that of the wardrobe illustrated in fig. 38, and both designs relate to the “large library or writing-table” shown in pl. 11 in Thomas Hope, Household Furniture (1807) (fig. 9). 

  • Figure 40
    Figure 40

    Dressing table attributed to Cook & Parkin or Richard Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1829–1835. Maple and maple veneer with unrecorded secondary woods. H. 67", W. 48", D. 21 1/2". (Courtesy, Gates Antiques, Ltd., Midlothian, Virginia.) The design of this object may have been inspired by “A Toilet” illustrated in pl. 92 of Thomas King, The Modern Style of Cabinet Work Exemplified (1829). The demilune cutouts relate to the panels on the case pieces illustrated in figs. 37–39, and the large flat bosses on the mirror brackets are identical to those on the scrolls of the couch, chairs, occasional table, and sideboards illustrated in figs. 45, 51, 56, 59, and 60.

  • Figure 41
    Figure 41

    Side chair from a set of at least eleven with one bearing the label of Richard Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1834–1840. Mahogany, black walnut, and mahogany veneer with walnut. H. 32", W. 18", D. 18". (Landis Valley Farm Museum, Lancaster, Pennsylvania; photo, Gavin Ashworth.) Elements of these chairs may have been inspired by designs in several pattern books, but the overall composition is original and unlike any published chair design. The form and crest rail relate to a chair illustrated in pl. 194 in Pierre de la Mésangère, Collection de muebles et objets de goût (Paris, 1805), and the legs relate to those on chairs shown in pl. 143 in George Smith, Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Guide (London, 1828), and pl. 18 in Thomas King, The Modern Style of Cabinet Work Exemplified (1829).

  • Figure 42
    Figure 42

    Design for a library chair illustrated in pl. 7 in Richard Brown, The Rudiments of Drawing Cabinet and Upholstery Furniture (1820). (Courtesy, Carswell Rush Berlin.) The chair on the left may have been inspired by a George Bullock design as indicated by the Wilkinson Tracings (fig. 43).

  • Figure 43
    Figure 43

    Chair designs on p. 8 in “Tracings from Thomas Wilkinson from Designs of the late Mr. George Bullock, 1820.” (Courtesy, Birmingham Museums Trust.) Several sets of Philadelphia chairs have details similar to those depicted in these “tracings.” The example on the left of the second row has a back design that relates to those on chairs documented and attributed to Parkin.

  • Figure 44
    Figure 44

    Drawing depicting the entrance to George Bullock’s Grecian Rooms at Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly, London, 1812–1814. (Courtesy, Birmingham Museums Trust.)

  • Figure 45
    Figure 45

    Armchair attributed to Richard Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1833–1840. Rosewood and rosewood veneer with unrecorded secondary woods. Dimensions not recorded. (Private collection; photo, Johnny Miller.) This chair is one of three identical armchairs and six related chairs, including the example illustrated in fig. 51.

  • Figure 46
    Figure 46

    Designs for “Drawing Room and Dining Room Gothic Chairs” illustrated in pl. 143 in George Smith, Guide (1828). (Courtesy, Carswell Rush Berlin.) The chair on the left has legs similar to those on seating documented and attributed to Richard Parkin.

  • Figure 47
    Figure 47

    Design for a “Drawing Room State Chair” illustrated in pl. 58 in George Smith, Household Furniture (London, 1808). (Courtesy, Carswell Rush Berlin.)

  • Figure 48
    Figure 48

    Side chair attributed to Richard Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1834–1840. Mahogany and mahogany veneer with ash. H. 33 1/8", W. 17 3/4", D. 21 1/2". (Courtesy, Phila­delphia Museum of Art; gift of Andrew Jones and George Celio, 1996.) 

  • Figure 49
    Figure 49

    Side chair attributed to Richard Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1834–1840. Mahogany and mahogany veneer with tulip poplar. H. 33 1/2", W. 17 1/2", D. 21". (Courtesy, Yale University Art Gallery.)

  • Figure 50
    Figure 50

    Side chair attributed to Richard Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1834–1840. Mahogany, mahogany veneer, and walnut with white pine. H. 35 1/4", W. 18 1/4", D. 20 3/4". (Private collection; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 51
    Figure 51

    Side chair attributed to Richard Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1834–1840. Rosewood and rosewood veneer with ash. H. 35 1/4", W. 18 1/4", D. 20 1/2". (Private collection; photo, Gavin Ashworth.) 

  • Figure 52
    Figure 52

    Side chair attributed to Richard Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1834–1840. Rosewood and rosewood veneer with ash. H. 35 1/4", W. 18 1/4", D. 20 1/2". (Private collection; photo, Gavin Ashworth.) 

  • Figure 53
    Figure 53

    Footstool from a pair bearing the label of Richard Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1834–1840. Woods not identified. (William MacPherson Horner Jr., “Some Early Philadelphia Cabinetmakers,” Antiquarian 16, no. 3 [March 1931]: 76.) Parkin’s design is similar to that of a footstool illustrated in Rudolph Ackermann, The Repository of Arts, Literature, Commerce, and Manufactures, ser. 1, vol. 10 (October 1813): 232, pl. 25. This publication was very influential, particularly in Philadelphia.

  • Figure 54
    Figure 54

    Side chair, possibly from the shop of Richard Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1834–1840. Mahogany and mahogany veneer with ash. H. 33", W. 19", D. 20". (Courtesy, Carswell Rush Berlin, Inc.; photo, Richard Goodbody.) This chair is from a set of at least twelve seating forms. Its crest rail is related to that on the side chair illustrated in fig. 49, and its faceted legs are similar to those on the armchair illustrated in fig. 55.

  • Figure 55
    Figure 55

    Armchairs attributed to the shop of Richard Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1834–1840. Walnut and walnut veneer. Secondary woods not recorded. H. 35", W. 19 1/4", D. 16 3/4". (Private collection; photo, Johnny Miller.)

  • Figure 56
    Figure 56

    Occasional table bearing the Egyptian Hall label of Richard Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1835–1840. Mahogany and mahogany veneer with white pine. H. 29 1/2", W. 44", D. 22". (Private collection; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 57
    Figure 57

    Design for a table illustrated in pl. 12 in Thomas Hope, Household Furniture and Interior Decoration (1807). This form is referred to as an “occasional table” in Peter Nicholson and Michael Angelo Nicholson, The Practical Cabinet Maker, Upholsterer and Complete Decorator (London, 1826), George Smith, Cabinet Maker and Upholsterer’s Guide (1828), and Thomas King, The Modern Style of Cabinet Work Exemplified (1829). 

  • Figure 58
    Figure 58

    Profile of an “Antique Seat of Parian Marble in a Chapel near Rome” in Charles Heathcote Tatham, Etchings Representing the Best Examples of Ancient Ornamental Architecture; Drawn from the Originals in Rome (London, 1799). Several published designs can be traced to this etching. 

  • Figure 59
    Figure 59

    Sideboard attributed to Richard Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, ca. 1835. Rosewood and rosewood veneer with mahogany, white pine, tulip poplar, and cedrela; marble. H. 40 3/4", W. 60 1/4", D. 22". (Courtesy, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1976-17-1.)

  • Figure 60
    Figure 60

    Sideboard probably by Richard Parkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1835. Mahogany and mahogany veneer with white pine; marble. H. 43", W. 60", D. 24". (Courtesy, Rosedown Plantation Historic Site, St. Francisville, Louisiana.) Made for Rosedown Plantation and invoiced by Anthony G. Quervelle, exhibiting distinctive flat bosses.

  • Figure 61
    Figure 61

    David Bodensick, sofa table, Baltimore, Maryland, 1833. Mahogany and mahogany veneer with white pine and tulip poplar. H. 29 1/8", W. 57 3/4 (open)", D. 26". (Courtesy, Maryland Historical Society, 1990.3.) The table is inscribed, “Made by / David Bodensick From Baltimore / And Sold By Mr. Cook & Perkins / Philadelphia, PA.”