Philip Zea
Diversity and Regionalism in Rural New England

American Furniture 1995

Full Article
Contents
  • Figure 1
    Figure 1

    Chest-on-chest-on-frame attributed to Elisha DeWolf Jr. (1772–1855), inscribed for “L.[ucy] D.[eWolf] Allis,” Conway or Ashfield, Massachusetts, ca. 1800. Cherry with white pine. H. 85", W. 40", D. 22 1/2". (Courtesy, Historic Deerfield, Inc.; photo, Amanda Merullo.) The style of furniture made in New York during the last quarter of the eighteenth century was fashionable in the Connecticut River Valley, where this cabinetmaker reoriented the concept of a gadrooned base molding to serve as a mid-molding between the two cases. www.historic-deerfield.org

  • Figure 2
    Figure 2

    Chest-on-chest attributed to Daniel Clay (1770–1848), Greenfield, Massachusetts, 1792–1800. Cherry with yellow poplar. H. 74", W. 45", D. 18 3/4". (Courtesy, Historic Deerfield, Inc., bequest of Rowena Russell Potter; photo, Helga Studio.) www.historic-deerfield.org

  • Figure 3
    Figure 3

    Chest of drawers inscribed “Made in the Year 1800, By Mr. John Cardwill for Mr. Willis Griswold of Middletown In Vermont.” Cherry with white pine. H. 38 1/2", W. 38 1/2", D. 19". (©Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vermont, www.shelburnemuseum.org)

  • Figure 4
    Figure 4

    Card table, probably Rutland, Vermont, 1805–1815. Cherry and mahogany veneer with white pine, yellow poplar, and yellow birch. H. 27 7/8", W. 36 5/16", D. 17 3/16" [closed]. (Courtesy, Bennington Museum; photo, Ken Burris.) Card tables with five legs were especially popular in New York City and the Hudson Valley, and they influenced design in western Vermont.

  • Figure 5
    Figure 5

    Chest with two drawers, Shaftsbury, Vermont, ca. 1825. Painted white pine. H. 41", W. 41 1/8", D. 19 1/4". (Courtesy, Bennington Museum; photo, Blake Gardner.) The Matteson family of carpenters and ornamental painters have been credited with producing this type of furniture, which was made throughout northern New England.

  • Figure 6
    Figure 6

    Secretary made by Anthony Van Doorn (1792–1871), Brattleboro, Vermont, 1836–1847. Mahogany and mahogany veneer with yellow poplar, basswood, and white pine. H. 55 3/8", W. 45", D. 22 3/4". (Courtesy, Historic Deerfield, Inc., gift of Dr. and Mrs. Gary Russolillo; photo, Amanda Merullo.) www.historic-deerfield.org

  • Figure 7
    Figure 7

    Side chair attributed to John Gaines II or Thomas Gaines I, Ipswich, Massachusetts, 1720–1745. Maple and white pine. H. 46", W. 18 1/4". (Courtesy, John Whipple House, Ipswich Historical Society, Ipswich, MA; photo, Richard Cheek.) The chair descended in the Appleton family of Ipswich.

  • Figure 8
    Figure 8 Chest of drawers inscribed “Alden Spooner Athol,” Athol, Massachusetts, ca. 1810. Cherry and mahogany, birch, and maple veneers with white pine. H. 42 1/2", W. 40", D. 21 1/4". (Courtesy, Historic Deerfield, Inc., photo, Amanda Merullo.) www.historic-deerfield.org
  • Figure 9
    Figure 9 Sideboard made by Michael Carleton, Haverhill, New Hampshire, ca. 1815. Cherry; cherry, maple, mahogany, and birch veneers; and whitewood inlay with white pine. H. 38 1/2", W. 43", D. 20 1/2". (Courtesy, New Hampshire Historical Society; photo, Bill Finney.) www.nhhistory.org
  • Figure 10
    Figure 10 Chest of drawers made by Horace Ellis, Newport, New Hampshire, 1832. Mahogany and mahogany veneer with white pine and basswood. H. 57 1/8", W. 47 1/8", D. 22 1/2". (Courtesy, New Hampshire Historical Society; photo, Bill Finney.) www.nhhistory.org
  • Figure 11
    Figure 11 Dressing table made by Martin Bullock, Newport, New Hampshire, ca. 1835. Painted white pine and maple. H. 38 3/4", W. 32 3/8", D. 16 1/2". (Courtesy, New Hampshire Historical Society; photo, Bill Finney.) www.nhhistory.org
  • Figure 12
    Figure 12

    Chest of drawers with Thomas Giddings family register engraved in marble, Hartland, Connecticut area, 1812–1818. Cherry and marble with yellow poplar. H. 39", W. 43 3/8", D. 24 1/8". (©Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vermont, www.shelburnemuseum.org, photo, Ken Burris.)

  • Figure 13
    Figure 13

    Chest of drawers made by Erastus Grant, Westfield, Massachusetts, 1799; inscribed “E Grant/Oct 11 1799,” “Grant/Novr 2, 1799,” and “E Grant Cabinet Maker.” Cherry, cherry veneer, and whitewood stringing with yellow poplar and white pine. H. 35", W. 43 1/4", D. 23 1/2". (Courtesy, Historic Deerfield, Inc., Mr. and Mrs. Hugh B. Vanderbilt Fund for Curatorial Acquisitions; photo, Amanda Merullo.)

  • Figure 14
    Figure 14 Tall clock case attributed to Major John Dunlap, Bedford, New Hampshire; movement by Jonathan Mulliken II (1746–1782), Newburyport, Massachusetts, 1780–1792. Cherry and whitewood stringing with white pine. H. 88 1/2", W. 22 1/2", D. 11 1/4". (Courtesy, Mead Art Gallery, Amherst College.) The deaths of Jonathan Mulliken in 1782 and of John Dunlap ten years later help to determine the date of the clock’s manufacture. The clock descended in Dunlap’s family until the 1930s and is probably the “House Clock 14 £” listed in his probate inventory.
  • Figure 15
    Figure 15 Tall clock made by Benjamin Cheney Jr. and inscribed “B. Cheney/Hartford” (on dial), East Hartford, Connecticut, ca. 1790. White pine with oak, cherry, maple, pine, iron, steel, and brass. H. 88 1/4", W. 20 1/2", D. 13". (Courtesy, Historic Deerfield, Inc.; photo, Amanda Merullo.)
  • Figure 16
    Figure 16 Clock movement made by Benjamin Cheney Jr., East Hartford, Connecticut, ca. 1790. Oak, cherry, maple, pine, iron, steel, and brass. H. 17 1/4", W. 13 1/2", D. 9". (Courtesy, Historic Deer€eld, Inc.; photo, Amanda Merullo.)
  • Figure 17
    Figure 17

    Chest of drawers, New England, ca. 1810. (a) Front and (b) back views. White pine. H. 39 1/4", W. 36 3/4", D. 181/4". (©Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vermont. www.shelburnemuseum.org; photo, Ken Burris.)

  • Figure 18
    Figure 18 Desk, northeastern United States, 1825–1875. White pine. H. 46 1/4", W. 40", D. 12". (©Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vermont, www.shelburnemuseum.org; photo, Ken Burris.)
  • Figure 19
    Figure 19

    Secretary made by William Lloyd and Luther Bliss, Springfield, Massachusetts, 1804. Cherry, mahogany veneer, and whitewood inlay with white pine. H. 70 1/8", W. 36 1/4", D. 18 1/8". (Private collection; photo, David Stansbury.)

  • Figure 20
    Figure 20

    Chest of drawers made by Stephen Tracy, branded “S.TRACY” and stamped “EADAMS [reversed S],” Lisbon, Connecticut, or Cornish, New Hampshire, ca. 1806. Cherry with white pine. H. 34 7/8", W. 39 3/8", D. 20 3/4". (Courtesy, Historic Deerfield, Inc., Mr. and Mrs. Hugh B. Vanderbilt Fund for Curatorial Acquisitions; photo, Amanda Merullo.) www.historic-deerfield.org

  • Figure 21
    Figure 21

    Side chair, Canterbury, New Hampshire, 1875–1900. Oak. H. 32 1/2", W. 17 3/4", D. 16 3/4". (Collection of Shaker Village, Inc., Canterbury; photo, Bill Finney, courtesy, New Hampshire Historical Society.)

  • Figure 22
    Figure 22

    Armchair, Massachusetts, ca. 1780 and ca. 1825. Cherry with pine. H. 38 1/4", W. 22, D. 23 1/4". (Courtesy, Historic Deerfield, Inc., gift of H. William Strong Jr.; photo, Amanda Merullo.) historic-deerfield.org

  • Figure 23
    Figure 23

    High chest of drawers, Windsor or East Windsor, Connecticut, 1736. Maple with yellow pine. H. 59", W. 41 3/8", D. 22". (Courtesy, Winterthur Museum.)

  • Figure 24
    Figure 24 Dressing table, Windsor or East Windsor, Connecticut, ca. 1735. Materials not recorded. H. 29", W. 38 1/4", D. 24 1/4". (©Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vermont, www.shelburnemuseum.org; photo, Ken Burris.)
  • Figure 25
    Figure 25

    Tall clock made by Jonathan Blasdel Jr. (1709–1802), East Kingston, New Hampshire, 1768. Maple with white pine. H. 81 1/2", W. 17 1/2", D. 10". (Courtesy, New Hampshire Antiquarian Society; photo, Bill Finney.)

  • Figure 26
    Figure 26

    Side chair, Portsmouth, New Hampshire area, 1740–1790. Maple. H. 41 1/2", W. 15 3/4", D. 13". (Courtesy, Historic Deerfield, Inc.; photo, Helga Photo Studio.) www.historic-deerfield.org

  • Figure 27
    Figure 27

    High chest of drawers made by William Houston and J. Miller in the shop of Major John Dunlap, Bedford, New Hampshire, 1780. Maple with white pine. H. 83 1/4", W. 41 7/8", D. 201 5/16". (Courtesy, Winterthur Museum.) The chest is inscribed “Wllm Houston” and “J Miller 1780.”

  • Figure 28
    Figure 28

    Chest of drawers “Made by G [eorge] Stedman/ Norwich/ Vt,” 1816–1822. Cherry, mahogany veneer, and whitewood inlays with white pine. H. 34 7/8", W. 41 3/4", D. 20 1/8". (Courtesy, Winterthur Museum.)

  • Figure 29
    Figure 29

    Chest, Windsor, Connecticut, ca. 1650. White oak. H. 23 3/4", W. 54", D. 23". (Courtesy, Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Memorial Hall Museum, Deerfield, Massachusetts, gift of Mrs. Catherine W. Hoyt; photo, Helga Studio.) The legs and lid are lost.

  • Figure 30
    Figure 30

    Chest with drawer, inscribed “RA,” Hadley or Hatfield, Massachusetts, ca. 1700. Red oak with yellow pine. H. 34", W. 47 1/4", D. 20 1/2". (Courtesy, Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Memorial Hall Museum, Deerfield, Massachusetts, gift of Chester Graves Crafts; photo, Amanda Merullo.)

  • Figure 31
    Figure 31

    Chest of drawers, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, ca. 1725. Maple and yellow poplar with yellow and white pine. H. 48 3/4", W. 43 1/2", D. 19 1/8". (Courtesy, Historic Deerfield, Inc., Mr. and Mrs. Hugh B. Vanderbilt Fund for Curatorial Acquisitions; photo, Amanda Merullo.) historic-deerfield.org

  • Figure 32
    Figure 32

    Desk-and-bookcase, Boston, 1770–1788. Mahogany with white pine. H. 97", W. 46 3/4", D. 23 3/4". (Courtesy, Springfield Science Museum, gift of Edward A. Andrews.)

  • Figure 33
    Figure 33

    Dressing table, Wethersfield, Connecticut, 1745–1760. Sycamore with white pine. H. 27 1/2", W. 33 1/2", D. 23 1/2". (Courtesy, The Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, Connecticut; gift of George Dudley Seymour.)

  • Figure 34
    Figure 34

    High chest of drawers attributed to Eliphalet Chapin and/or Aaron Chapin, East Windsor, Connecticut, ca. 1785. Cherry with white pine. H. 87 1/8", W. 40 1/4", D. 20 1/4". (Courtesy, Winterthur Museum.)

  • Figure 35
    Figure 35

    High chest of drawers attributed to Eliakim Smith, Hadley, Massachusetts, ca. 1770. Cherry with white pine. H. 89 3/4", W. 39 15/16", D. 20 3/8". (Courtesy, Historic Deerfield, Inc.; photo, Amanda Merullo.) www.historic-deerfield.org

  • Figure 36
    Figure 36

    Side chair, East Windsor area, Connecticut, 1770–1790. Cherry and ash. H. 42", W. 19 3/8", D. 13 7/8". (Private collection; photo, John Giamatteo.)

  • Figure 37
    Figure 37

    Chest of drawers made by Thomas Bliss and John W. Horswill, Charlestown, New Hampshire, 1798. Cherry with white pine. H. 35", W. 41 1/8", D. 21". (Private collection.)

  • Figure 38
    Figure 38 Easy chair made by Thomas Bliss and John W. Horswill, Charlestown, New Hampshire, 1798. Mahogany and whitewood inlay with oak, maple, and white pine. H. 47 1/8", W. 32 3/4", D. 30 1/4" (Courtesy, New Hampshire Historical Society; photo, Bill Finney.) www.nhhistory.org
  • Figure 39
    Figure 39

    Doorway, probably made by Samuel Partridge (1730–1809) for Elijah Williams, Deerfield, Massachusetts, 1760. White pine. (Photo, Amanda Merullo).
     

  • Figure 40
    Figure 40

    Chimneypiece (ca. 1760) in the south parlor, Sheldon-Hawks house, Deerfield, Massachusetts, ca. 1735. White pine. (Courtesy, Historic Deerfield, Inc.; photo, Amanda Merullo.) www.historic-deerfield.org

  • Figure 41
    Figure 41

    Ralph Earl, Elijah Boardman, New Milford, Connecticut, 1789. Oil on canvas. 83" x 51". (Courtesy, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bequest of Susan W. Tyler, acc. 1979.395) All rights reserved, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

  • Figure 42
    Figure 42

    Ralph Earl, House and Store of Elijah Boardman, New Milford, Connecticut, ca. 1796. Oil on canvas. 48" x 54 1/4". (Courtesy, Wadsworth Atheneum.)

  • Figure 43
    Figure 43

    Side chair attributed to the Chapin workshops, Hartford County, Connecticut, ca. 1800. Cherry with white pine. H. 38 1/2", W. 19 1/2", D. 15". (Courtesy, Historic Deerfield, Inc.; photo, Helga Studio.) www.historic-deerfield.org

  • Figure 44
    Figure 44

    Desk-and-bookcase, Woodbury, Connecticut, 1770–1800. Cherry with white pine. H. 96", W. 40", D. 21 5/8". (Courtesy, Winterthur Museum.)

  • Figure 45
    Figure 45 High chest of drawers and dressing table, Hatfield, Massachusetts, area, ca. 1765. Cherry and yellow birch with yellow and white pine. H. 80 3/4", W. 38 3/4", D. 20 1/2"; H. 29", W. 36", D. 24 1/2". (Courtesy, Historic Deerfield, Inc.; photo, Amanda Merullo.) The high chest of drawers and dressing table were made for John and Content Little Hastings, who were married in 1764. www.historic-deerfield.org
  • Figure 46
    Figure 46 Chest-on-chest-on-frame made by Jonathan Smith Jr. for Simon and Lydia Batchelder DeWolf, Conway, Massachusetts, 1803. Cherry with white pine. H. 83 1/2", W. 37 1/2", D. 23 1/4". (Courtesy, Historic Deerfield, Inc.; photo, Amanda Merullo.) www.historic-deerfield.org
  • Figure 47
    Figure 47 High chest of drawers, southern Hartford County, Connecticut, ca. 1785. Mahogany and mahogany veneer with white pine. H. 88 1/2", W. 44 1/2", D. 24 1/4". (Courtesy, Historic Deerfield, Inc., Mr. and Mrs. Hugh B. Vanderbilt Fund for Curatorial Acquisitions; photo, John Giammatteo.) www.historic-deerfield.org
  • Figure 48
    Figure 48

    Desk-on-frame, southern Hartford County, Connecticut, ca. 1785. Mahogany with white pine and yellow poplar. H. 44", W. 40", D. 21". (Courtesy, Yale University Art Gallery, gift of C. Sanford Bull, B.A. 1893)

  • Figure 49
    Figure 49

    Chimney breast made by Joseph Griswald, Buckland, Massachusetts, 1818. White pine. (Photo, Amanda Merullo.)