Diane C. Ehrenpreis
“Threads & Clues of it”: Thomas Jefferson’s New York Furniture

American Furniture 2023

Full Article
Contents
  • Figure 1
    Figure 1

    Thomas Jefferson, packing list, New York City, August 31, 1790. Pen and ink on paper. (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 2
    Figure 2

    Dining room at Monticello, Albemarle County, Virginia. (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Philip Beaurline.) The side chairs are attributed to Thomas Burling, New York City, 1790.

  • Figure 3
    Figure 3

    Louis-Jacques Goussier, «Layetier,» Supplément à l’Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers, vol. 5 (Paris: Chez Briasson, 1762–1772). (Courtesy the ARTFL Encyclopédie Project, University of Chicago.)

  • Figure 4
    Figure 4

    Detail showing the octagonal top of a writing table attributed to New York City cabinetmaker Thomas Burling. (Collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 5
    Figure 5

    Library at Monticello, Albemarle County, Virginia. (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.) The writing table and armchair with Thomas Jefferson’s shipping brand were likely used in this room.

  • Figure 6
    Figure 6

    Detail of Thomas Jefferson’s shipping mark branded on the arm of a chair packed and shipped from France. (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 7
    Figure 7

    John Always, side chair, New York City, ca. 1790. Tulip poplar (seat), soft maple (left rear leg), maple (medial stretcher), and hickory (center spindle and back rail). H. 35 5/8", W. 18 3/4", D. 20 1/4".(Courtesy, Winterthur Museum.)

  • Figure 8
    Figure 8

    Advertisement for Elbert Anderson, New-York Packet, February 8, 1788. (Courtesy, American Antiquarian Society.)

  • Figure 9
    Figure 9

    Elbert Anderson, secretary-andbookcase, New York City, 1786–1796. Mahogany with unidentified secondary woods. H. 88 7/8", W. 49 3/4", D. 24 1/4". (Courtesy, Christie’s.)

  • Figure 10
    Figure 10

    Detail of the label on the secretary-and-bookcase illustrated in fig. 9 (Courtesy, Christie’s).

  • Figure 11
    Figure 11

    Elbert Anderson, armchair, New York City, 1790–1800. Mahogany with beech and maple. H. 36 3/8", W. 21", D. 19 7/8". (Courtesy, Winterthur Museum.) This chair is part of a large set ordered by Alexander and Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton.

  • Figure 12
    Figure 12

    Armchair, attributed to Elbert Anderson, New York City, 1790. Mahogany with hackberry or elm. H. 37 3/4", W. 21 3/4", D. 18 1/4". (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 13
    Figure 13

    Design for “Chairs” illustrated on pl. 9 in George Hepplewhite’s Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Guide (1788). (Courtesy, Winterthur Museum.)

  • Figure 14
    Figure 14

    Armchair attributed to Thomas Burling, New York City, ca. 1790. Mahogany with oak. H. 40", W. 28", D. 17". (Courtesy, Division of Cultural and Community Life, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.)

  • Figure 15
    Figure 15

    Alexander Anderson to Charles Thomson, invoice dated February 2, 1786. Ink on paper. (Courtesy, Historical Society of Pennsylvania.)

  • Figure 16
    Figure 16

    Label of Samuel Prince, New York City, ca. 1765–1775. Ink on paper. (Courtesy, Levy Galleries, New York.

  • Figure 17
    Figure 17

    Advertisement for John Sheybli, New-York Gazette and Weekly Mercury, October 10, 1774. (Courtesy, American Antiquarian Society.)

  • Figure 18
    Figure 18

    Advertisement for Thomas Burling, Rivington’s New-York Gazetteer, March 16, 1775. (Courtesy, American Antiquarian Society.)

  • Figure 19
    Figure 19

    Advertisement for Thomas Burling, Daily Advertiser, Political, Historical and Commercial (New York), November 16, 1786. (Courtesy, NewsBank/Readex.)

  • Figure 20
    Figure 20

    Denis-Louis Ancellet, table à la tronchin, Paris, ca. 1780. Mahogany with oak. H. 27 1/4" (closed), W. 34", D. 23". (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 21
    Figure 21

    Table, possibly by Jacques Upton, Paris, ca. 1785–1789. Mahogany, oak, marble. H. 29 1/2", W. 30 3/8", D. 29". (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.) This table is one of a pair.

  • Figure 22
    Figure 22

    Samuel Tilt, universal table, London, 1790. Mahogany, oak, brass. H. 27", W. 36", D. 29 1/2". (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 23
    Figure 23

    Design for “Duchesse” illustrated on pl. 28 in George Hepplewhite’s Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Guide (1788). (Courtesy, Winterthur Museum.)

  • Figure 24
    Figure 24

    Harrison Higgins Jr., sideboard, Richmond, Virginia, 2009. Mahogany. H. 37",W. 60", D. 23 1/2". (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 25
    Figure 25

    Thomas Burling, sideboard, New York, ca. 1790. Mahogany with unidentified secondary woods. H. 38 1/4", W. 64 1/4", D. 26 3/4". (Courtesy, Sotheby’s.)

  • Figure 26
    Figure 26

    Label of Thomas Burling, New York City, ca. 1786–1793. Engraving on paper.(Courtesy, Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, Old Salem Museum and Gardens, WinstonSalem, North Carolina.)

  • Figure 27
    Figure 27

    Thomas Burling, side chair, New York City, 1790. Mahogany with oak. H. 36", W. 20 1/2", D. 16 1/2". (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo; F. Carey Howlett.)

  • Figure 28
    Figure 28

    Pembroke table, attributed to James Dinsmore and John Hemmings, Monticello, Albemarle County, Virginia, 1807. Mahogany with yellow pine and cherry. H. 27 7/8", W. 26 1/8", D. 26 7/8". (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 29
    Figure 29

    Writing table, attributed to the joiner’s shop, Monticello, Albemarle County, Virginia, ca. 1798. Mahogany. H. 29 1/2", W. 37 1/4", D. 29 7/8". (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.) The base of this table may have been made in Thomas Burling’s workshop.

  • Figure 30
    Figure 30

    Upper section of a reading stand, attributed to Thomas Burling, New York City, 1790. Walnut. Dimensions closed: H. 11", W. 13 3/4", D. 14 1/4". (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.) The tripod base is modern.

  • Figure 31
    Figure 31

    Reading stand illustrated in fig. 30, opened. (Photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 32
    Figure 32

    David Roentgen, table à la tronchin, Neuweid or Paris, 1780–1795. Mahogany, mahogany veneer, walnut, and cherry, with oak and pine; bronze, brass, iron, and steel. H. 31 7/8", W. 44 1/8", D. 27 1/2". (Courtesy, Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution.)

  • Figure 33
    Figure 33

    Detail of a detachable leg on a game table, attributed to David Roentgen, Neuweid or Paris, 1780–1783. (Courtesy, Metropolitan Museum of Art.)

  • Figure 34
    Figure 34

    David Roentgen, bureau a cylinder and fauteuil de bureau at Chatsworth House, Neuweid or Paris, 1783–1784. Unidentified wood, mahogany, gilt bronze, leather. (Reproduced by permission of Chatsworth Settlement Trustees/Bridgeman Images.)

  • Figure 35
    Figure 35

    Thomas Burling, cylinder desk, New York City, 1789. Mahogany, mahogany veneer with pine, and maple. H. 66", W. 62”, D. 35". (Courtesy, Atwater Kent Collection at Drexel University, The Historical Society of Pennsylvania Collection; photo, Robert C. Lautman.) The replacement legs are shorter than the originals.

  • Figure 36
    Figure 36

    Design for a “Tambour Writing Table and Bookcase” illustrated on plate 69 of George Hepplewhite’s Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Guide (1788). (Courtesy, Winterthur Museum.)

  • Figure 37
    Figure 37

    Standing desk, probably Williamsburg, Virginia, ca. 1770. Mahogany with yellow pine. H. 45 7/8", W. 36", D. 23". (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 38
    Figure 38

    Harrison Higgins Jr., tambour writing table and bookcase, Richmond, Virginia, 2017. Mahogany and mahogany veneer with tulip poplar. H. 91 15/16", W. 44 1/4", D. 24". (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.) This piece is modeled on an example from Thomas Burling’s shop.

  • Figure 39
    Figure 39

    Robert R. Self, pair of dining tables from a set of seven, Albemarle County, Virginia, 1992. Mahogany with oak. Dimensions of pair closed: H. 29", W. 52", D. 4 3/8". (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.) These tables, copies of the originals which are privately owned, have elliptical leaves, indicating they are end sections. Five rectangular sections could be introduced to make a larger table.

  • Figure 40
    Figure 40

    Thomas Jefferson, “Notes on a Tour through Holland and the Rhine Valley,” 1788. Ink on paper. (Courtesy, Thomas Jefferson Papers, Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.)

  • Figure 41
    Figure 41

    Thomas Burling, revolving armchair, New York City, 1790. Mahogany and mahogany veneer with ash; iron and brass. H. 48", W. 25 7/8", D. 31". (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 42
    Figure 42

    “250th Anniversary of New York City is also the 100th Anniversary of City Hall—Historic Relics which the Old Building Contains,” New York Tribune Illustrated Supplement, May 24, 1903. (Courtesy, Library of Congress.) The speaker’s or vice president’s chair was made by Thomas Burling in 1789.

  • Figure 43
    Figure 43

    Cabinet, Monticello, Albemarle County, Virginia. (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.) Burling’s shop made the revolving armchair, revolving stand, sofa, and possibly the frame of the revolving writing table.

  • Figure 44
    Figure 44

    Thomas Burling, writing table, New York City, 1790. Mahogany with tulip poplar. H. 28 3/4", W. 33 1/4", D. 33 1/2". (Collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 45
    Figure 45

    Detail showing the construction and drawers of the writing table illustrated in fig. 44.

  • Figure 46
    Figure 46

    Thomas Burling, sofa, New York City, 1790. Mahogany and mahogany veneer with poplar. H. 38 1/2", W. 57 1/4", D. 27 1/2". (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 47
    Figure 47

    Design for a “Sopha orné de sculpture et totalment fini” illustrated in Richard de La Londe, Oeuvre diverses de LaLonde (1776–1788.), 2: ch. 7. (Courtesy, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.)

  • Figure 48
    Figure 48

    Advertisement for “Richard Kip Jr. Upholsterer,” New York City, ca. 1770. (Courtesy, New York Public Library.)

  • Figure 49
    Figure 49

    Windsor armchair, retailed by Richard Kip Jr., New York City, 1786–1790. (Private collection; photo, Winterthur Museum.) Remnants of Kip’s label appear under the seat.

  • Figure 50
    Figure 50

    Anne-Marguerite-Henriette Hyde de Neuville, Corner of Greenwich, New York City, 1810. Pen, ink, and watercolor on paper. 7 5/16" x 13". (Courtesy, New York Public Library.)

  • Figure 51
    Figure 51

    Detail of fig. 50, showing a three-bay house with a side passage like the one shown in Jefferson’s house plan in fig. 52.

  • Figure 52
    Figure 52

    Thomas Jefferson, plan of the first and second floors of 57 Maiden Lane, New York City, 1790. Ink on paper. 9 1/8" x 11 15/16". (Collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society.)

  • Figure 53
    Figure 53

    Advertisement for Ignatius Shnydore, Daily Advertiser, Political, Historical and Commercial (New York), October 5, 1789. (Courtesy, NewsBank/Readex.) Shnydore identifies fresco painting as one of his talents.

  • Figure 54
    Figure 54

    Two Figures in Roman Costume on Stage at the John Street Theater, New York City, ca. 1800–1850. Wood engraving. Ink on paper. 5 1/2" x 7 1/4". (Courtesy, New York Public Library.) This is a view of a classical play staged ca. 1791. The backdrop may be a representation of Shnydore’s perspective painting.

  • Figure 55
    Figure 55

    Library at Monticello, Albemarle County, Virginia. (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.) Jefferson installed the New York furniture in his private suite.

  • Figure 56
    Figure 56

    Mather Brown, Thomas Jefferson, London, 1786. Oil on canvas. 36" x 28". (Courtesy, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.) This painting portrays Jefferson when serving as minister to France.

  • Figure 57
    Figure 57

    John Trumbull, Alexander Hamilton, New York, 1792. Oil on canvas. 30" x 23 13/16“. (Courtesy, National Gallery of Art.)

  • Figure 58
    Figure 58

    Jane Braddick Petticolas, View of the West Front of Monticello and Gardens, Virginia, 1825. Watercolor on paper. 13 5/8" x 18 1/8". (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello.) This presents an idealized view of life at Monticello during the final years of Jefferson’s life.

  • Figure 59
    Figure 59

    Parlor at Monticello, Albemarle County, Virginia. (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 60
    Figure 60

    Dining room at Monticello, Albemarle County, Virginia. (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 61
    Figure 61

    Alcove of the dining room illustrated in fig. 60. (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 62
    Figure 62

    Cornelia Jefferson Randolph, “Plan of the First Floor of Monticello,” ca. 1826. Ink on paper. 8 1/4" x 13". (Courtesy, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia.) This detail shows how the console, sideboard (no. 11), and dining tables (no. 16) were stored in the dining room alcove.

  • Figure 63
    Figure 63

    Harrison Higgins Jr., reproduction of a French console table. Richmond, Virginia, 2009. White pine with poplar. H. 34 1/2", W. 50", D. 20". (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)

  • Figure 64
    Figure 64

    Cornelia Jefferson Randolph, “Plan of the First Floor of Monticello,” ca. 1826. Ink on paper. 8 1/4" x 13". (Courtesy, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia.) This detail shows the original location of the octagonal writing table surmounted by the square pupitre as well as the overall arrangement of Jefferson’s private suite. The sofa attributed to Burling is no. 25 on the plan, situated in the cabinet.

  • Figure 65
    Figure 65

    Thomas Jefferson, “Design for a Desk,” Paris, ca. 1785. Pen and ink on paper. 4 1/2" x 6". (Courtesy, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia.) This is Jefferson’s commission drawing and notes for his pupitre, used to record and store correspondence.

  • Figure 66
    Figure 66

    Harrison Higgins Jr., reproduction pupitre, Richmond, Virginia, 2017. Mahogany with tulip poplar. H. 22 3/8", W. 20", D. 20". (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.) The original object has not been located.

  • Figure 67
    Figure 67

    John Neilson, “Plan of Poplar Forest,” Bedford County, Virginia, 1819. India ink on hand-ruled graph paper. 11 1/2" x 9". (Courtesy, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia.)

  • Figure 68
    Figure 68

    Revolving table, attributed to John Hemmings, Monticello, Albemarle County, Virginia, ca. 1815. Cherry and walnut with yellow pine. H. 28 1/2", D. 35 3/4". The top features an inlaid square in contrasting wood. (©Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello; photo, Gavin Ashworth.)