Archive for October, 2008

We currently have some really outstanding cupboards and wardrobes here at Leonards New England. If you are considering adding to your collection, please check our website to see the wide array we have to offer, many of them at great prices just in time for the holidays!

Just a few are pictured here…

Welsh Dresser in Oak CA 1790-1810

Open shelving and a distinctive rich finish give this Welsh Dresser in Oak a great presence in the room. Ivory escutcheons are found on all of the drawer fronts.Round wooden pulls adorn the generous drawers. Three shelves allow for display of dishes, serving pieces. Originally priced at $18,500, this cupboard is offered at $14,500.

Stunning matched Yew Wood makes this tall French cupboard an impressive piece. This would work well in a large bedroom for storage of clothing or linens or perhaps to house a flat screen tv in your living or family room. Originally priced at $5,500, this wardrobe is offered at $3,850.

French Wardrobe in Yew Wood CA 1840

A handsome French Oak buffet - the upper section has a molded cornice above a decorative, carved frieze of fruit, floral bouquets, swags and tassels. Originally offered at $14,000, this buffet is offered at $8,400.

In these days of United Airlines whisking some 350 passengers at nearly 700 mph through the Doldrums and over the Sargasso Sea, we find it hard to understand how precious sea chests could be afloat. For the captains and some of their officers, chests were the private corner in the enforced intimacy of shipboard life. Whalers could be at sea three years running, clipper ships a shorter, but more hectic time. For these lonely men, sea chests were where secrets were stored and kept safe. Practical things like sail charts and signal flag identification are also found inside the lids.

Canted Chests

Dovetailed Sea Chest in Pine from early 1800's

Many chests started out their long years afloat as elaborate packing cases to carry fragile silks, scrolls, and other precious trade items back home from the China Trade. The earlier ones were made in a trapezoidal shape with the sides slanting up to the lip. This allowed custom officials to easily open the top, as it lay stowed away against the ship’s hull. The braided rope handles at each end, called “beckets”, were sturdy and easy to grasp when loading a chest from the heaving dory alongside the ship.

China Trade Camphor Wood Box from early 1800's

Camphor Wood Boxes

Camphor wood was the lumber of choice for sea chests after 1800 because it was plentiful in the Orient. A tall, evergreen tree  with smooth, greenish bark, it was heavily branched, creating numerous knots where the tree’s distinct odor was strongest. The camphor fragrance, which can still be detected in these chests, was believe to repel insects harmful to the silks stored inside. Cedar, now well known for its moth-repellent characteristics, replaced camphor wood in the 1890’s. Camphor wood yields a lush grain pattern, accentuated when finished in a golden honey color. Gradually, the chests became more sophisticated with features such as false bottoms for smuggling and bell alarms that rang when the key was turned in the lock on the chest.

Campaign Chests

China Trade Camphor Box with Double Locks from the early 1800's

Around the 1850’s, the military chest came into vogue, with campaign brass handles that folded flush to avoid being damaged. Brass-bound at the corners, and still dovetailed, they often carried double locks. Many had special drawers, some concealed. Usually made to individual order and lavishly crafted, they were cherished possessions from the start.

Dome Top Trunks

As public transportation became more available, early travelers quickly learned baggage could suffer from handling at the Wells Fargo Depot in Dodge City as much as at a modern day airport. Heavy trunks could be set down onto your personal luggage with the same results we see today. The dome top case was developed because its rounded shape made it difficult to put crates on top of it. An excellent example of a dome top trunk at Leonard’s is lined with the “Republican Standard”, dated March 7, 1861, only 4 days after Lincoln’s inaugural address.

From early sea chests to dome top trunks, the needs of the traveler were being met.

We are constantly asked how to make a rope foundation on which to put a mattress. It’s a bit complex, but basically you need good rope and a strong twist.

The rope that was widely used in the 18^th and 19^th centuries was made from a plant called hemp. It gave the tightest weave and lasted the longest without loosening. Unfortunately, certain people found that if you smoked this curious plant from India, you really worried less about how up tight either you or the bed were. Eventually, the importation of this plant became illegal. Today, rope is available in natural or synthetic fibers. We prefer natural fiber rope for both its pliability and its authentic appearance.

After making a knot in one end of the rope, you start with the holes in the cross rails, weaving back and forth, parallel to the side rails. To put it another way, you go from head to foot lengthwise up and down the bed. Then, continue from one corner and go across, weaving the rope at right angles this time between each of the lengthwise strands you just did. About now you wish you could use hemp.

Next, find something called a bed “key”, which is a “T” shaped stick, approximately 12 inches long, with a notch in one end. By putting the notch in between the rope and the rail and turning, the rope becomes tight. You then wedge a pin in the hole through which the tightened rope goes, so it won’t go slack again when you move the key to the next rope. You repeat this until all the strands are tight (and FORBID the kids to jump on the bed). The trick is to make the final tie-off knot without loosening the rope. Hence, the old saying “sleep tight”.

One word of caution: If you get over-enthusiastic about tightening the ropes, you may warp the bed frame.