An Antiques Book Preview - September 1965

By Charles F. Montgomery, Senior research fellow, Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum

SWEEPING CHANGES in American cabinetmaking and furniture styles closely parallel the emergence and coalescence of the thirteen American colonies into one nation. As self-reliant individuals and as craftsmen able to turn their hands to any task, some cabinetmakers, such as Stephen Badlam, held important posts as leaders in the Revolutionary Army; others, including David Evans, made tents and a hundred other necessities for the American forces. After the peace, and during the forty years now generally called the Federal era, the United States, still primarily an agricultural country, became increasingly concerned with manufacturing, commerce, and trade. American cabinetmakers were quick to take advantage of the opportunities in this time of growth and expansion as new markets for new products were created.

The first intimation of the stylistic changes that were about to occur in American furniture is found in the small desk upon which Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The line inlay in this small writing box (now in the Smithsonian Institution) made by Benjamin Randolph in Philadelphia was a harbinger of the neoclassical styles that became current almost immediately after the adoption of the Federal Constitution in 1788. The new nation was receptive to new ideas. Chippendale furniture was now old-fashioned in London (still the fashion capital for America), as clearly set forth by Archibald Alison in his Essays on the Nature and Principles of Taste (1790):

Strong and Massy Furniture is everywhere vulgar and unpleasing.

Some years ago every article of furniture was made in what was called the Chinese Taste … To this succeeded the Gothic Taste . . . The Taste which now reigns is that of the Antique. Everything we now use, is made in imitation of those models which have been lately discovered in Italy.

This was the result of the revolution in taste set in motion in the 1760’s by Robert Adam and his brothers whose innovations and designs incorporating classical ornament and emphasizing linear relationships had a pro¬found effeot upon architecture and every art and craft in England after about 1770. Although old forms lingered on, new patterns appeared each year thereafter in Lon¬don cabinet shops. Usually these were known in the trade by the names of their craftsmen inventors, such as “Buckley’s pattern” and “Curwen’s pattern.” Although to the public in this country and apparently in London the styles were anonymous, they were summarized and illustrated in The London Cabinet-Makers’ Book of Prices (for workmanship) and Hepplewhite’s The Cabinet¬Maker and Upholsterer’s Guide. Both were published in 1788! These two books and those of Thomas Sheraton published slightly later gave currency to the new styles in the United States. The book of prices, which appears to have been widely used, listed rates of pay for making all standard furniture forms with innumerable optional details. They thus provided the fundamentals of form and ornament with wide latitude” for individual interpretation. When in the 1790’s American price books incorporating demands for higher rates were published, the idea of Federal strength through union was not forgotten by the workmen. Imbued with the idea of freedom, the journeymen’s societies, really unions, appealed to their fellows in other cities and other crafts for support. In New York they even modeled their plea on the Declaration of Independence.

It is not easy to find a satisfactory name for these anonymous fashions in furniture which evolved for the most part in the shops of the cabinetmakers. As a result of the publications associated with the names of George and Alice Hepplewhite and Thomas Sheraton, the name of Hepplewhite has often been applied to the delicate inlaid and carved furniture with essentially linear forms of the 1780’s and the early 1790’s, and the name of Sheraton has been used to designate furniture first made about 1790, often employing turned or reeded supports and frequently with bowed (elliptic) and/ or hollowed fades. However, these names are confusing because there is considerable overlap in the styles associated with the two men-as would be expected since their books were issued at approximately the same time, and if, as I strongly suspect, both men were primarily reporters rather than creators of original styles. Unquestionably their books played an important part in the dissemination of London fashions, but I doubt that many of them were original to either Hepplewhite or Sheraton. This is a question that deserves a great deal of further study.

In the catalog of American Furniture: The Federal Period (1788-1825) I have adopted whenever possible the names actually used by the cabinetmakers themselves, and have attempted to approximate the actual dates of manufacture for each piece. I believe that the term “Federal furniture” is appropriate for these pieces. In Philadelphia, and perhaps elsewhere, furniture was made by the Federal Society of Cabinetmakers, and many pieces of the period were carved or inlaid with the American eagle, symbol of the Federal union. Also, appropriately for furniture with ornament and sometimes forms derived from Greek and Roman sources, the term Federal seems to have embodied more than a little of classical idea and ideal in a country where the study of the classics and a knowledge of Greek and Latin were basic ingredients of higher education and where the “Grand Federal Edifice” in the Philadelphia Federal Procession was conceived as a domed temple supported by thirteen Corinthian columns.

It might be assumed that American furniture, having been modeled on English furniture, is like English furniture. It is not. Many facets of American government are modeled on English institutions. Few would say they are imitations. They are indeed new syntheses. This is also true of American furniture; the differences are subtle. Many of the parts are similar, but they are combined in different ways and often in different proportions.

American furniture has stood the test of time. Thousands of pieces have survived in American families, and many more probably exist scattered unrecognized over the face of the globe. This study is based on about one thousand pieces in the Winterthur collection, 491 of which are included and illustrated in the book. To understand anyone of these pieces of furniture, one must understand the organization of the crafts that produced it, the materials employed, local preferences for ornament and decoration, and other information not readily available. Over the last one hundred and fifty years, many original names for furniture forms have been lost, and the functions which they were to serve obscured. My findings on these subjects have been summarized in five introductory chapters, and in twenty short introductory essays on the various forms. The detail illustrations of inlays and carving and the charts showing local use of woods are an initial attempt to plot regional preferences and practice

Many 18th & 19th Century period beds had headposts and footposts that didn’t match? The ornamental posts were designed for the center of the room while the plainer posts were against the wall.

Bed rails were often taken from a plainer, more plentiful tree than the posts? Rails were considered functional but not decorative.

Tall post beds were designed over 80″ tall to hold a canopy frame? This frame supported the fabric that was used to provide the occupants with warmth and privacy?

Field height beds were designed with short posts of 65″-70″ to be more portable than their tall cousins? The shorter posts allowed for two alternate canopy frames - the bow and the ogee.

Finials were introduced after 1800 as additional ornaments on top of the canopy frame? Later they were used instead of a canopy.

Up until 1860, twin beds were very rare except in the warmest climates? Without central heat, sleeping several to a bed was quite common.

Beds were designed to sleep high above the floor? When the fire went out, it would be warmer and safer from nocturnal beings.

Pine was the predominant wood used in headboards? Regardless of the wood used for the posts - cherry, maple or imported mahogany - headboards were pine which was abundant, available in wide widths and easy to mill.

Until 1820, many beds were made without bolts? Early beds were held together by a network of ropes.

Highly desirable tiger maple is not a species of tree? Tiger or curly maple is actually an accident of growth and cannot be cultivated.

Unusually Wide New York Empire Bed in Mahogany, Original Size

All I want for Christmas

is a Leonard’s bed,

So I can lay my weary head.

One made of mahogany, maple or cherry,

Every day I’d wake up,

oh so merry!

Perhaps a tall post with carvings & turnings

Or a cannonball bed could end my yearnings…

In that bed, I’d think and I’d dream, I would even eat ice cream!

Oh Santa, I promise to be good, if you give me something made of wood.

Christmas Eve will never be the same, send me the truck with the Leonard’s name!

New London Single Drawer Stand in Cherry CA 1820

Being in the antique business and not collecting anything would probably mean that you were in the wrong field. I have many collections and would like to share them with you in the upcoming months along with some basic rules of thumb.

One of my favorite things about developing a collection is the memories that accumulate over time. In one quick glance at a piece, I can tell you where I was, who I spoke with and what the weather was like. Collecting can add fun to a trip as well as personal interest to a home.

Take something as basic as a nightstand – sometimes referred to as a bedside table, end table, work table, phone table and even drinks table. We all have needs for any of these purposes, so this is a good place to start.

Sheraton Carved Acanthus Leg Stand in Cherry & Flame Birch CA 1830

Let’s say you need a table about 2 feet square. Whether 200 years ago or 2 weeks ago, people have always needed these 2 feet or so square tables with drawers. Although their particular applications may have changed, the need for this type of table has not diminished because they still have a practical use. The table should have a drawer to keep things tidy and maybe a bottom shelf for magazines or books. You look in the mainstream marketplace or catalogs – and there are far too many. You choose one; get it home and there it is. It does its job - holds the lamp, pens and phone book – even the magazines – is very practical, nice-looking enough and probably not that cheap. But it’s still a little blah, one of 1,000 just like it with virtually no resale value should you move, redecorate or decide you had made a mistake.

Instead, take a look around – in antique shops (like Leonards), furniture shows, auctions, the Internet. Nightstands alone – the selection will be varied, from country birch or cherry, Hepplewhite with tapered legs or Sheraton with turned legs, even Victorian - all tell their own story; are well-made; pleasing to look at. By material and construction, they can be dated, attributed to a given area or even the cabinet-maker and just like real estate, resalable. Best of all, they won’t look just like your neighbors.

When you climb into an antique bed for the night, you wrap yourself in a bit of history. You imagine the many people it’s nurtured, the whispers it’s heard, the romance it’s seen. And you can’t help but imagine how much more comfortable you’d be if your feet weren’t colliding with the footboard, if your arm wasn’t dangling over the side.

So antique beds aren’t perfect. Sizes weren’t standardized until this century, and old beds - commonly three-quarter size - are usually too short or narrow for modern mattresses; they don’t take a box spring. And they’re usually a little rickety from decades of use. “A bed could have gone through five different lives before it comes to us,” says Jeff Jenkins. Nineteenth-century four-poster beds are our specialty and our staff resizes almost all of them to conform to modern standards, before putting them on the showroom floor. You can also bring your own bed to us for restoration. We work wonders with old wooden beds, making them wider and longer, turning three-quarter-size beds into doubles, doubles into queens, and joining twins to make a king.

This might sound like it contradicts what you’ve always heard about antiques - that you shouldn’t alter them in any way, that doing so will make their value plummet - but many experts agree that beds are an exception to that rule. This is because a bed, unlike a table or bureau, can’t be readily enjoyed without these changes. In fact, according to Bruce Newman, president of Newel Art Galleries, an antiques emporium in New York City with about two hundred and fifty beds in stock, resizing can even enhance the bed’s value. “A bed is a functional object, and if it’s not adapted, it can’t be used”. There are, of course, exceptions to the exception. Newman says any bed worth more than $15,000 or $20,000 probably shouldn’t be altered. At the other end of the spectrum, every flea-market bargain may not justify the effort (you should start with a good quality piece of furniture) or the expense (costs range from several hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on the extent of the work).

Some designs lend themselves to resizing better than others. Wooden four-posters similar to the ones pictured on our website are particularly good candidates. Their most decorative elements are the turned posts, which needn’t be altered when enlarging the bed. The headboards are flat, not elaborately carved or embellished, making them easy to replace or extend. The side rails and cross rails were purely structural, not ornamental; the large evenly spaced holes you see were for the ropes that were woven between the rails, forming a support for a mattress of straw, horsehair, or feathers.

Beds with curved headboards or footboards (as on sleigh beds), curved moldings, or intricate carved work are more of a challenge, since it’s difficult to match these parts or make unobtrusive additions. But don’t lose heart; “never say never”, says Lois MacDonald, vice president of Sales and Marketing at Leonards, explaining that there may be elements from the footboard, for example, that can be taken and inserted on either side of the headboard. And with many beds it’s possible to eke out a few more inches, allowing a three-quarter-size bed to take a double mattress without making any significant structural changes.

There are several ways Leonards resizes beds, depending on the bed itself and the result the owner wants. Each piece is approached individually, but there are basic techniques that we follow. When you’re considering adapting an antique bed - or buying one in the first place - it’s useful to know today’s standard mattress sizes. A twin is 39 by 75 inches; double, or full, is 54 by 75 inches; queen is 60 by 80 inches; and king is 76 by 80 inches. Three-quarter-size mattresses, 48 by 75 inches, are still available, but not very popular today.

They were popular in the last century, though, and the conversion from a three-quarter-size bed to a double can be an easy one. In general, a mattress should fit within the side rails, but an alteration like this one, it can actually rest on top. If you measure from the outside of one of the side rails on a three-quarter bed across to the opposite rail, you’ll often gain the extra inches you need for the width of a double mattress; however, the bed is likely to be too short. To fix this, the length of the side rails is extended, a minor change: a new piece of wood is added at one end or in the center and stained to match. Then a wood lip is added inside the rails all the way around, just below the top; this supports a plywood platform flush with the tops of the rails. Now you can lay a double mattress on the plywood (but you can’t use a box spring). This is one of the least intrusive - and least expensive - ways to resize a bed, but it’s not perfect: the mattress may overhang the edge a bit - fine for a guest room, but maybe not for sleeping on every night.

For a queen- or king-size mattress, the work is more elaborate. When a bed is made larger, new pieces need to be added, which may also mean losing some of the old pieces, but it is a Jenkins’s philosophy to keep as much of the original wood as possible. And when adding new parts, we may actually use old wood, culled from our vast collection of antique bed parts. The beds are always reassembled using the original method of mortise and tenon joinery.

Pairs of twins can be transformed into a king-size bed. The technique is appropriate even for the most ornate beds, since you’re not adding new pieces, but make sure your twins look great when placed side by side. The beds’ design dictates how they will be joined, but the process often involves losing one of the headposts and footposts so that there aren’t two butting clumsily in the center of the new bed. And in most cases, the side rails will need to be replaced or extended.

When you’re looking for an old bed, antiques stores may not actually be your best sources. Many dealers don’t carry beds at all because they take up too much room and because the market for beds just isn’t as strong as for other furniture. In addition to specialty stores, estate sales and auctions are well worth combing for beds (and don’t forget to check relatives’ attics and basements). When you find one you love, you may pleasantly surprised by the price tag. Antique beds can even cost less than a good reproduction; they start at about $3,500 and many are less than $5,000.

And if you have it resized, it won’t just be more comfortable to stretch out in, but it will probably be sturdier, as well; during the restoration process, Leonards makes sure the piece is ready for several more generations of use. “A bed has to be sound. It can’t squeak or creak”, says Jenkins, who guarantees his beds for as long as you own them. “I figure that’s safe”, he says, “because they’re already been around for a couple hundred years.”

Originally published in Martha Stewart Living, October 1998.

Take this opportunity to shop for the upcoming holidays!

Buyers market…Take advantage of the current economic climate. I recently did. I just returned from a long buying trip. Take it from me, now is the time to buy. Values are better than I can ever remember. Visit us and see for yourself. - Jeff Jenkins, Owner

Stop in to view the latest English shipment that arrived in October. Brass bound camphor wood boxes, wooden bellows, carved Black Forest bears, brass and wooden barley twist candlesticks, unusual and decorative objects such as steel lock sets, grape hods, peat buckets, wine measures, coat racks, document boxes, globes, sets of English Mahogany dining chairs, farmhouse tables in Cherry, Mahogany bowfront chests are just a few of the treasures in our showrooms.

Please be sure to visit our website often for updated antique and reproduction merchandise and to learn about upcoming events.

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.

Jeff Jenkins, owner of Leonards New England in Seekonk, Massachusetts knew he wanted to grow the family business decades ago but it wasn’t until he took the helm from his father that he was able to implement his own ideas - and he’s had some great ones.

One of the first things he did 25 years ago was to book his first trip to the United Kingdom. “I really wanted to visit some of the antique shops in England and Scotland. I told my father many times that I thought it would be a good way to extend our resources,” Jenkins said.

The American antique dealer took his early experience and headed abroad. He visited many high-end antique shops during his stay and made contacts with very reputable dealers. Thirty years later, the relationships he established way back when are alive and well and in fact, many are better than ever.

In August 2006, Jenkins acquired a piece he never thought he’d own and is so ecstatic about it that he’s decided to keep it for himself. The hand carved, painted and gilded “royal coat of arms” is adorned with a unicorn and lion motif, and now decorates his dining room wall. Queen Mary presented the unusual item to the grandfather of one of Jenkins’ long time business associates in the late 1800’s. The antique dealer was the Queen’s antique dealer by royal appointment. “With no heirs to pass it on to he thought of me and I was incredibly touched by the gesture. These are the kinds of people I deal with when I’m in the United Kingdom,” Jenkins said.

Having forged relationships with business contacts has worked out well for Jenkins. Although Leonards has sold furniture since 1933, the business has grown in leaps and bounds under his direction. Within the last twelve months, the store has sold merchandise to 45 states thanks to its website, which was also his idea. But popping over the pond was something that certainly benefited the business. With so many of his customers living in New England, Jenkins said the area appreciates antiques from England, Ireland and Scotland.

“One of the best things about dealing with antique dealers over there is that it’s very traditional in Europe for families to do the same thing for generations. Whether it’s clock making, furniture restoration, or a particular craft - they become masters. They really know how to beautifully restore the things I buy. By the time a sideboard or night table is delivered to the store it’s already been given the seal of approval by a master craftsman. They also have access to the right materials so they can work on antiques that were made over there,” Jenkins said.

On his most recent trip Jenkins spent over $100,000 on select top quality antiques that will be shipped to him over the next few months. Because he visits his regular dealers three or four times a year he always comes away with something special. In fact, many of his contacts know his taste well enough to put a particular armoire or cupboard aside for his next visit.

“I always return with merchandise that compliments our inventory, and since things are being shipped all year long there’s always something new on the floor,” he said.

This summer Jenkins bought a mahogany tall case clock circa 1800. The “Drumhead” Clock has its original finish, and its face is unusually set in a rounded bonnet. Jenkins said he expects to sell it for $15,000.

Even when the English pound costs $1.80 in American money Jenkins still makes regular buying trips. “When you’ve developed long term business acquaintances like I have, you still go there and do business - even when the exchange rate is low,” he said.

There’s so much more to selling antiques than simply running the store and no one knows that better than Jenkins. In addition to being a very well recognized name in the US antique world, Leonards has also become well known in much of Europe. His 25 plus year associations have earned him his way into the “loop” - typically reserved for only the top dealers - and he’s only too happy to pass the quality and craftsmanship on to his customers.

“Having highly experienced furniture restoration people in Great Britain is great. We have about 25 full-time crafters and furniture restorers here, but my overseas association adds to what we can accomplish,” Jenkins said.

Knowing who’s who in the antique world, Jenkins has gleaned a wealth of knowledge about imported antiques and said European pieces are typically made of the very finest quality. “You can get burled woods in America but they’ll never be as good as those that come from Scotland. The trees there take longer to grow because of the cold climate so the wood is very high quality,” he said.

A steady flow of regular customers from New England visit his Seekonk and Westport, Connecticut locations and the internet keeps him selling to all parts of the country. Buyers come from all walks of life and Jenkins said that even those who don’t live in an antique colonial or Victorian home are still wise to add a few tasteful antiques to their furniture collection. “Actually I think antiques look great in contemporary homes. Some antiques actually seem to showcase better in a contemporary setting,” he said.

Whether you’re in the market for a pre-Civil War bed, a 19th Century Scottish armoire or antique conversation piece Leonards should be at the top of your list. By taking advantage of Jenkins’ experience, expertise and contacts, customers will never have to second-guess their purchase. Antique enthusiasts who haven’t yet discovered Leonards fine collection of antique American and European furniture are in for a treat.