Category archive
Research
Posts filed under Research from the RareVictorian furniture archive.
"Based On The Quality of Work" And Other False Reasonings
There are a lot of methodologies that people use to identify a particular piece's maker, but few of them drive me more bonkers than "based on the quality of the work it surely was made by so and so". Relative to what? Ho
George Hunzinger Receipt
I recently purchased this original George Hunzinger receipt from 1900, which is two years after George Sr's death. Notice the "& Son" in the logo. I assume that this is an example of Hunzinger wholesaling to another
"Massachusetts Style" Cabinet
Some might be tempted to put a New York attribution on this Neo-Grec cabinet, including myself, but not so fast this time. This one was made in Manchester, Massachusetts by John Bigwood in 1875. We know this because he t
M. H. Schrenkeisen Factory
I thought that I'd share this M. H. Schrenkeisen factory drawing from an October 1880 Scientific American cover. It depicts the full cabinetmaking process beginning with raw logs coming into the factory and in the lower
J.W. Davis, Cabinetmaker Extraordinnaire
JohnM posted some photographs in the forum of a 12' tall Renaissance Revival bedroom suite that must be seen to be believed. It lives out it's existence in the Brennan House (built 1868), originally the home of a wealthy
Spiral Furniture Often Not Hunzinger
I thought that this Rare Victorian blog had quashed the rampant Hunzinger mis-attributions out there with our global reach, pervasive presence in the antique community and from me being featured on the cover of Magazine
Why Antiques Get Mis-Attributed - Six Reasons
Unfortunately, identifying an antique's manufacturer is sometimes an art and not always a science. It is not often that a 19th Century item has a patent existing to help us easily identify the maker as does the "lollipop
Elijah Galusha Settee Photos
As I always say, one cannot have too many Elijah Galusha reference photos lying around for that emergency Rococo furniture identification that always pops up. This set is from a Galusha settee at the Rensselaer County Hi
Shupe & Noble "Climax" Folding Bed
I was contacted by a Rare Victorian visitor about a Shupe & Noble bed that they would like to sell and I thought it would be good to share with everyone for two reasons: 1) the maker is known and is not one that I've
George Schastey, Cabinetmaker
The name George Schastey has popped up in relation to the unidentified museum cabinet from the prior post. I think it's important to raise his profile and become a little more familiar with this important cabinetmaker an
Springmeyer Brothers Renaissance Revival Dresser
Springmeyer Brothers - Partners to John Henry Belter Ever see a piece of furniture in the Renaissance Revival style with J. H. Belter's name on it? I hadn't until I saw this piece coming up for sale at Martin Auction Co.
Leveraging Newfound Galusha Reference Images
For those of you interested in the Rococo Revival furniture of Elijah Galusha, you may remember from this post that I had isolated a pattern that I had seen on several pieces at the Renssalaer Historical Society in Troy,
Rare Elijah Galusha Bedroom Furniture Photos
Elijah Galusha Bedroom furniture photos are not exactly commonplace and up until I visited the Rensselaer Historical Society in Troy, NY, I had never seen any, period. The following rare photographs are from a labeled dr
Galusha Mahogany Secretary
To continue to fill out my online collection of Elijah Galusha furniture photographs, this secretary is another known Elijah Galusha piece in residence at the Rensselaer Historical Society in Troy, NY. I'm assuming 1835-
Pottier & Stymus Bedroom Furniture Receipt
Here's another interesting find from the files of the Rensselaer County Historical Society in Troy, NY. This is an 1861 receipt to Richard P. Hart, Jr. for bedroom furniture provided by the firm of Pottier & Stymus,
Did Henkels Produce Laminated Furniture?
Some text accompanying a recent auction ad caught my eye that had made reference to a laminated Rosewood parlor set that would be part of the upcoming sale. I had seen the pattern many times before (as any a long-time Vi
Elijah Galusha Rococo Revival Sideboard
Continuing with my series of photos taken at the Rensselaer County Historical Society in Troy, NY, I present several of a sideboard by Elijah Galusha made in the Rococo style. Make note of the mirror-image carved foliage
Let's Put The Jenny Lind Theory To Rest
I'm thinking that maybe a 16th century sofa can end this Jenny Lind rumor for us, but let's review the ground we've covered on this topic for a moment. In this first post (yes, long ago), I announced a contest asking eve
Thomas Brooks Sideboard Stencil Confirms Maker
I thought I'd give the Rare Victorian readers who don't appreciate Rococo Revival a little break from the Galusha deluge and whip up a post for Renaissance Revival fans. How often is it that you see the biggest, chunkies
Signed Gothic Revival Desk by Elijah Galusha
We've seen plenty of Rococo Revival furniture from Elijah Galusha and now I have photos of photos (so please excuse quality) from 1979 and the accompanying excerpt from a letter that Renssalaer County Historical Society
Parlor Chairs By Charles Baudouine
Ignoring the Galusha table for the moment, a pair of Rosewood chairs purchased from Charles Baudouine in 1849 still remain at 59 Second Street in Troy, NY, at the Rensselaer County Historical Society. Originally a 6-piec
Rococo Mirror and Window Drapery Cornices By Elijah Galusha
All of the furniture that I have presented and will present in this series by Elijah Galusha are original to 59 Second Street in Troy, NY; the current home of Rensselaer Historical Society. The images below present a Roc
Elijah Galusha Fireplace Screen Detail
I have much more to come, but here is the next installment of Elijah Galusha furniture photographs. This Galusha fireplace screen has been seen elsewhere in documentation of his work, but I wanted to capture more of the
Elijah Galusha Sofa Detail
I took some photographs of what is probably the most well-known Elijah Galusha sofas in existence. The sofa resides (with it's twin) at the the Rensselaer County Historical Society, Troy, NY. I tried to capture closeups
Deluge Of Galusha Information Coming
I have good and bad news to share with you. First, the bad news is that I've been traveling and haven't had time to profile all the great auction items coming up for sale TOMORROW, November 21st. Kamelot Auction House in
Antique Attributions Murky Part II
I think an equally important problem with making attributions is that we, on the whole, have long forgotten many fine makers from the Victorian era, probably numbering in the thousands - America alone, let alone globally
Antique Attributions Murky Part I
A recent Rare Victorian site visitor, Jim, asked the following fair question and rather than get the discussion lost in the comment section of the post that triggered his question, I thought I'd address it in detail as a
Renaissance Revival Chairs With Marked Mounts
A recent Rare Victorian site visitor shared with me some images of a set of high-style Renaissance Revival chairs with very high quality mounts. I have done a fair amount of digging on deciding whether the set is properl
Jordan & Moriarty 1883 Parlor Suit
I was digging through the original furniture manufacturer catalogs that I have and ran across this Jordan & Moriarty parlor set that has a caption of "Library Medallion, Marie Antoinette, Grand Duchess, &c." Noti
Victor Quetin Pedestal, Paris, 1860
A recent antique appraisal customer supplied the above images of a 19th century pedestal that they had in their possession and were wondering if it were worth restoration of the piece considering the shape it was current
In The Showroom: Stickley-Brandt And Robert Mitchell Furniture - 1906
I enjoy running across photographs of period furniture new in the showroom and here is one from April, 1906. I recognize a mix of manufacturers in this photo. The front-left chair is a Robert Mitchell "Roman Arm Chair" a
A Real Galusha In Our Midst
It's not as frequent as Belter, Meeks, Horner, Hunzinger, and the other usual Victorian-era furniture makers, but it isn't unusual to see furniture somewhat liberally attributed to Elijah Galusha. Galusha was a cabinetma
Victorian Furniture Makers' Careers Span Periods
Many Victorian furniture cabinetmakers' careers crossed wide swaths of the Victorian period and thus, adapted to the changes in tastes across those careers. When we think of John Jellif, we think of the Renaissance Reviv
Associating Herter Brothers With Decorative Inlay
Peter sent me this photo of a Renaissance Revial parlor set that he has from a "wealthy relative" and was asking if I knew who the cabinetmaker may have been that constructed it. He was wondering if it was made by Herter
Klauder And Deginter, Philadelphia Furniture Makers
Flomaton Antique Auction has suspended it's monthly auctions indefinitely, but that hasn't stopped Nevin Heller from bringing quality antiques to the world. I was perusing his antique site, "Circa 19th Century" (a busine
"General" Tom Thumb's Personal Settee
Speaking of upholstery ... Joan Bogart recently shared with me a settee in her possession that originally belonged to Tom Thumb. Discovered at the age of 5 by distant relative P.T. Barnum, Charles Sherwood Stratton was a
John Jelliff Neo-Grec VSA Article
John Jelliff in The Victorian Times I recently "met" Roberta Mayer virtually through this site when she saw my posts on John Jelliff and the "Jenny Lind" carved arms. She made me aware of an article she had written on th
Does “Victorian” Really Have Any Meaning?
Photo courtesy of Liveauctioneers Now that we’ve tackled the semantics of Empire vs. Late Classical, let’s take a crack at something larger – the word “Victorian.” Does “Victorian” really have any meaning?
"Empire" Furniture Isn't Always Empire Furniture
I interrupt this blog that occasionally masquerades as something scholarly and amounts to not much more than Victorian eye-candy and tabloid-style cabinetmaker worship to discuss the use of "Empire" to describe more than
Gems of the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia 1876
I recently ran across the 1877 publication, "Gems of the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia", made available in its entirety below, from Google Books. It is a sort of greatest hits of the 1876 exhibition which was an
The Helen Of Troy Theory
(Continuation from Part I and Part II) I've been talking a lot about Jenny Lind lately and here's the impetus for my resurgent interest in solving the mystery of who the carved-arm females are meant to depict: The owner
Carved Bust Arms Not Jenny Lind
If you haven't read the first part of this series on proving/disproving the Jenny Lind association with the carved arms on Renaissance Revival furniture, you can read it here. This may take a few posts to get through, so
Jenny Lind She Ain't
I've longed referred to these female busts as "Jenny Lind" due to the prevalance of this belief in the marketlplace. People know which arms you are referring to when you describe them as Jenny Lind carvings. It has never
John Henry Belter Patents - Improved Bedstead & "Dished" Lamination
Below are two of four patents that John Henry Belter secured (two more to follow): Pat. 15,552 (Aug. 19, 1856) - John Henry Belter's improved bedstead patent that seeks to address issues with bed construction prior, such
Carlo Bugatti - A Century Ahead Of His Time
Carlo Bugatti's Art Nouveau furniture designs look more like they were designed for Batman's home than for the homes of the turn of the 19th century when they were made (the firescreen above was is circa 1900). Paul Tuck
Thoughts On Furniture Attributions & CDWA
You've often heard me rant about furniture attributions being applied to furniture in a flippant manner - "heavily carved + Rosewood" = Belter or Meeks. R. J. Horner is probably the most abused name next to George Hunzin
Consensus: Not Stanford White Design - Aesthetic Parlor Set
There was a lot of good discussion on the Parlor Set in the last post that, by family history, had been designed by or is in some way associated with Stanford White. Cheryl (AKA misslillybart) found a photo that seems to
Stanford White Parlor Set Mystery
Usually when I do these antique Victorian furniture posts I post an image or so and accompany it with the brief research that I have done. I'm going to do it backwards this time. I am posting the image first without havi
Truman & Tyler Bill Of Sale To Robert Knight
Truman & Tyler were furniture dealers "in Rich and Common Furniture, Feathers, Mattresses, Looking Glasses, and Housekeeping Articles, at Wholesale and Retail." They were located at 109 Westminster Street in Providen
For The Record: Bardwell, Anderson & Co., Boston, MA
I was perusing one of my oft-used Victorian furniture books, Furniture Made In America, 1875-1905, and ran into a table that I knew that I had seen before. My recollection is that Meg and Bruce Cummings had one in their
John Henry Belter Lion & Serpent Decoration
In a recent post I mentioned a John Henry Belter sofa design that integrated uncommon Belter themes of sea serpents, lion arms and carved paw feet. Photos of this sofa can be found on page 65 of the Belter book and are s
S. Karpen & Bros. Furniture Exhibition - Russell Senate Office Building
Emily Rose, a Karpen descendent and author, tipped me off that there is a special exhibition going on featuring furniture from the S. Karpen & Bros. furniture manufacturing company at the Russell Senate Office Buildi
The Wild Side Of John Henry Belter
I hadn't been paying attention. It took a couple years into my Victorian furniture "mindshift" for me to notice that some of the attributed John Henry Belter chairs had lions carved into the arms. I had probably seen hun
Emerson & Son Spiral Table
I recently purchased an Emerson & Son furniture catalog from 1893 which I will make available on the catalog page in future. What caught my eye in the catalog was the image seen below. As I said to Paul Tucker in an
For The Record: James W. Cooper & Brother
In case anyone runs across one of these Hunzinger-looking pedestals, they were actually made by Philadelphia maker James W. Cooper. You may have already viewed his "Art Furniture" catalog here on this site. Paul Tucker,
M. & H. Schrenkeisen Sofa With Carved Bust Arms
I thought I'd post a catalog reference image for M. & H. Schrenkeisen to help set the record (kinda) straight on this sofa. I say "kinda" since one can never believe everything one reads, but this is photographic pro
George Henkels Bedroom Suite Analysis
This bed from the Neal Auction February 2008 sale is part of a 3-piece bedroom suite that I recently ran into in the hands of a dealer. I believe they are one and the same set and probably one and the same as the one "Ha
Antique Purchasing Poll Results
It's been almost two days since I put up the poll on antique purchasing and the response distribution has stayed relatively the same since the early votes so I thought I'd share the results thus far. It seems that 50% of
Lincoln's 200th Birthday - Library of Congress Images
It seems odd that the states in U.S. can't make up their mind as to what President's Day should be called or who it should honor. Depending up on the state you live in, it may be called "Washington's Birthday", "Presiden
Hunzinger 1869 Patent Chair
Whoa. It has taken me 5 days to isolate an issue on this blog that prevented me from creating new posts. It is easier to troubleshoot problems where nothing works at all then to troubleshoot the case where everything wor
Trade Catalogs Can Be Misleading
I hadn't intended yesterday's blog post to be first in a multi-part series, but as I lay awake last night after dealing with a sick puppy, it occurred to me that I had been saving up a bunch of material for a post on Geo
"Hunzinger Chair" Mystery Part II
Continuing from where the last post left off,we were trying to determine if an unlabeled chair that Zeke Feldhaus recently purchased was produced by George Hunzinger due to the patent-protected brace design (very bottom
"Hunzinger Chair" Mystery Part I
I hope everyone had a great holiday break as did I, but it's time for us all to get back to normalcy. Let's kick off year 3 of Rare Victorian with a little furniture analysis triggered by a recent series of emails from Z
Antique Marble and Stone Identification
I've created an antique marble/stone reference below to provide us with a little more information on what types of stone and marble went into the furniture of the Victorian era. I've started this "reference" with images
Photograph of George Hunzinger
I thought I'd share a photograph from a newspaper article on George Hunzinger that I received from RV regular Zeke. Thanks, Zeke.
Graining Machines Simulate Hardwood Grains
Yes, something was awry with the dresser that I provided the image of in the last post and kudos to those commentators who spotted it. It was made ca. 1910 by the Arcadia Furniture Co. of Arcadia, Michigan using cheaper
Who Made This Chair?
There is museum evidence that helps attribute this chair to two possible makers. Stop by the forum to read about this chair, submitted by a site visitor. I have also added another feature to Rare Victorian - a quick refe
For The Record: Israel Fellows
I'd like to start a new feature on Rare Victorian, which I hope will last beyond this one post, called "For The Record". The aim is to profile some less prolific, less visible, or "lost" cabinetmakers from the Victorian
William Fischer Hawaiian Kou and Koa Center Table
This koa and kou wood center table was made by William Fischer around 1869. A very similar table was ordered at the time by Governer Dominis. Dominis was an American-born statesman who became Prince Consort of the Kingdo
Mark Twain's Hawaiian Furniture - F. N. Otremba
Continuing on with the topic of Hawaiian carved furniture comes two pieces made by F. N. Otremba. Otremba was commissioned by the Hawaii Promotion Committee to carve a mantel for Mark Twain's new home, "Stormfield" in 19
Hawaiian Furniture And Cabinetmakers Of The Victorian Era
Aloha. Eh, howzit braddahs. Da kine. Wot, you neva kno Hawaii get planny Victorian furnicha over dis side of da kai? You tink we all jus set one okole on grass mats or wot? Den wop yo jaw cuz we get choke. An da best kin
Victorian Is Dead In Alexandria, VA
I spent a good part of the weekend in Alexandria, VA this weekend with some long-time friends for a certain milestone birthday bash, and on the way to their house my wife and I did some antiquing there near King Street.
Rosewood Rococo Revival Sofa With Carved Bird's Nest
I have a friend who can't pass up taking in needy animals (strays) which I can sympathize with and admire. I think she has about 11 cats by now? My mother has a more modest group of 3 stray cats in residence. I have a si
Possible Alexander Roux Rosewood Sofa
I had a late night delivery of my most recent purchase a few nights ago. No, it wasn't an Alexander Roux sofa ca. 1853 as is shown above. Picture six heavily-laden cardboard boxes being shuffled into the basement under c
RJHorner.com Relaunched
I've redesigned and relaunched RJHorner.com and to celebrate, I've made the complete 1888 Horner catalog (actually more of a pamphlet) available online at the site. The drawing above is taken from the back cover. Details
Metal-Clad Furniture Patent - An Alternative To Brass
Paul Tucker found what I believe to be the likely explanation behind this metal-clad armchair that was discussed several posts ago. Paul ran into a patent filed by Erastus W. Whitlock. A drawing included in the patent ap
John Henry Belter Bill of Sale Update
A quick update on the Belter Bill of Sale that was in the previous post. The December 1998 issue of Magazine Antiques has an exhaustive article on this particular bill of sale, documenting the history of the furniture pu
Original 1855 John Henry Belter Furniture Order Receipt
Lise Bohm has shared with us an original 1855 receipt that she owns documenting a Belter furniture order by what appears to be Col. B. L. Jordan. I was unable to find anything documented on this Colonel. The order is for
Allen & Brother or Herter Brothers Bedroom Suite
I was contacted by the recent buyer of the above bedstead, which is part of a two-piece suite. There is no question it is a very desirable set and I'd be happy to have it in one of my bedrooms. It is constructed of solid
Collecting Victorian-Era Clocks
The world of Victorian antique furniture seems a bit slow right now so I thought I'd post a bit about another niche of collecting - clocks. To be honest, I use these clocks more for effect than for timekeeping. Who wants
Pottier & Stymus Egyptian Revival Set
Quick post to address some of the comments on the previous post: I now have the Egyptian Revival set by Pottier & Stymus in my possession and I've done some digging to see if the upholstery is original and based on a
Antiques Hit Hard Across The Board - Almost
As regular visitors to this site are aware, I've been watching the health of the Victorian antique market recently for concrete examples of this trend and I thought I'd take another quick glance at some fresh auction res
"Hand-Made" Victorian Furniture Does Not Mean 100% Hand-Made
I thought I'd share this excerpt from a 1980 dissertation by Page Talbot, "THE PHILADELPHIA FURNITURE INDUSTRY 1850 TO 1880". This dissertation was written to partially fulfill her requirements to achieve the degree of D
Joslin Hall Rare Books - Furniture & Cabinetmakers
For those of you who collect books on antique furniture and cabinetmaking, you may want to call Joslin Hall Rare Books and have them send you this catalog, number 313. It just arrived in the mail yesterday and it has 41
Original Manufacturer Catalog Section Open!
I've christened a new section of Rare Victorian that will house Adobe Acrobat versions of original manufacturer catalogs that I have collected. Right now there is only one - The Dawley Furniture Company from 1897 - but h
Bembe & Kimbel Chair In Thaddeus Stevens Bronze Monument
If you followed the recent posts on Kathie's Bembe & Kimbel chair, you might be interested to see the chair as part of a recent bronze monument of Thaddeus Stevens created by George Mummert. I received a note from Ge
Attributing R.J. Horner Hall Chairs
I have a labeled Horner Hall or Throne chair (sometimes referred to as Savranola or "X"-Chair) and I have three other unlabeled chairs that share similar traits, so I'll document how I would come to the conclusion that t
Side Chair Manufactured by George Henkels?
It always gives me great pleasure to nail down a maker of a piece of furniture that we often see being sold as "attributed to" and be able to turn that into a definite "made by". No further need to attribute this chair t
1901 Robert Mitchell Furniture Co. Ad
An ad from 1901 for Robert Mitchell Furniture Co. showing the Roman chair like mine.
Robert Mitchell Furniture Co. Roman Arm Chair - 1904
I purchased a chair a year or so ago at a local auction to go along with my Horner hall chairs. I had previously seen this chair attributed to R.J. Horner and, considering the griffin carvings, I never thought twice abou
Anyone Seen a Louis Ostlund Chair?
Paul Tucker contacted me to ask whether any of the Rare Victorian readers had ever encountered one of these 1894 patent Louis Ostlund chairs. Please comment at the bottom of this post if you have ever encountered one. LO
Leon Marcotte in "American Furniture"
If you collect books and information on Victorian antiques and you are a fan of Leon Marcotte, you should nab a copy of this 1994 issue of American Furniture, edited by Luke Beckerdite. There is a 24 page article on Marc
Book Review: Victorian Detail by Priscilla S. Meyer
I had previously mentioned that I'd be giving you a little more of a review on my latest book purchase, Victorian Detail, by Priscilla S. Meyer, so here goes. Lise Bohm tipped me off to this book, as she occasionally doe
Chair Mystery Solved - Charles Klein
If you remember this post here, you would recall that I lose sleep over Victorian furniture attributions. Not really, but close. I just hate to see the same pieces over and over again show up in auctions and on Ebay, fir