Tag archive
Furniture
Posts tagged Furniture from the RareVictorian furniture archive.
Decent Furniture for Decent People
I'm sharing a PhD Thesis on 19th Century Canadian furniture with a special focus on manufacturer Jacques & Hay by Denise Jacques (I assume there is no coincidence there on the last name). She is now working on a book
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
William Koelle, Philadelphia Maker's Label
One of my first late-19th century table purchases was a real beater, but I bought it because at the time I felt it was probably a table by Merklen Brothers. I thought that I'd get around to repairing and refinishing it a
Cabinetmaker Catalog Update
I just spent the past two days scanning two disintegrating Robert Mitchell catalogs into Adobe Acrobat format and have made them available for sale via immediate download. They represent a look into the ca. 1890-1910 fur
Don't Forget Canadian Cabinetmakers
Book Review: "Jacques & Hay 19th Century Toronto Furniture Makers" by Ruth Cathcart Jacques & Hay is a name that pops up frequently in the Victorian-era furniture world within Canada. It reminds me of how the Jel
Victorian Dollhouse Furniture
I recently purchased a new parlor set, but this time I have room for it. Not my usual cup of tea - this is a circa 1999 Rococo parlor set from China, but it's resemblance to the furniture of the makers we often discuss c
Miniature Furniture Antiques
I enjoyed the video below of high quality antique miniature furniture produced by Antiques TV. These aren't your ordinary dollhouse furniture pieces - they are very well made and use high quality materials.
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
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
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,
Victorian Antique Furniture Books For The Holidays
If you need a relatively inexpensive gift for the holidays for a Victorian collector, the Victorian Antique book page is a good source for some ideas. Most of the links on the page are to Amazon.com which is a very effic
Rare Victorian Giveaway - Moorish Fretwork Issue Magazine Antiques
One of my favorite issues of the Magazine Antiques (and I have hundreds dating back as far as the 1930s) is the May 2005 issue with an article by Paul Tucker on Moorish Fretwork. As some of you may know, Paul is a regula
19th Century Victorian Furniture in ... Sweden
No this isn't the predecessor to Ikea, but it is an interesting look into furniture designs in areas of the world other than the France, Italy, U.S., and U.K. that we're used to. This is an original catalog of furniture
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
Labeled J. H. Crane Pier Mirror - St. Louis Furniture
I received this note from B.J. from "B and D Furniture with Generation Next Antiques" in St. Louis and thought it might be interesting to hear about a cabinetmaker from St. Louis, John H. Crane. John, Recently, I had the
Unusual Tin-Clad Victorian Armchair
No this isn't a high-end piece of Victoriana. This chair is "Rare" for another reason - that is not silver paint. This Victorian-era chair is clad completely in Tin and appears to have been done so originally. I've never
"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
Video - Final Episode: Refinishing A Merklen Brothers “Shabby” Table
Well, the table is finished and it looks fantastic. In this final episode, John Hutchinson of Rose Valley Restorations in West Chester, PA explains the process that he, Kyle, and Bill followed to bring the table to this
Video - Part III: Refinishing A Merklen Brothers "Shabby" Table
A quick update on the table's progress in this video. It is fully stripped and sanded and the quartersawn Oak shows in all it's bare glory. We select stain for the wood and paint for the griffins. Video Part I and Part I
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
Video - Part II: Refinishing A Merklen Brothers "Shabby" Table
Here's Part II of the Merklen Brothers table refinish project. If you didn't view the first Part yet, I recommend you watch it first, here. In this episode, I'm in the shop of my favorite local furniture restoration busi
It's A Good Time For Rare Victorian Billiard Tables
John (AKA Woodwright) has sent me a message that I thought would fit well as a post on Rare Victorian. Little did he know that he had became the first guest-poster on RV ;-) John is a relatively recent addition to the co
Video: Refinishing A Merklen Brothers "Shabby" Table
This will be the first of hopefully many video blog posts here on Rare Victorian in the future. I did end up rescuing the Merklen Brothers table from this previous post and I hope to capture the transformation on video f
How To Fake a Herter Brothers Piece
It's rare that these old furniture pieces made by our favorite cabinetmakers are marked so as to let their origin be known. It requires a learned eye to spot the details and to discern that a piece was made by one maker
Computer Testing Of Fabric Colors Before You Reupholster
To respond to Woodright's comments on a recent post I tested out my theory that computer software for simulation of room colors could be applied to testing colors on furniture before upholstering. I used a tool I purchas