Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-19
OLD-TIME FURNITURE
Present Fad to Collect Antique speci-
mems.
American Make Quite ms Good as the
Old English-The Differ
ent Schools.
Written for The Evening Star.

Longfellow's saying,
In the elder days of art
Builders wrought with greatest care
Each minute and unseen part,
may be also applied to furniture. The old
Italian sculptors could the chisel on
wood as well as marble and very few
of the great artists but were skillful with
both chisel and brush.
Furniture is as old civilization. The
Egyptians furnished their houses with
luxurious pieces; SO did the Greeks and
the Romans. The museums of Europe are
full of magnificent furniture from the old
palaces and the spendidly carved pulpits
of the middle ages.
Just at present the craze for old furni-
ture is leading to the collection of pieces
of so-called antique furniture. Much of
this is American in make. although it eX
hbits in its main features great differ
ence from English articles of the same
period. This revival of interest may and
it is hoped, will create demand for really
artistic furniture of modern workmanship
and give to the cabient makers again the
dignity of ranking artists instead of as
artisans
The oldest pieces of furniture of colonial
| manufacture are undoubtedly the chests of
drawers. When the pilgrims came over in
the Mayfiower, they brought their clothing
and few possessions packed in the Oaken
chests which with many of them were
doubtless family heirlooms. Bedding they
brought too but 1t Is doubtful If any other
| pieces of Importance were brought over.
| The heads of the family depended on hew-
ing them out of the rough wood of the
| forest trees. as do most settlers These
| chests were handsomely built, with NOR
| tised and tenoned joints and paneled or
| carved sides, and had stout clasps They
| were ornamental as well useful.
For Many Uses.
| They could be used as couches for the
| children. as tables when they stood high,
| or as settles when they were low. Inside
| thes clothing could be packed and the
precious belongings of the family locked
| safe from prying eyes of servants or enc
| mics.
| Among the pilgrims were artisans OF nc
| mean skill When the John Aldens and the
| Priscillas married, they needed chests OF
| heavy oak, with sturdy locks, for these
chests were the colonial banks-the pioneer
, safe deposit vaults. 1t was natural that
| each painstaking craftsman when the or.
der was given by brides father shouit
| the old homestead, and so the American
made chests were paneled and carved tc
resemble those brought from old England
| The chests were, until 100. the fashion
able pieces of furniture and were much
| used until 1874, when people began to stow
| them away in attics or destroy them t(
| make room for more modern material.
! The early records of the colonies show
conclusively that there were skilled Joiner:
| and carvers" among the colonists. In al
ancient inventory the most important piece
Of furniture mentioned Is chest valued
at fl.
Carved boxes were classed with tn,
| chests and were intended to hold the val
liable papers and jewels of the family. TIL,
chest away back in the middle ages anc
down to colonial times had been designed tt
contain the clothing and plate.
In American Oak.
That many of the chests found in thi
country are really of American workman
ship can be judged by the patterns which
do not resemble those found in foreign mu
seums or collections of furniture. TIL,
American oak, too differs in quality from
, the English oak, the Quercus alba. tn
American furniture oak being much lighte
. | than the English, although age makes |
, look very dark. limitations Of the ag
! darkened chests. too are made SO skillfull,
, | that it Is almost impossible to detect tn
, difference. In New York city there is on
. dealer in spurious antiques who manufac
! lures old furniture and to carry out tn
: counterfeit even riddles it with artificial
> worm holes
: the low oaken box. In time manufacturer
! added a drawer below. So useful were tn
: drawers that in time another drawer wa
added. and by and by the chest becam
a chest of drawers, all drawers and sup
piled with four long supports or legs, mad
more or less ornamental. according to tn
| taste of the maker. The chests withou
drawers are the oldest, and. although the
= | undoubtedly were made in this country be
fore that date, the oldest authenticated one
!, date back to 1893.
Cypress and cedar chests were made q
: a later date, and these were priced by tn
e colonial housewives as a protection agains
s moths.
a Gradually the corner cupboards took tn
d place of the chests Of drawers, and as Nh
: | cabinet makers began to manufacture Is
It bles. chairs, bookcases and bureaus tn
a chest became less important and less pop,
: lar.
The Chippendale Makes.
Thomas Chippendale was an English cab
:, | net maket born in Worcester. and succee,
e ing his father as a cabinet maker in Lol
don. His furniture, from his own publishs