Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-21
USED BEFORE 100.
What Woods Were Made Then
Into Furniture.
NOT ALL 6 MAHOGANY
NOW so GENERALLY ASSOCIATED
WITH OLD PIECES.
Various Kinds in Light and Dark
When Upholstering
Began.
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
AT the present time most so-called old
furniture is Of mahogany, but that is a nov
city compared with the furniture made ana
used before the year 1900 or even 1861
either in England or in this country In
old inventories of furniture the wood Of
which the articles are made, especially
tables. is seldom mentioned, and previous
to 1850 they show a great scarcity or
household furniture of any kind.
One writer says, however, that the ma
terial of which the old furniture was con-
structed was, almost without exception,
good English oak, than which few woods
offer greater advantages to the cabinet
maker, from the beauty of it's color and
markings, it's suitability for domestic pur-
poses and it's strength and durability. No
labor was spared in preparing this wood for
use; only the best part of the tree was Sc
lected that between the ground and the
beginning of its branches
Foreign oak was imported into England
somewhat for the use of the Wealthler
classes, but middle-claSS people used That
of home growth.
In this country. the imported furniture
was mostly of English oak
Elm wood is spoken of at the close OF
the seventeenth century as being used, also
the present day.
Dressing tables are described as having
a band around the top inlaid with lockwood
and ebony.
Of course such fine cabinet work must
have been expensive then as now, and one
cupboard is valued at $3.50.
Carving was the ornamentation usually
put upon oak wood, and many beautiful
and elaborate specimens remain for US to
judge of early workmanship.
In Solid Oak.
Cabinets, cupboards, chests were all i'm
portant articles of furniture. and oak en-
tered largely into their construction.
Variations occur however, and perhaps
individual taste and skill invented combi-
nations of woods in single pieces, descrip-
tions of which havescome down to us Thus
one cabinet is mentioned having outer
doors veneered with hexagonal pieces of
thorn-acacia wood, the eleven drawers
within veneered with walnut having an
edging of sycamore, showing the elabora-
ton of workmanship employed.
Use of Walnut.
Walnut is early spoken of as wood much
used for furniture, and that, too, was some
times combined with oak as an inlaying,
sometimes carving and inlaying both being
employed. when ebony, ivory and mother
of-pearl were used in patterns
IN one oak CABINET lN6 NeUSeTlUS WAS VI
various woods, chiefly walnut and it had
panels with decoration of both figures and
flowers of pear wood inlaid, IN ebony.
Another cupboard Is described of oak, in
laid with snake-wood, dark red wood, a
good contrast to the oak
The term wainscot comes from the Dan
ish wayenschot, and was formerly applied
entirely to the wood itself-the best kind
of oak for paneling, with good grain and no
knots; later it was transferred to the PAN
cling, in which way 1t is still used, as we
know.
Brought From England.
Up to the year 100 and beyond the abb
sence Of home made furniture in the colo
MES was most noticeable. Beverly says IN
scorn, of the colonists: They are such
abominable ill-husbands that though their
country be overrun with wood, yet they
have all their wooden ware from England
their cabinets, chairs, tables, stools, chests,
boxes, cart wheels and all other things,
even so much as their bowls and birchen
brooms. to the eternal reproach Of their
laZiness.'
This was rather sweeping, for there are
chronicles TO the contrary in some parts of
the country anyway.
Thomas Morton, writing in 1882, mentions
red cedar thus: This wood cuts red and
is good for bedsteads tables and chests,
and may be placed in the catalogue of COM
modities,'' thus showing its evident use.
He also praises the red oak for wains-
cot and further says There is likewise
black walnut of precious use for tables,
cabinets and the like"
Another writer says that "the abundant
woods of oak, ash, elm, walnut, maple,
cedar and pine supplied all that was re-
quired in the construction of the houses of
the colonists and their furniture"
Always Ornamental.
characterization seems to have been a part
of the furniture made in America from the
first, following the examples brought from
the older countries probably.
About 1850 a favorite decoration for fur
niture was black spindle ornaments,
which were applied to- cupboards chests
and chests of drawers" and usually the
knobs such pieces of furniture were also
black to correspond.
These were used at an earlier date than
brass knobs and handles.
Sometimes white wood was stained black
for such use by native cabinet makers or
joiners, they were called, and imported
articles as we'll show ornaments of pear and
other light woods stained black.
New England led perhaps In furniture
making for that became an article of trade
with southern colonies, and such pieces of
furniture are mentioned expressly in old
Charleston inventories.
From Away-of Lands.
Although New England possessed such
quantity and variety of native woods. still
somewhat was imported, cedar being
brought from Bermuda, for instance, and
used especially for chests Gas it still Isl,
but mahogany was held in no favor even il
known to cabinet makers. and in Boston
it was practically smkHown until about
1870.
The Dutch recognized the value of ma
hogany much earlier than perhaps they
have credit for, and in Old inventories Ca
great source of information about the
household life of the pasD it is thought
that pieces of furniture Gated red" among
the Dutch settlers of>NeW York may have
been mahogany
With William of Orange on the English
throne, Dutch fashions in furniture became
favorites so we find inarqdetry decoration
and Dutch forms alInopular by 1885,
Walnut was the w0ods principally used :
and oak and the shapesg In favor for it
were superseded; bSsfdesE walnut. chestnut
was used. as well az hickory, which was
even exported to Holland
In Old Hickory.
Nutwood which term occurs often in in
ventories, always meant hickory AS early
as 1854 luxurious articles were in use and
demand Mention Is made & a casket in
laid with ebony, which was advertised for
sale in Albany. to be disposed of peremp-
toriIy iu,itIir tuenfy-four bours