Evening star., 1938-06-14

feet and called a 1owboy." Later
still it was placed on higher pedestal,
to be called "highboy"
Most houses boasted long trestle
table, but usually the master of the
house had the only real chair with
arms, the rest of the family using
stools or benches. A housewife with
dresser. on which she displayed a
few pieces of pewter, or copper and one
or two silver spoons, was the envy of
her neighbors No beds have survived
from these early homes. Either they
were built into closet or were type
of field bed that was put up at night
and taken down by day; or possibly.
frame to be draped with curtains.
Most of the furniture OF the period
was very uncomfortable Chairs had
straight backs with wooden seats.
Benches had no back supports. There
was no upholstery, and one was wealthy
indeed who could afford cushions. Let
us hope that somewhere they tucked
away comfortable bed and that the
early bedtime of our Puritan ancestors
was an attempt to ease their bones
after a weary day! I suspect that
much Of the austerity attributed to
them was dictated by necessity, rather
than personal belief in the joys Of
difficulty and hardship.
HE first SO years of the colonial
ton in America saw most OF the
furniture designed in the Tudor ira
dition. The we'll = to = do, but not
wealthy, colonist followed the English
fashion as closely as his memory per-
mitted in his commissions to the local
joiner. The farmer or planter worked
away at his own utilitarian concep-
ton OF this style when winter cold
prevented work out of doors.
The simplicity of form of the early
Tudor style, as well as its sturdiness,
made it particularly useful to the
rugged life in the Colonies. American
pine and oak, fruitwood and walnut
were widely used, and workers ingeni-
ously combined oak and pine, using
the tough oak for the parts that
would get constant wear. and the
softer, more easily handled pine for
the rest. It was all utilitarian, with
even the turnings fashionable in Eng
land obviated, and no cupboard given
up in part to decoration which might
be used for storage space. In this
way the court cupboard" as it was
known in Tudor England, with a
cabinet set up on a frame. was
changed in the Colonies to have stor-
age space above and below.
In 1900 there were no cabinet
makers. The art of exquisite finish
was almost unknown. Those who
made furniture were called joiners, and
good ones could at best only at a NOR
tise and tenon joint perfectly, turn
the leg OF table, and fit the back
into chair so that it would not
wobble. For decoration, they did
chisel and gouge carving in low relief.
Occasionally, to make the piece more
interesting. they worked colored paint
in red, blue, green, yellow or gold into
the background of the design. To
soften the harsh outlines they used
molding and bandings. All of this
was designed for everyday living, and
to stand long wear. Some of it, such
as the trestle table, could be knocked
down and packed fiat to be moved.
Legend says that the good Queen
Bess took her favorite pieces of fur
niture with her on her travels and
had them set up wherever she rested.
The colonists developed an art of
their own, following about 80 years
later the Tudor tradition in England.
Each group worked out on this general
plan their own national inclinations.
From the homes Of the Spanish padres
in the Southwest to that of the Puri-
tan in New England we find necessity
combined with utility, and this lifted
from mediocrity by half-remembered
decoration