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Antique Furniture of our forefathers was described by Mrs. Ralph Steans at the April meeting of the DAR at the home of Mrs. George S. Matlack, of Lewisburg. Mrs. Steans introduced her subject by a quotation from Thoreau: “How much more agreeable to sit in the midst of old furniture which has come down from other generations, than amid that which was just brought from the cabinet makers, smelling of paint and varnish. To sit under the face of the old clock that has been ticking one hundred and fifty years, the is something mortal, not to say immortal about it. A clock that began to tick when Massachusetts was a province.” Amongst home furnishings, a return to the simplicity of early New England and Pennsyl-vania farm houses is seen by Mrs. Steans as a gesture in favor of stability and soundness. She described early American furniture from 1620 to 1850, In the earliest Colonial times the first seats in general use were mere benches— not more than one or two chairs belonging to each household. The first tables were long boards placed upon trestles. Chests were found in almost every house and bed steads of course necessary. After the first chairs which were heavy and plain, came the leather-covered chairs of Dutch origin and they were followed by the Flemish cane chairs and couches. During the 17th century, tables with turned legs replaced the table “Boards.” Sideboards with drawers were not used in this country until later. Desks made of oak and later of cherry and walnut were in use from the middle of the 17th century. Looking glasses were owned by the wealthy and clocks appeared in inventories of the latter part of the century. Spinets were not uncommon in the century following. Mrs. Steans described the various forms of Period Furniture: Chippendale’s first book of designs was issued in 1754. He was largely known as a chair maker. His furniture combines French, Gothic Dutch and Chinese styles in a harmonious blending. He was beyond everything a delicate carver. He used no inlay or painting. Robert and James Adam were architects trained in the classics. Their furniture was designed for rooms in the Greek and Roman style. Hepplewhite, succeeded the Chippendale period. His is the best known name and probably the most original genius. His chairs bear no resemblance to those of Chippendale and are lighter and more graceful. Hepplewhite’s sideboards were admirable in form and decoration and it is from them and his chairs that his name is familiar in this country. Sheraton’s chairs differ from Hepplewhite’s in the construction of the backs, which are usually square. The lyre was a favorite design. It appears in chair backs and in the supports for tables, often with the strings made of brass wire. His later furniture was heavy and generally ugly. Interest in collecting antique furniture, according to Mrs. Steans began with the Centennial Exposition in 1876. Immense quantities of our new furniture is now modeled after the antique design but it is not made with the same care and thought for durability as by the old cabinet makers. Today, houses are being restored and the old-time furniture replaced. Mt. Vernon is probably the best example. Mr. Henry Ford’s Wayside Inn at Sunbury is another. The chest was a most important piece of furniture in the 16th and 17th centuries It served as a table seat or trunk as well as for holding valuables. The oldest carved chests were made without drawers beneath. A number of chests carved in a manner not seen elsewhere have been found in Hadley, Mass. and this has given them the name Hadley chests. Several cradles made in the 17th century are still in existence. One of wicker and of Oriental manufacturer brought from Holland upon the Mayflower with the Pilgrims is now in Pilgrim Hall, Plymouth. It is said to have sheltered Peregrine White, the first child born in this country to the Pilgrims. Mrs. Steans told of spinets, virginals and harpsichords— brought to this country as early as 1645— fire dogs or andirons as well as lamps, clocks, and mirrors. An old farm estate in the Huntingdon Valley, purchased by Mr. Stokes, a trustee of the Pennsylvania Museum, contains a notable collection of early American furniture supposed to cover the period in Pennsylvania from its earliest settlements to the Revolution. The second part of Mrs. Steans description of Period Furniture consisted of lantern slides of the American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. A description of the rooms by Charles Over Cornelius accompanied the slides which were shown by Professor Simpson. The musical program of the evening consisted of a piano solo by Miss Nancy Griffith and two Spring Songs by Mrs. Lester Fowle, whose beautiful voice was in complete harmony. © Copyright 2010 by Mifflinburg Telegraph Weekly Newspaper Top of Page |
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