﻿384 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  October, 
  1907 
  

  

  contained 
  a 
  carpet, 
  window 
  curtains 
  and 
  open 
  fire, 
  a 
  high- 
  

   post 
  bedstead 
  and 
  curtains, 
  dressing-table, 
  large 
  looking- 
  

   glass, 
  wash-basin 
  and 
  jug, 
  six 
  mahogany 
  chairs 
  and 
  pictures 
  

   on 
  the 
  wall. 
  Mrs. 
  Washington's 
  room 
  had 
  a 
  bedstead 
  with 
  

   curtains, 
  a 
  dressing-table 
  and 
  glass, 
  a 
  writing-table 
  and 
  a 
  

   writing-chair, 
  an 
  easy 
  chair, 
  two 
  mahogany 
  chairs, 
  a 
  chest 
  of 
  

   drawers, 
  clock 
  and 
  pictures; 
  and, 
  of 
  course, 
  an 
  open 
  fire, 
  with 
  

  

  5 
  — 
  A 
  Late 
  XIX 
  Century 
  Bedroom; 
  Window 
  Rocker, 
  Sheraton 
  Chairs, 
  Heppelwhite 
  

  

  Bed 
  with 
  Modern 
  Drapery 
  

  

  lowing 
  advertisement 
  from 
  a 
  New 
  York 
  paper, 
  in 
  1803, 
  

   will 
  suffice 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  beautiful 
  articles 
  in 
  the 
  Empire 
  style 
  

   could 
  be 
  produced 
  in 
  this 
  country. 
  We 
  read: 
  "Honore 
  

   Lannuier, 
  cabinetmaker, 
  just 
  arrived 
  from 
  Erance, 
  and 
  who 
  

   has 
  worked 
  at 
  his 
  trade 
  with 
  the 
  most 
  celebrated 
  cabinet- 
  

   makers 
  of 
  Europe, 
  takes 
  the 
  liberty 
  of 
  informing 
  the 
  public 
  

   that 
  he 
  makes 
  all 
  sorts 
  of 
  furniture 
  — 
  beds, 
  chairs, 
  etc. 
  — 
  in 
  

   the 
  newest 
  and 
  latest 
  French 
  fashion; 
  and 
  

   that 
  he 
  has 
  brought 
  for 
  that 
  purpose 
  gilt 
  

   and 
  brass 
  frames, 
  borders 
  of 
  ornaments 
  

   and 
  handsome 
  safe 
  locks, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  new 
  

   patterns." 
  

  

  Cabinetmakers 
  and 
  upholsterers 
  flocked 
  

   here 
  in 
  great 
  numbers 
  from 
  England 
  also, 
  

   and 
  we 
  know 
  from 
  the 
  advertisements 
  that 
  

   the 
  native 
  workmen 
  industriously 
  kept 
  

   abreast 
  of 
  the 
  latest 
  fashions. 
  The 
  de- 
  

   signs 
  of 
  the 
  famous 
  Mr. 
  Stafford, 
  of 
  Bath, 
  

   and 
  Mr. 
  Bullock, 
  of 
  Tenterden 
  Street, 
  

   were 
  as 
  well 
  known 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  as 
  they 
  

   were 
  in 
  London. 
  

  

  Taking 
  a 
  few 
  notes 
  from 
  advertisements 
  

   regarding 
  bedroom 
  furniture, 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  

   Paterson 
  & 
  Dennis, 
  54 
  John 
  Street, 
  have, 
  

   in 
  1 
  8 
  10, 
  a 
  handsome 
  assortment 
  of 
  fancy 
  

   chairs, 
  dining 
  and 
  bedroom 
  chairs. 
  The 
  

   latter, 
  unfortunately, 
  are 
  not 
  described. 
  

   C. 
  Christian, 
  in 
  18 
  17, 
  cabinetmaker, 
  58 
  

   Eulton 
  Street, 
  has 
  "furniture 
  of 
  the 
  finest 
  

   quality 
  and 
  latest 
  fashions," 
  including 
  

   "carved 
  and 
  plain 
  bedsteads"; 
  Paxton 
  & 
  

   Co., 
  in 
  1 
  8 
  17, 
  sell 
  "canted 
  corner 
  dressing 
  

   and 
  plain 
  bureaus"; 
  and 
  Elam 
  Williams, 
  

   a 
  cabinetmaker 
  at 
  167 
  William 
  Street, 
  sells 
  

  

  the 
  usual 
  brass 
  furnishings. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  

   noticed 
  that 
  these 
  rooms 
  of 
  north 
  and 
  

   south 
  are 
  practically 
  eighteenth 
  century 
  in 
  

   style, 
  but 
  in 
  conservative 
  homes 
  such 
  bed- 
  

   rooms 
  lingered 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  and 
  still 
  

   exist 
  in 
  many 
  country 
  houses 
  owned 
  by 
  the 
  

   descendants 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  possessors. 
  

  

  That 
  the 
  Empire 
  furniture 
  came 
  to 
  this 
  

   country 
  we 
  have 
  abundant 
  proof. 
  Some 
  

   of 
  the 
  very 
  best 
  examples 
  crossed 
  the 
  water 
  

   to 
  furnish 
  Joseph 
  Bonaparte's 
  house 
  near 
  

   Bordentown, 
  N. 
  J. 
  The 
  furniture 
  that 
  he 
  

   imported 
  to 
  adorn 
  "Point 
  Breeze" 
  was 
  of 
  

   the 
  richest 
  description, 
  as 
  the 
  few 
  specimens 
  

   still 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  prove. 
  Scarcely 
  less 
  

   sumptuous 
  was 
  the 
  furniture 
  owned 
  by 
  

   Madame 
  Jumel, 
  which 
  came 
  to 
  auction 
  in 
  

   1 
  82 
  1, 
  and 
  was 
  described 
  in 
  the 
  advertise- 
  

   ment 
  as 
  "being 
  a 
  careful 
  selection 
  made 
  in 
  

   Paris 
  by 
  the 
  best 
  judges 
  from 
  the 
  museum 
  

   and 
  palace 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  Emperor." 
  This 
  

   superb 
  furniture 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  Morris 
  

   House 
  on 
  Harlem 
  Heights, 
  purchased 
  by 
  

   Madame 
  Jumel 
  in 
  18 
  10. 
  She 
  could 
  well 
  

   afford 
  rich 
  furniture, 
  and 
  her 
  life 
  in 
  Paris 
  

   under 
  the 
  patronage 
  of 
  the 
  Marquis 
  de 
  

   Lafayette 
  gave 
  her 
  every 
  opportunity 
  to 
  know 
  what 
  was 
  

   correct. 
  

  

  The 
  wealthy 
  homes 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  Boston, 
  Philadelphia, 
  

   Baltimore, 
  Washington, 
  Richmond, 
  Charleston, 
  etc., 
  were 
  

   constantly 
  refurnished 
  to 
  suit 
  the 
  fashion 
  of 
  the 
  day. 
  Fine 
  

   articles 
  were 
  imported, 
  and 
  many 
  excellent 
  cabinetmakers 
  

   and 
  upholsterers 
  came 
  to 
  this 
  country 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  days 
  of 
  the 
  

   republic, 
  as 
  they 
  had 
  done 
  during 
  Colonial 
  times. 
  The 
  fol- 
  

  

  6 
  — 
  The 
  " 
  French 
  Bedstead 
  " 
  Had 
  a 
  Long 
  Popularity 
  

  

  "pillar 
  and 
  claw 
  tables, 
  mahogany 
  bedsteads, 
  field 
  and 
  high- 
  

   post 
  bedsteads," 
  in 
  18 
  18. 
  In 
  18 
  12 
  "high-post 
  mahogany 
  

   and 
  field-top 
  carved 
  bedsteads" 
  and 
  "orange 
  bed 
  and 
  win- 
  

   dow 
  curtains 
  with 
  gilt 
  cornices" 
  come 
  to 
  auction. 
  Other 
  

   pieces 
  of 
  bedroom 
  furniture 
  advertised 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  quarter 
  of 
  

   the 
  century 
  are: 
  "French 
  dressing-bureau 
  and 
  toilet 
  glass" 
  

   (1823) 
  ; 
  "French 
  pillar 
  and 
  column 
  bureaus 
  with 
  toilets 
  com- 
  

   plete" 
  (1824); 
  "ladies' 
  writing 
  secretaries 
  and 
  dressing- 
  

  

  