﻿October, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  385 
  

  

  bureaus" 
  (1824) 
  ; 
  "a 
  wardrobe 
  with 
  center 
  dressing 
  bureau" 
  

   (1826); 
  "toilets 
  with 
  hanging 
  wardrobes" 
  (1826); 
  and 
  

   "ladies' 
  superb 
  dressing 
  bureaus 
  and 
  toilets 
  with 
  glasses" 
  

   (1826). 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  noted 
  that 
  the 
  word 
  bureau 
  has 
  come 
  

   into 
  general 
  use 
  for 
  a 
  dressing-table. 
  This 
  originated 
  in 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  the 
  dressing-table 
  frequently 
  contained 
  a 
  desk 
  or 
  the 
  

   front 
  of 
  the 
  top 
  drawer 
  let 
  down 
  and 
  formed 
  a 
  desk. 
  Some- 
  

   times 
  the 
  dressing-bureau 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  chest 
  of 
  

   drawers. 
  The 
  examples 
  in 
  Nos. 
  2, 
  3 
  and 
  4 
  were 
  very 
  pop- 
  

   ular 
  during 
  the 
  nineteenth 
  century, 
  and 
  exist 
  to-day 
  in 
  the 
  

   hundreds. 
  Upon 
  the 
  top 
  slab 
  a 
  dressing-glass 
  with 
  drawers 
  

   was 
  usually 
  placed. 
  Another 
  form, 
  with 
  a 
  swinging 
  glass 
  

   on 
  upright 
  posts, 
  is 
  

   also 
  shown 
  in 
  No. 
  3. 
  

   This 
  dates 
  from 
  

   about 
  1840 
  to 
  i860. 
  

  

  The 
  old 
  -fash- 
  

   toned 
  chest- 
  upon- 
  

   chest 
  and 
  high-case 
  

   of 
  drawers, 
  errone- 
  

   ously 
  called 
  "high- 
  

   boy," 
  was 
  banished 
  

   in 
  the 
  nineteenth 
  

   century 
  bedroom 
  for 
  

   the 
  cumbrous 
  four- 
  

   square 
  wardrobe. 
  

   This 
  was 
  not 
  unfre- 
  

   quently 
  of 
  huge 
  pro- 
  

   portions, 
  and 
  from 
  

   about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  

   the 
  century 
  often 
  

   had 
  looking 
  - 
  glass 
  

   doors 
  or 
  panels. 
  

   The 
  redeeming 
  fea- 
  

   tures 
  of 
  the 
  ward- 
  

   r 
  o 
  b 
  e 
  were 
  that 
  it 
  

   was 
  usually 
  made 
  of 
  

   beautiful 
  mahogany, 
  

   solid 
  or 
  veneered. 
  

  

  It 
  contained 
  a 
  convenient 
  arrangement 
  of 
  drawers, 
  shelves 
  

   and 
  pegs 
  for 
  clothes. 
  These 
  wardrobes 
  were 
  often 
  used 
  as 
  

   linen 
  presses, 
  although 
  they 
  stood 
  in 
  the 
  bedroom. 
  

  

  In 
  his 
  last 
  years 
  Sheraton 
  fell 
  under 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  

   Empire. 
  He 
  had 
  always 
  followed 
  the 
  French 
  styles, 
  as 
  his 
  

   first 
  book 
  shows; 
  and 
  he 
  gradually 
  changed 
  the 
  Louis 
  XVI 
  

   style 
  for 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Empire. 
  Among 
  his 
  latest 
  plates 
  (he 
  

   died 
  in 
  1806) 
  are 
  many 
  designs 
  for 
  the 
  sofa-bed, 
  also 
  called 
  

   "lit 
  de 
  repos" 
  and 
  "lit 
  anglaise." 
  "The 
  frames 
  of 
  these 
  

   beds," 
  he 
  says, 
  "are 
  sometimes 
  painted 
  in 
  ornaments 
  to 
  suit 
  

   the 
  furniture. 
  But 
  when 
  the 
  furniture 
  is 
  of 
  very 
  rich 
  silk 
  

   they 
  are 
  done 
  in 
  white 
  and 
  gold 
  and 
  the 
  ornaments 
  carved. 
  

   The 
  cornice 
  cut 
  out 
  in 
  leaves 
  and 
  gilt 
  has 
  a 
  good 
  effect. 
  The 
  

   drapery 
  under 
  the 
  cornice 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  French 
  kind; 
  it 
  is 
  fringed 
  

   all 
  round 
  and 
  laps 
  on 
  to 
  each 
  other 
  like 
  unto 
  waves." 
  As 
  

  

  7 
  — 
  A 
  Bedroom 
  Furnished 
  and 
  Decorated 
  in 
  Louis 
  Quinze 
  Style 
  

  

  the 
  "sofa-bed" 
  continued 
  fashionable 
  until 
  about 
  1830, 
  a 
  

   few 
  descriptions 
  may 
  be 
  interesting. 
  

  

  A 
  canopy 
  and 
  sofa-bed 
  in 
  18 
  17 
  has 
  silk 
  draperies 
  of 
  dark 
  

   green 
  lined 
  with 
  lilac 
  and 
  buff. 
  These 
  fall 
  from 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  

   crown 
  and 
  are 
  trimmed 
  with 
  lace 
  and 
  gold 
  fringe. 
  "A 
  mus- 
  

   lin 
  embroidered 
  drapery 
  is 
  applied 
  as 
  a 
  covering 
  in 
  the 
  day- 
  

   time." 
  

  

  A 
  small 
  bed, 
  designed 
  in 
  18 
  16, 
  for 
  a 
  "young 
  lady 
  of 
  

   fashion," 
  has 
  hangings 
  of 
  light 
  blue 
  silk 
  lined 
  with 
  a 
  

   "tender 
  shade 
  of 
  brown." 
  The 
  curtains, 
  which 
  are 
  drawn 
  

   up 
  by 
  silk 
  cords 
  and 
  embellished 
  with 
  tassels, 
  are 
  sup- 
  

   ported 
  by 
  rings 
  and 
  rods 
  of 
  brass. 
  

  

  A 
  design 
  sent 
  

   from 
  Paris 
  in 
  18 
  16, 
  

   and 
  labeled 
  "French 
  

   bed," 
  is 
  described 
  

   as 
  "an 
  English 
  bed 
  

   with 
  corner 
  posts, 
  

   decorated 
  agreeably 
  

   to 
  Parisian 
  fancy." 
  

   The 
  framework 
  is 
  

   made 
  of 
  rosewood, 
  

   ornamented 
  with 
  

   carved 
  foliage, 
  gilt 
  

   in 
  matt 
  and 
  bur- 
  

   nished 
  gold. 
  The 
  

   drapery 
  is 
  of 
  rose- 
  

   colored 
  silk, 
  lined 
  

   with 
  azure 
  blue, 
  and 
  

   consists 
  of 
  one 
  cur- 
  

   tain 
  gathered 
  up 
  at 
  

   the 
  ring 
  in 
  the 
  cen- 
  

   ter 
  of 
  the 
  canopy, 
  

   being 
  full 
  enough 
  to 
  

   form 
  the 
  festoons 
  

   and 
  curtains 
  both 
  of 
  

   the 
  head 
  and 
  foot. 
  

   The 
  curtain 
  is 
  

   edged 
  with 
  fringe. 
  

   "The 
  taste 
  for 
  French 
  furniture," 
  writes 
  an 
  authority 
  in 
  

   1822, 
  is 
  carried 
  to 
  such 
  an 
  extent 
  that 
  most 
  elegantly 
  fur- 
  

   nished 
  mansions, 
  particularly 
  the 
  sleeping-rooms, 
  are 
  fitted 
  

   up 
  in 
  the 
  French 
  style." 
  He 
  recommends 
  a 
  "sofa 
  or 
  French 
  

   bed." 
  "The 
  sofa 
  is 
  highly 
  ornamented 
  with 
  Grecian 
  orna- 
  

   ments 
  in 
  burnished 
  and 
  matt 
  gold. 
  The 
  curtains 
  and 
  inner 
  

   coverlids 
  are 
  of 
  white 
  satin. 
  The 
  outer 
  covering 
  is 
  of 
  muslin 
  

   in 
  order 
  to 
  display 
  the 
  ornaments 
  to 
  advantage 
  and 
  bear 
  out 
  

   the 
  richness 
  of 
  the 
  canopy. 
  The 
  dome 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  alter- 
  

   nate 
  pink 
  and 
  gold 
  fluting, 
  surrounded 
  with 
  ostrich 
  feathers, 
  

   forming 
  a 
  novel, 
  light 
  and 
  elegant 
  effect; 
  the 
  drapery 
  is 
  

   green 
  satin 
  with 
  a 
  salmon-colored 
  lining." 
  

  

  The 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  Empire 
  upon 
  mahogany 
  furniture 
  

   lasted 
  from 
  1830 
  to 
  the 
  period 
  when 
  factory-made 
  articles 
  

   supplanted 
  those 
  of 
  hand 
  work. 
  

  

  