How to Buy Good Antiques 
WHAT TO SEEK AND WHAT TO AVOID IN PURCHASING OLD-FASHIONED FURNITURE—THE IM¬ 
PORTANCE OF CHOOSING PARTICULAR STYLES FOR SPECIAL CONDITIONS—METHODS OF BUYING 
by N. Hudson Moore 
Photographs by the Author 
A well shaped chair of the 
American Chippendale 
T HE rage for the antique instead of subsid¬ 
ing is gradually extending; people buy 
without sufficient reflection, so that the mistress 
of the tiniest and most simple frame house, loves 
to prate of her "old mahogany.’’ Unfortunately, 
these old-fashioned pieces of furniture, however 
handsome they may be in themselves, often do 
not harmonize with the scheme of the modern 
house. Even old mahogany of the choicest type 
can be a misfit in unsuitable surroundings and 
look as inappropriate as a diamond necklace 
above a calico gown. 
Now there are a few simple rules which 
might be laid down about the buying of any 
furniture, antique or modern. They have not 
been lightly formulated, so when you go to 
buy even a simple piece see if it fills these three requirements: 
First, is it useful; second, is it beautiful; third, is it suitable. 
You want your furniture to be 
absolutely fitted for your needs; 
if a chair, it should be comfort¬ 
able, light enough for the average 
woman to lift or move about, and 
a pleasing thing to look upon, 
simple, of good lines, in proper 
proportion, undefaced with ma¬ 
chine carving and glassy varnish. 
Lastly a chair should be suitable 
for the rest of the furniture, for 
the room where it is to be placed, 
and for you. 
A sofa is a harder thing to buy, 
since its life is generally longer 
than that of a chair, its cost more, 
the space you have to put it in 
must be considered, and it must be 
This American Hepplewhite absolutely comfortable. It is a poor 
shows excellent proportions plan to buy too much furniture at a 
time, for since it will be more or less a permanent 
fixture you want to be sure your choice is a wise one. 
When you buy antique furniture keep all these 
rules in mind and some others, such as: Shall I 
buy "in the rough" or restored; shall I confine 
myself to one period, one wood, and one general 
style, or shall I buy what I like without reference 
to having a homogeneous whole? 
Hundreds of inquiries come each year from 
men as well as women as to the advisability of 
buying, say, a certain piece of “Chippendale ma¬ 
hogany," a sideboard (he never made these), 
sofa, bookcase, chairs, etc. My first question al¬ 
ways is, "Have you a suitable background?" By 
this I mean are the rooms large, old-fashioned; 
is the rest of the furniture in keeping, are the walls 
properly treated? If a dining-room piece is at issue, are your silver, 
china, glass and linen of suitable elegance and proper period? 
If your home is new with natu¬ 
ral woodwork of chestnut or oak, 
cypress or even Georgia pine, it is 
far better to have your furniture 
in good shape and of similar 
wood. Familiarize yourself with 
the treatment and general shape 
of fine old pieces, which the mod¬ 
ern craftsman has not been able to 
improve upon, and see that what 
you buy conforms to these lines. 
If, however, your house has 
wide low rooms, if you live in an 
old house or one built on what is 
called Colonial style, nothing is 
more suitable or delightful for it 
than old furniture. 
First disabuse your mind of the 
delusion that because a piece is Too heavy lower parts spoil 
old it is beautiful. Under the head the harmony of the lines 
A 
'J 
very solid but not especially pleasing desk that was 
used by Washington while he was President 
The mahogany pie crust table is 
light and graceful 
The tambour work doors in the upper part of 
this Sheraton secretary roll back 
( 137 ) 
