January, i 9ii 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
53 
making the first real serpentine sideboard, 
about 1780, which was not a more or less 
disconnected collection of tables and pedes¬ 
tals. It was the forerunner of the Hepple- 
white and Sheraton sideboards that we 
know so well. Shearer is now hardly- 
known even by name to the general world, 
but without doubt his ideal of lightness 
and strength in construction had a gqod 
deal of influence on his contemporaries and 
followers. 
1740-1750 1750-1760 1755-1770 1760-1770 1750-1770 
'(JpHONf.j 
The different combinations of 
“C” curves and cyma curves 
that help one to date Chip¬ 
pendale chairs. The first 
figure shows the familiar 
curved top that is so char¬ 
acteristic of Chippendale’s earliest work. 
Most of these early backs were fitted 
with cabriole legs. The growing influ¬ 
ence of the French styles is shown in the 
third column. At this time the ribbon-back 
chair, which he elaborated to such an ex¬ 
tent, developed. Although the Gothic and 
Chinese designs, and the various ladder- 
back forms (shown in the last sketch), 
are found from 1760-70, these drawings 
show the growing tendency toward re¬ 
straint and simplicity which marked the 
later years. These are but the merest 
suggestions of splat outlines and curves, 
but they show the most common varia¬ 
tions of design 
The transition from Chippendale to 
Hepplewhite, about 1780-1790, was not 
sudden, as the last style of Chippendale 
was simpler and had more of the classic 
feeling in it. Hepplewhite says, in the 
preface to his book: “To unite elegance 
and utility, and blend the useful with the 
agreeable, has ever been considered a dif¬ 
ficult but an honorable task.” He some¬ 
times failed and sometimes succeeded. His 
knowledge of construction enabled him to 
make his chairs with shield, oval, and 
heart-shaped backs. The tops were slight¬ 
ly curved, also the tops of the slats, and at 
the low r er edge where the back and the 
splat join, a half rosette was carved. He 
used straight or tapering legs with spade 
feet for his furniture, often inlaid with 
bellflowers in satinwood. The legs were 
sometimes carved with a double ogee curve 
and bead molding. The upholstery was 
fastened to the chairs with brass-headed 
tacks, often in a festoon pattern. Oval¬ 
shaped brass handles were used on his 
bureaus, desks, and other furniture. He 
did not use much carving, but used inlay of 
satinwood, etc., oval panels, lines, urns, 
and many other motives common to the 
other cabinet-makers of the day. He made 
many sideboards, some, in fact, going back 
to the side table and pedestal idea, and 
bottle-cases and knife-boxes were put on 
IBP 
* l 1760-1770 
“The Clear Track” 
Two men a thousand miles apart 
talk to each other by telephone 
without leaving their desks. 
Two wires of copper form the 
track over which the talk travels 
from point to point throughout a 
continent 
Moving along one railroad track 
at the same time are scores of trains 
carrying thousands of passengers. 
The telephone track must be 
clear from end to end to carry the 
voice of one customer. 
The Bell system has more than 
ten million miles of wire and reaches 
over five million telephones. This 
system is operated by a force of 
one hundred thousand people and 
makes seven billion connections a 
year—twenty million “clear tracks” 
a day for the local and long dis¬ 
tance communication of the Ameri¬ 
can people. 
The efficiency of the Pell system depends upon 
"One System, One Policy, Universal Service/* 
American Telephone and Telegraph Company 
And Associated Companies 
HEATH a TWITCHELL, Architects 
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