106 
House & Garden 
Early 17th Century English Carved and Inlaid Oak 
Court-cupboard, by Kensington. 
Although the Renaissance movement in 
England reached its full development in the 
16 th Century under the great Elizabeth, 
some of the finest furniture in the style was 
produced in the first quarter of the follow¬ 
ing century. The work of the wood-carver 
was still rich in imaginative conception and 
decorative quality, while the art of the 
cabinet-maker had steadily developed. Furni¬ 
ture was no longer ponderous but of fine 
proportions and excellent cabinet construc¬ 
tion. Its moderate scale and great utility 
make it entirely practical for use in our mod¬ 
ern homes. 
Kensington reproductions are authentic in 
every detail of design, and retain through the 
old-time hand processes of the Kensington 
craftsmen the character and the decorative 
quality that are the charm of the antique. 
Kensington furniture is made 
in all the decorative styles ap¬ 
propriate for American homes. 
The purchase of Ken¬ 
sington Furniture may 
be arranged through 
your decorator or 
furniture dealer. 
Write for Illustrated 
Booklet H and pam¬ 
phlet, “H o zv Ken¬ 
sington Furnitnre 
May Be Purchased." 
MANUFACTURERS AND IMPORTERS 
DECORATIVE FURNITURE ~ ART OBJECTS 
Njw YORK 
Showrooms : 14 East 32 nd Street 
j 
1, 
1 
JbiiB 
!§§i 
life 
Windsor chairs are found among the early American designs. 
Here are two types — hoop-back and loop-back. Maple, ash,, 
hickory and pine were the woods used 
EARLY AMERICAN CHAIRS 
(Continued from page 58) 
Dutch, and, later, French furniture inet-making. Lynn, Marblehead, Sa- 
into their communities, for they did lem, Newburvport, Bradford and other 
not scorn European “wooden wares”, towns all had chair-makers who did a 
On the other hand they industriously rushing business. Even gentleman 
produced pieces of their own, inspired amateurs took a hand at the game as 
by European furniture forms, but not when the Rev. Theophilus Pickering 
lacking in definitely original local de- built two chairs (perhaps more) for 
velopments. his Salem house in 1724, and when 
Benjamin Franklin designed his fa- 
native woods mous folding step-ladder chair for his 
library in 1761. 
The abundance of woods at hand The New England chairs from 1700 
for furniture construction was put to to 1720 were mainly of the slat-back 
good account in Massachusetts, Con- order and then till 1750 the black or 
necticut, Rhode Island, New York, white cane back chairs were very popu- 
New Jersey and Pennsylvania by the lar. Very little mahogany was used 
home craftsmen in Colonial days. The in New England as early as 1750 but 
Massachusetts colonists encouraged cab- maple had come into more or less 
inet-making and chair-making. The vogue. American slat-back rockers 
early Massachusetts wainscot chairs came into vogue about 1725. About 
were turned and carved, massive but 1700 the bannister back chair was in- 
along good lines, following the furni- troduced from England. Some twenty- 
ture of the England of the period, five years later its Spanish foot was 
although dispensing with much of the discarded and the balusters and up- 
carving of Charles I reign. Oak, ash, rights were flattened on both sides, 
elm, walnut, maple, pine and red cedar 
were the woods at hand for the Ameri- the new York market 
can chair-makers, and well they 
wrought. Early in the century the New York was a rich market in 
chair in Northern America was, more Colonial days for both imported and 
or less, a patriarchal prerogative, a seat locally made furniture. There were 
for the head of the family, when he of course, many Dutch chairs brought 
had time to sit down: the others, for over in the New Amsterdam days, and 
the most part could content themselves as early as 1656, nine years after the 
with stools. By the end of the century arrival of Governor Peter Stuyvesant, 
chairs came into general use and wood the Burgomasters of Amsterdam had 
workers multiplied. In Boston in 1680 stipulated that the West India Com- 
or thereabouts John Clarke, cabinet- pany should give colonists going to 
maker, Ebenezer Savage, William Kill- America suitable transportation with 
cupp, turner, and Thomas Stapleford, their families and household furniture 
chairmaker were plying their honor- and other necessaries. The Dutch 
able trades. Not only were there chairs brought over in the early days 
chairs for grown-ups, but children’s were painted black, with rush bot- 
chairs became common articles of fur- toms, jar shaped slats, and bow-shaped 
niture in New England homes. top rails. The legs were turned and they 
In the later years of the 17th Cen- terminated in the characteristic hoof 
tury black walnut began to replace oak feet. While oak chairs were still the 
in the construction of chairs. By the sort most generally found in the South, 
end of the century rigidity in design other woods were employed for the 
gave way to the influence of less for- chairs brought into New York or pos- 
mal lines. Seats of rush, reed, sedge sibly made there. Probably the eight- 
and the inner bark of basswood were een Turkey-work, twenty-four single¬ 
in vogue. Broadly speaking, the period nailed and twelve double-nailed leather 
1700-1720 was the American walnut chairs which Captain Kidd acquired 
period; Turkey-work, Russia leather in 1692 through marriage with John 
and cane w r ere used in their construction. Ort’s widow were of the old type; by 
1690 the bombe lines and cabriole 
new England craftsmen legged chairs had superseded the more 
stately oak chairs of the earlier days 
From 1700 until the Revolutionary of life on Manhattan Island. 
War, New England locally produced By 1730 English and other chair- 
more furniture than she imported. At makers, cabinet-makers, joiners, and 
the dawn of the 18th Century the ex- carvers were establishing themselves in 
cellence of her craftsmen was known New York and also in Philadelphia, 
throughout the Colonies. In 1700, for Mahogany, though very expensive, was 
instance, Edward Drinker, Jr. of Penn- coming into use. The Dutch taste, 
sylvania, journeyed all the way from so popular in England was naturally 
Philadelphia to Boston to learn cab- ( Continued on page 108) 
