The great English furniture designers such as Hepplewhite, Sheraton and Chippendale published significant books on cabinet and furniture design. Are there any North American designers from that period who published similar works? Cheers
The great English furniture designers such as Hepplewhite, Sheraton and Chippendale published significant books on cabinet and furniture design. Are there any North American designers from that period who published similar works? Cheers
Every construction obeys the laws of physics. Whether we like or understand the result is of no interest to the universe.
Don't think there are any American books that early. Some furniture then was designed by architects for a particular building. In some cases the patron didn't like the stuff and would not allow construction. But you will find some of their designs. The carver Samuel Mc Kintire was a great talent with an individual take on "federal style". Most influential with many imitators.
Hmm, I guess you guys were still getting rid of the Brits and we were still getting "discovered"(invaded) by the Brits when Hepplewhite, Sheraton and Chippendale were on the scene.
Thanks Mel, Samuel McIntyre is a good lead. Cheers
The only book I can think of in that vein is Asher Benjamin's American Builder's Companion, which popularized the neoclassical tradition in architecture and may have influenced Federal era furnituremakers. There are numerous studies of eighteenth century American furniture but the makers seem to have stuck to their benches.Useful surveys include Albert Sack's The New Fine Points of Furniture: Early American and Jeffrey P. Greene's American Furniture of the 18th Century.
Wayne, to see how derivative design can be look at Greek stuff,then Roman, Adam brothers, then on to the Federal period guys. The designers did not leave it to your eyes to convince their stuff was good,they argued for it. Main schtick of the
Adam brothers was that Pompei & pal showed that modern interior designers had "incorectly" used exterior ancient style inside the house. They admired the ancients and wanted to copy ...the right way.
Thanks guys