This Baker chair shows a strong Empire influence. (LiveAuctioneers.com/DuMouchelles photo)

After the American Revolution ended in 1783, the fledgling country struggled to establish its new identity in a number of areas, including furniture style and design. It plowed through the Federal period—unabashedly using the ideas of English designers like Hepplewhite and Sheraton—and then climbed into the Empire period in the footsteps of Napoleon. When the English crown again beckoned, this time in the form of Queen Victoria, in the mid-19th century, American furniture styles reverted to customized versions of the European revival forms for most of the rest of the century. Until, that is, the Centennial Exposition in 1876, which ushered in the longest-lasting continuous furniture movement in American history: Colonial Revival, an appreciation of and interest in furniture styles and forms from the early years of this country as a colony of the English crown.

Philadelphia hosted the nation’s 100th birthday party in the form of a great exhibition of furniture and technology from across the country and around the world. While the most popular setting at the Exposition was the Japanese exhibit, and most of the American furniture on display was in the battleship-scale of the Renaissance Revival style, there was an awakening of interest in what American furniture had looked like 100 years before, when the country’s founding fathers had the nerve to start the struggle for independence.

In spite of the commercial success and public accolades of the Centennial Exhibition, sentiment at the grassroots level was still looking over its shoulder to the glorious Colonial past. An effort was made, by those who could, to surround themselves with articles from this era, attaching a new importance to history, value and integrity. This was the beginning of the Colonial Revival. It soon became apparent, however, that there were many more Victorians wanting to acquire Colonial antiques than there were actual Colonial antiques. In a collection of essays originally written for Scribner’s Monthly and published in book form in 1877 as “The House Beautiful,” Clarence Cook, a contemporary art critic, stated the obvious. He noted the shortage of genuine Colonial antiques and suggested that well executed reproductions would do just as well as the real thing. That opened the flood gates.

Hepplewhite SB full – This is a Colonial Revival Federal period sideboard made by Baker fashioned after a design by George Hepplewhite. Hepplewhite was an English designer whose work was popular in the United States in the late 1700s and early 1800s Federal period. He is best known for his design of the oval drawer pulls of the period that bear his name. (LiveAuctioneers.com/Lewis & Maese Auction Co photo)

This graceful Baker sideboard is also Hepplewhite style. (LiveAuctioneers.com/Pook & Pook photo)

While the two concepts would later seem to be at odds with each other, the revival of interest in colonial American furniture and colonial reproductions coincided with the advent of the basic tenets of the Arts and Crafts movement, a return to basic craftsmanship and honesty in construction techniques as espoused by William Morris, Charles Eastlake and Elbert Hubbard.

A number of companies such as Sypher & Company of New York and Potthast Brothers of Baltimore were making faithful reproductions of 18th-century items, often in bench-made fashion rather than on an assembly line. Some of the items were even completely hand done. By the 1920s, some small shops were also doing excellent work, such as Margolis in Hartford and of course Wallace Nutting in Massachusetts. But their work, while excellent, was limited in quantity and could not satisfy the growing demand for good work at a reasonable price in large volume.

These elegant baker Chippendale armchairs have square chamfered Marlborough legs and intricately detailed pierce carved splats. (LiveAuctioneers.com/Susanin’s Auction photo)

A pair of Baker Queen Anne style chairs with reverse scroll arms, patterned after a style from 1730-1750. The arms intensify the curvaceous design of the chairs. (LiveAuctioneers.com/Pook & Pook photo)

Then along came Hollis Baker, son of Siebe Baker, the Dutch immigrant who founded the firm of Cook and Baker in 1893 in Holland, Mich., near Grand Rapids. By 1925, the company was called Baker & Company and Hollis Baker was the president. He had a great interest in the Arts and Crafts movement and was especially interested in handcrafted furniture from the 18th century. But he saw the reality of the business situation and knew that whoever could solve the problem of combining the quality of handcrafted furniture with the practicalities of mass production would be very successful. In an article in “The Furniture Blue Book” in 1923, Baker wrote, “It is not so hard to make beautiful things where unlimited time and money can be spent. But to bring beauty within the reach of the average man is an even higher accomplishment. It is here that the opportunity lies in the furniture trade.”

And Baker attacked the opportunity with zeal. The company introduced a line of American reproduction furniture in 1922, a Duncan Phyfe suite in 1923 and furniture based on Pilgrim styling in 1926. The company was renamed Baker Furniture Factories in 1927 and began to specialize in high-quality, faithfully executed reproductions. Meanwhile, Baker traipsed all over Europe looking for examples that could be sent back to Holland and Grand Rapids as examples. By 1931, the company was producing a line of Georgian mahogany furniture called the “Old World Collection” and in 1932 opened the Manor House in New York City to produce top-of-the-line, handmade reproductions, faithful down to the dovetailing and finishing.

This Baker Regency style drum table was originally designed by Thomas Sheraton. The form was developed in the late 18th century based on the shape of a military drum with a deeper skirt for drawers. (LiveAuctioneers.com/Skinner photo)

This magnificent Federal period four-door breakfront by Baker is made of crotch cut mahogany veneer with satinwood inlay. It sold at auction for $3,250 in 2005. (LiveAuctioneers.com/S & S Auction photo)

In 1941, the company opened the Baker Museum for Furniture Research in Holland and provided a much-appreciated source of information on authentic furniture for researchers and collectors. In 1936, Colonial Williamsburg commissioned a line of reproductions to be made by Kittinger. When Kittinger was sold in 1991, Baker took over the Colonial Williamsburg license.

Thousands of American furniture manufacturers made and still make fine Colonial Revival furniture, but only a few made high-quality faithful reproductions. For more information about the Colonial Revival see, “Colonial Revival Furniture” by Lindquist and Warren, Wallace-Homestead. For more information about Baker furniture see “Fine Furniture Reproductions, 18th Century Revivals of the 1930s and 1940s,” published by Schiffer Publishing.

Fred Taylor is a antique furniture Worthologist who specializes in American furniture from the Late Classicism period (1830-1850).

———————————

Send your comments, questions and pictures to me at PO Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423 or info [at] furnituredetective [dot] com.

Visit Fred’s website at www.furnituredetective.com. His book “How To Be A Furniture Detective” is now available for $18.95 plus $3 shipping. Send check or money order for $21.95 to Fred Taylor, PO Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423.

Fred and Gail Taylor’s DVD, “Identification of Older & Antique Furniture,” ($17 + $3 S&H) and a bound compilation of the first 60 columns of “Common Sense Antiques,” by Fred Taylor ($25 + $3 S&H) are also available at the same address. For more information call 800-387-6377, fax 352-563-2916, or e-mail info [at] furnituredetective [dot] com.

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This is the famous “Chautauqua” desk first offered by Larkin in the 1901 catalog for six certificates or as a premium for buying a $10 Combination Case of Larkin Soap products. Variations of this desk were offered into the early 1920s.

The term “Larkin Desk” is a familiar one to most collectors and buyers of older and antique furniture, especially to those who favor furniture from the “Golden Oak” era around the turn of the 20th century. In fact, the phrase has become so familiar that the original meaning and source may be a little obscure.

In Buffalo, NY, a young John Larkin went to work in 1861, at age 16, for Justus Weller, who then moved to Chicago in 1870 to establish a new soap manufacturing concern. Larkin became a partner in the business at age 26, not long after the move to Chicago, but sold his interest back to Weller in 1875 to return home to Buffalo, having recently married Hannah Frances Hubbard, a native of his home town. His new small business in Buffalo was the manufacture of a laundry product called Sweet Home Soap, his one and only product. John Larkin may have had the know-how to make soap, but it was his new brother-in-law, Elbert Hubbard, knew how to sell it—in vast quantities. His marketing efforts were so successful that within two years Larkin had to acquire a larger manufacturing facility and soon made Hubbard his partner in the business.

Elbert Hubbard was a true pioneer in the mass marketing field. His ability with words and his creativity were responsible for the phenomenal growth experienced by J. D. Larkin and Company. His new techniques included the use of premiums enclosed with the product; at first just a small card with a homey scene on it. Housewives traded among themselves to accumulate the entire set. Sound familiar? Another technique was to sell a box of 100 pieces of soap to an individual and encourage them to resell the pieces to neighbors, while purchasing the $10 original box on the installment plan. The reseller not only made a profit, she got redeemable premium points good toward purchases from the Larkin catalog. The Larkin Company, in turn, made a profit and accumulated a huge mailing list of people who bought a disposable product, soap, and would need to buy it again. Hubbard really had an impact on his time and he would do it a second time. In 1893 he left Larkin for a trip to Europe. There he met and was impressed by William Morris (of Morris chair fame) and his artistic ideas. He returned to New York and in 1895 established the American branch of the nascent Arts and Crafts movement in Aurora, N.Y. with the founding of a colony called “The Roycrofters,” a group of artisans dedicated to simpler times and ways.

This Larkin Buffet No. 220, first offered in 1909 for 20 certificates, was one of the first curved glass pieces made by Larkin in the Buffalo factory.

Meanwhile, John Larkin’s soap and premium goliath marched on. He awarded such vast quantities of household goods as premiums that he had to start manufacturing them himself. One of the more popular premiums was assorted crockery, which he had heretofore purchased from outside vendors, primarily in New Jersey. In 1901 Larkin chartered his own factory, named Buffalo Pottery, to supply him with premium crockery. Its first kiln was fired in 1903.

But perhaps the most lasting legacy of Mr. Larkin’s industriousness and Mr. Hubbard’s cleverness is in the area of home furnishings. The 1890′s were the roaring years of the emerging catalog sales industry and Larkin was right out there in front with his company motto of “Factory to Family.” And he meant it. All of this happily coincided with the long awaited adaptation of mass production techniques to furniture, generally begun after the Civil War but really coming into its own in the 1880′s.

And mass produce they did. While Sears dominated the market, there was plenty of room for Aaron Montgomery Ward and John Larkin in the furniture industry.

Through Larkin’s effort, Buffalo became one of the major mass-production locations of American furniture. And the preferred wood was oak, preferably quarter sawn and solid—no veneers allowed. The style of the great mass of production furniture was definitely questionable, but all-in-all, it had a kind of “Art Nouveau” flair to it, with swirls, flowing lines and applied decorative motifs.

This scan of page 15 from the Larkin Oak catalog of 1908 shows some of the other desks offered by Larkin, including the Chautauqua, three other drop fronts, two roll tops and a side-by-side. The current catalog is published by Walter Ayars of Echo Publishing in Summerdale, PA.

One of the most popular items in Larkin’s inventory was the drop front combination bookcase/desk. Variations included a glass front case with a drop front desk attached to the side, two glass front cases with a desk in the middle or simply a drop front desk with a small open bookcase below the drop and candle stands above it, with a mirror in the high splashboard.

These desks were all solid oak plank, assembled with nail and glue construction; no fancy joinery here. In fact, in some cases the desks were so easy to assemble that they were shipped flat and assembled on site at the buyer’s house. Molding and trim was applied ash or maple and the back panels were commonly three-layer plywood. Escutcheons were stamped brass and the better desks had brass hinges on the drop. Cheaper ones had iron butt hinges.

No matter the quality and style, or lack thereof, this type of desk became “everyman’s” desk and was a very common item in almost all homes of the period. It was THE hot decorating item for many years and Mr. Larkin’s name was commonly attached to the form, whether it came from his factory or not. Thus we have the “Larkin Desk.”

So many of these desks were manufactured that they are readily available today at relatively reasonable prices. Collectors should look for sturdy, simply built units made of well-grained oak, preferably quarter sawn. Avoid pieces with broken mirrors, missing drop fronts, replaced hardware or signs of excessive restoration such as “hot stripping.” In many cases the original plywood backs have deteriorated and been replaced. The cheapest oak plywood is red oak and a replacement back is easy to spot since the desks are invariably made of white oak. In other words, this is one of the rare, desirable items from our past where enough of them exist that you can be picky in your selection. So be picky.

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Fred Taylor is a antique furniture Worthologist who specializes in American furniture from the Late Classicism period (1830-1850).

Send your comments, questions and pictures to me at PO Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423 or info [at] furnituredetective [dot] com.

Visit Fred’s website at www.furnituredetective.com. His book “How To Be A Furniture Detective” is now available for $18.95 plus $3 shipping. Send check or money order for $21.95 to Fred Taylor, PO Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423.

Fred and Gail Taylor’s DVD, “Identification of Older & Antique Furniture,” ($17 + $3 S&H) and a bound compilation of the first 60 columns of “Common Sense Antiques,” by Fred Taylor ($25 + $3 S&H) are also available at the same address. For more information call 800-387-6377, fax 352-563-2916, or e-mail info [at] furnituredetective [dot] com.

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Let’s start with one of North America’s oldest furniture styles, the so-called Pilgrim or Puritan style, beginning in the early 1600s. Most of the folks of this period were VERY recent arrivals and the furniture they crafted for themselves had a very familiar look to it. After taking into account what might be called “regional influences”—meaning the Colonies—the style itself is essentially “Jacobean,” that catch-all Latin term referring to England in the time of King James I, Charles I, the Commonwealth, the Restoration, Charles II and James II. In other words, most of the 17th century until William and Mary came along, circa. 1688. The furniture was blocky, big, solid, dark and ungainly, mostly made of oak—just like at home. The Colonists were true to their heritage.

Early in the 18th century the effects of the William and Mary reign became felt in American furniture thought. It took a few years to get here, but the Colonies always lagged behind, transportation being what it was. The Dutch craftsmen employed by William introduced a new, lighter, more comfortable form with bun—or Spanish—feet, elegant turnings and decorations and teardrop pulls, and they influenced Colonial furniture in turn. Some of America’s most prized antiques are Colonial interpretations of William and Mary.

This William & Mary highboy shows the verticality of the new form in the late 17th century.

After William’s death in 1702, Mary’s little sister Anne became Queen of England and the Colonies dutifully imported (belatedly of course) the newest style named after the new queen. The QA style was slim and elegant with graceful curves, subtle decoration, slipper or pad feet and valanced skirts, all in all a very feminine form. This English style also created some of America’s most cherished works.

Just as Thomas Chippendale borrowed the QA style in 1750, adding dog ears, pierced splats and heavy acanthus carving and calling it his own, the Colonies borrowed the new style from Thomas and used it right into the Revolution, being careful not to call it “Georgian,” as the later version of the style was known in England.

A Philadelphia chair circa 1776 shows the rococo changes Chippendale made to the basic Queen Anne chair.

At long last, the Revolution! Surely, this called for a new American styling and so it was called “Federal,” in honor of the new country based on federal, rather than royal principles. So who were the great designers and builders of America’s new furniture? Among the strong stylistic influences were George Hepplewhite and Thomas Sheraton, respected English designers of the period. Also prominent were the Adam brothers, Robert and James, Scottish architects greatly influenced by first century Roman architecture.

The end of a D-end Federal period banquet table shows the influence of Thomas Sheraton in the tapered legs.

On this side of the Atlantic, the best known practitioner of Federal was the Scotsman residing in New York named Duncan Phyfe, whose work was influenced by the early traditional English designers, but also by the Directoire and Empire of France and the Regency of England. Phyfe’s contemporary, Charles-Honore’ Lannuier, recently arrived from France and worked in the Directoire and later Empire field as his contribution to Federal furniture.

By the end of the first quarter of the 19th century, the facade of Federal had fallen to the unabashed Europhile Empire style; Napoleon’s only lasting positive contribution to the world. He had directed his architects to develop a new style for his “Empire,” which they enthusiastically did, combining classical motifs from Egypt and Greece with animistic additions such as carved animal feet and wings. Napoleon of course didn’t make it, but his style survived in England, modified only slightly, as Regency, and in America first as Empire and then in later versions as “Late Classicism” or “Restauration” as late as mid-century.

This classic Empire chair was made by Duncan Phyfe, circa 1820. (Daytona Museum of Arts and Sciences photo).

Victoria became queen of England in 1837, and that started a 60-year binge of digging up and recycling styles of the past, politely called “revivals” under the umbrella label of “Victorian,” and America joined the bandwagon. Major revivals of style included Rococo-Louis XV, the revival of a phase of European art of the 18th century featuring rocks (rocailles) and shells (coquilles), Renaissance, a revival of 15th and 16th century Italian styles, Gothic, a revival of 15th century styles which was itself a revival of the 9th century as well as other lesser known revivals.

This chair by Belter illustrates the decorative flavor of the Rococo Revival of the mid 19th century.

A Renaissance Revival bed, circa 1875, reflects the architectural element of the style.

It also included a newer form based on the architectural concepts of an Englishman named Charles Locke Eastlake, whose idea of linear simplicity was driven to absurdity by American factory designers.

A reaction to all this elaborate revival erupted in Europe in the late 19th century, led mainly by William Morris in England and produced the Arts and Crafts movement, quickly embraced in America by Elbert Hubbard who started the Roycroft colony in Aurora, New York, by the Stickley family and by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Thus, it appears that for most of America’s existence, we have mooched our styles from abroad. Then, at last, came the great American contribution to American furniture: In the latter part of the 19th century we started to reproduce our own borrowed history and in the process accidentally produced the one true American style—Colonial Revival.

This 1930s table shows the creative redesign of Colonial styles in this Colonial Revival Depression era interpretation of the Jacobean style. This was our new style.

Fred Taylor is a Worthologist who specializes in American furniture from the Late Classicism period (1830-1850).

Visit Fred’s website at www.furnituredetective.com. His book “How To Be A Furniture Detective” is now available for $18.95 plus $3 shipping. Send check or money order for $21.95 to Fred Taylor, PO Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423.

Fred and Gail Taylor’s DVD, “Identification of Older & Antique Furniture,” ($17 + $3 S&H) and a bound compilation of the first 60 columns of “Common Sense Antiques,” by Fred Taylor ($25 + $3 S&H) are also available at the same address.

For more information call 800-387-6377, fax 352-563-2916, or e-mail info [at] furnituredetective [dot] com.

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Join WorthPoint on Twitter and Facebook.

Among the most interesting antiques and collectibles that I have found are those of the J.D. Larkin Furniture Co. and Elbert Hubbard’s Roycrofters commune. The 1900s Larkin bookcase-desks and the creative 1900-1927 Roycrofter publications have become desirable collectibles.

The creative symbiosis that was born out of the joining of the families of John D. Larkin and Elbert Hubbard in Buffalo and East Aurora, New York, resulted in developing Larkin’s Sweet Home Soap Co. into a remarkably successful business.

Larkin married Hubbard’s sister, Anna Frances Hubbard. Larkin knew the soap business, but Hubbard was a pioneer in innovative marketing techniques using premiums, coupons, trading cards and even recruiting housewives as sales agents. The late-19th century was also the era of the booming mail-order catalog giants, Montgomery Ward; Sears, Roebuck; and others. Thanks in part to Hubbard’s efforts, Larkin’s catalogs enjoyed wide, successful distribution.

Influential Artisans Commune Established

It was during a trip to England in 1982 that Elbert Hubbard met William Morris,
furniture designer of the now antique and very collectible Morris Chair. Hubbard was impressed with the designer’s creative and artistic concepts. So much so that in 1895, Hubbard established a commune of artisans, leather workers, printers, metal smiths, bookbinders and artists. Hubbard named the commune the Roycrofters after a 16th-century religious order.

The Frontispiece for “The Note Book of Elbert Hubbard”

The Roycroft Press, with its unique art forms and innovative designs, filled a niche that was apparently waiting for Elbert Hubbard to serve its needs. His philosophical treatises, “Elbert Hubbard’s Scrap book,” “The Note Book of Elbert Hubbard,” “Little Journeys”; his inspiring pamphlet, “A Message To Garcia,” had printings totaling 40 million copies.

Most popular were his monthly magazines: The Fra, and The Philistine.

The photographs are from my own collectibles of these 100-year-old antiques. The
Roycrofters’ businesses hit their peak in 1910 with more than 500 artisans working in the Roycrofter commune.

Elbert Hubbard’s nationwide lectures enjoyed huge attendance. The commune
became a “point of interest” for so many visitors to East Aurora that the Roycrofters had to build a hotel and a museum to accommodate the flow of weekend groups that came to meet Hubbard, purchase his books and the Roycrofters’ furnishings, arts and crafts.

1912 Fra

Working with his brother-in-law, the Larkin Furniture Factory was inaugurated. Utilizing the mass-production concepts that had been advancing after the Civil War, Larkin’s home-furnishings factory, aided by Hubbard’s creative marketing abilities, resulted in Buffalo becoming one of the most important centers for mass-produced American furniture at the turn of the 20th century.

Among these were the Larkin desk-bookcases, which were produced in several different combinations. The one pictured is of solid, quarter-sawn, white oak. The designs on the desk lid are hand cut. I was fortunate to find this excellent example in original condition, with the original locking key, on a trip to Colorado.

Among the most interesting antiques and collectibles that I have found are those of the J.D. Larkin Furniture Co. and Elbert Hubbard’s Roycrofters commune. The 1900s Larkin bookcase-desks and the creative 1900-1927 Roycrofter publications have become desirable collectibles.

The creative symbiosis that was born out of the joining of the families of John D. Larkin and Elbert Hubbard in Buffalo and East Aurora, New York, resulted in developing Larkin’s Sweet Home Soap Co. into a remarkably successful business.

Larkin married Hubbard’s sister, Anna Frances Hubbard. Larkin knew the soap business, but Hubbard was a pioneer in innovative marketing techniques using premiums, coupons, trading cards and even recruiting housewives as sales agents. The late-19th century was also the era of the booming mail-order catalog giants, Montgomery Ward; Sears, Roebuck; and others. Thanks in part to Hubbard’s efforts, Larkin’s catalogs enjoyed wide, successful distribution.

Influential Artisans Commune Established

It was during a trip to England in 1982 that Elbert Hubbard met William Morris,
furniture designer of the now antique and very collectible Morris Chair. Hubbard was impressed with the designer’s creative and artistic concepts. So much so that in 1895, Hubbard established a commune of artisans, leather workers, printers, metal smiths, bookbinders and artists. Hubbard named the commune the Roycrofters after a 16th-century religious order.

The Roycroft Press, with its unique art forms and innovative designs, filled a niche that was apparently waiting for Elbert Hubbard to serve its needs. His philosophical treatises, “Elbert Hubbard’s Scrapbook,” “Elbert Hubbard’s Notebook,” “Little Journeys”; his inspiring pamphlet, “A Message To Garcia,” had printings totaling 40 million copies.

Most popular were his monthly magazines: The Fra, and The Philistine. The
photographs are from my own collectibles of these 100-year-old antiques. The
Roycrofter’s businesses hit their peak in 1910 with more than 500 artisans working in the Roycrofter commune.

Elbert Hubbard’s nationwide lectures enjoyed huge attendance. The commune
became a “point of interest” for so many visitors to East Aurora that the Roycrofters had to build a hotel and a museum to accommodate the flow of weekend groups that came to meet Hubbard, purchase his books and the Roycrofter’s furnishings, arts and crafts.

Working with his brother-in-law, the Larkin Furniture Factory was inaugurated. Utilizing the mass-production concepts that had been advancing after the Civil War, Larkin’s home-furnishings factory, aided by Hubbard’s creative marketing abilities, resulted in Buffalo becoming one of the most important centers for mass-produced American furniture at the turn of the 20th century.

Among these were the Larkin, desk-bookcases, which were produced in several different combinations. The one pictured is of solid, quarter-sawn, white oak. The designs on the desk lid are hand cut. I was fortunate to find this excellent example in original condition, with the original locking key, on a trip to Colorado.