CABINETMAKER
By 1775, Williamsburg supported seven individual cabinetmaking shops, each turning fine walnut, cherry, mahogany and pine into gracefully formed tables, chairs, chests, presses and desks. They produced superior work for a discriminating, fashion-conscious clientele. Many scholars today will argue that in style and quality, Williamsburg’s colonial furniture makers were far ahead of their better-known contemporaries in Philadelphia and New England.
Form, line and proportion held great significance for these craftsmen. Their attention to structural details included finely scaled dovetails, full depth dust boards between drawers and other features that imparted both strength and beauty to a piece. Virginians generally preferred “plain but neat” furniture, but Williamsburg’s cabinetmakers were capable of exquisite, detailed ornamentation when the job required it.
Today in the reconstructed shop of 18th-century cabinetmaker Anthony Hay, tradesmen practice artful carving, classical lines and devotion to structural integrity in their reproduction of Williamsburg’s signature style.
For more information:
Book – Tools - Working Wood in the Eighteenth-Century
Video – The Art and Mystery of the Cabinetmaker
For inquiries or purchases please contact Prentis Store at 757-229-1000, Extension 2117 or prentis@cwf.org.
