English Classics Furniture Blog

Scott Antique Market November 2011

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 12:00:00 -0500

The Scott Antique Market is back! This month's show will run from Thursday Nov. 10 - Sunday Nov. 13. As always, we will be in the South Building, spaces H9-H10. Say hello to Peter!

Duncan Phyfe - The Man, The Style

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 12:00:00 -0500

The term, "Duncan Phyfe style," is often thrown around in the furniture business. Like many terms, the meaning of "Duncan Phyfe style" has evolved over the years so that it has become perfectly acceptable to describe most simple double pedestal dining tables and dining chairs that match with splay or reeded legs and lyre or harp designs. While many purists may argue that furniture pieces made by Duncan Phyfe are considered adaptations of styles rather than a style itself, I feel the term has become used commonly enough to be considered a style. And besides, aren't all styles really just adaptations of what came before with new elements introduced?

Duncan Phfye was born in Scotland in 1768 and lived a relatively long life, passing away in 1854. At the age of 16 he emigrated to the U.S. and settled in New York. In 1794—at just 26 years old—he started his furniture making business in New York City. Mr. Phyfe quickly became one of the most renowned American cabinetmakers of all time. His store was known for quality furniture at relatively low prices. In the early years, the furniture was made solely from imported mahogany and sometimes emphasized with beautiful veneers. After 1830 his works were done primarily of rosewood. Duncan Phyfe was also responsible for introducing the factory method of making furniture to the American cabinetmaker industry.

The styles of his time heavily influenced his work. The styles that can be seen in original Duncan Phyfe furniture include Empire, Sheraton, French Classical, and most prominently Regency. More than any other decoration, Duncan incorporated carved lyres or harps the most into his pieces. Almost all of his legs were splay, reeded legs that ended in brass claws. The pulls and hardware were usually brass but he also used glass later in his career. Furniture pieces that were actually made by Duncan Phyfe are almost impossible to identify as he almost never labelled his furniture. There are a few pieces in museums and even something in the White House that have been proven made by him, but not many. Nevertheless, Duncan Phyfe certainly left his mark on American furniture and had a taste that even today people consider beautiful and elegant.

Scott Antique Market October 2011

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 12:00:00 -0500

Join us at this month's Scott Antique Market, which runs Thursday Oct. 13 - Sunday Oct. 16. As always, we will be in the South Building, spaces H9-H10. Say hello to Peter! Learn more at the Scott Antique Market website.

Drawer Pulls by Period in English Antique Furniture

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 12:00:00 -0500

Hardware is one of many design features that have changed along with the passage of different furniture periods. Still, there is a distinct lack of information on this topic, since most discussions on period furniture tend to focus on woods, inlays, construction, and carving styles. So, I've put together a useful compilation of which drawer pulls were most commonly used during different English antique furniture periods.

Jacobean (1603-1625)

I'll start with the Jacobean period because it is the first period in which ornamentation began to clearly take shape in hardware design. Previous to the Jacobean period, drawers were mostly hidden behind doors. However, at the dawn of the Jacobean period, the chest of drawers as we know it began to rise in popularity and complexity. Drawer pulls at the time were mostly small, single-post, brass, and shaped like teardrops. The back would also be brass and round or floral shaped.

William and Mary (1690-1725)

William and Mary period pulls were not much different from their Jacobean counterparts. They became slightly larger in proportion to the furniture but retained the single-post, teardrop style of the previous period.

Queen Anne (1702-1714)

The first two-post pull became popular during the Queen Anne period. Again made from brass, the pulls had a “batwing” shaped backplate and a curved handle between the two posts. Batwing backplates were usually a substantial size.

Georgian (1714-1820)

The Georgian period saw three of the furniture industry’s finest designers and craftsmen in Thomas Chippendale, George Hepplewhite, and Thomas Sheraton. Each of these men greatly influenced the period and had a pull style of their own. Chippendale pulls were a pierced, batwing-shaped pull, Hepplewhite pulls were a stamped brass, oval backplate pull, and Sheraton pulls were usually a round, stamped, brass backplate pull. The typical Georgian period pull was otherwise a simple swan-neck, two-post pull.

Regency (1800-1830)

While Georgian pulls were generally rather uncomplex, Regency period pulls were exactly opposite. Still made of brass, the Regency pulls were large and very ornate, following the general shift in taste that the Regency style embodied.

Victorian (1837-1901)

As you would expect from a long period like the Victorian period, there were a few different kinds of common pulls. Many Early Victorian pieces saw a return of the teardrop, single-post pull from the Jacobean and William and Mary periods, although Victorian teardrop pulls were generally larger than earlier precedents. The Victorian period was also the first period in which mass production was used in cabinetry. This process saw the introduction of turned wooden knobs as well as porcelain knobs. Still, more ornate, hand-crafted Victorian pieces had carved drawer pulls.

Edwardian (1901-1910)

Edwardian period furniture, with all of its clean and geometric lines, tended to feature simple swan neck pulls and smaller round ring pulls that complemented the satinwood and ebony inlays that were in fashion at the time.

August and September Furniture Containers

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 12:00:00 -0500

These past two months we've received a number of gorgeous pieces great and small. Although we import the lion's share of our furniture directly from England, we sometimes venture to the Netherlands, where we recently came across some truly exquisite specimens. So without further ado, here are a few of our most recent English and Dutch pieces!

Scott Antique Market July 2011

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:00:00 -0500

And after a brief, one-month hiatus, we're back! Come visit Peter in the South Building, spaces H9-H10. All items in our booth this month are 50% off!

Why We Prefer Antique English Furniture

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 12:00:00 -0500

So, why do we prefer English antique furniture? There are a number of reasons, many of them relating to comparisons between English antiques and other traditions. The American tradition, for example, took shape out of English precedents—and, I think, never really blossomed to the same extent. Instead of taking root in an organic, artisanal tradition like English furniture, even fine American antiques tend to be machine-made, reflecting the difference between the old "mom and pop" model and mass production. Also in contrast to English counterparts, French and Continental furniture tends to allow for more ornate motifs—most notably, gilding:

Meanwhile, English furniture usually represents a kind of happy compromise between the complex and the simple. For example, during the Victorian period and before the Georgian period you're likely to find an explosion of carvings and designs, but still no gaudy colors:

Still, English furniture mostly consists of modest, elegant designs that privilege thick, shellacked finishes and hand-rubbed coats of wax. Colors are earthy but rich, while understatement prevails, so that even given a marquetry design, the complex inlays feature organic, muted colors and the architecture remains relatively basic:

In the English tradition, every element of complexity must be purchased with the addition of something simple. This lends English antiques a certain balance that I find extremely appealing. Apparently, millions of other Americans think so, too, because "mainstream" traditional or antique style American furniture is basically a copy of Georgian taste. Take this archetypal writing desk, for example:

The sheer familiarity of the design (plain rectangular shape, swan neck pulls, fluted corners, square tapered legs) speaks to how deeply the English furniture tradition has embedded itself in American taste. Georgian style is more or less the norm in offices all across the country, while foreignness or exoticism is almost always denoted by distinctly European designs like the above gilded table—not by the wholesome and familiar English tradition. So, in a paradoxical sense, English furniture is as American as it gets—or, to put it another way, we in fact prefer American furniture so much that we look to the English original.

Yoda Poses on Leather Wingback Armchair

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:00:00 -0500

“Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm?"

It is a scientific fact that wingback armchairs are conducive to producing philosophical musings.

The Incredible Hulk Dies and Becomes a Sofa

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:00:00 -0500

It's true. The Incredible Hulk has perished in battle and we made him into a sofa:

Good news is that it's one of a kind!

Devil in the Details: Victorian Furniture, Art, & Today

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 12:00:00 -0500

They say the Devil is in the details. I tend to disagree. In pieces like this, the details announce impeccable craftsmanship, fine mimesis of the natural world, and symbolic meaning:

This is what we've lost with the decline of the furniture industry.

At one time, craftsmen and their clients participated in a certain tradition of meaningful artistic expression, a cultural consciousness that demanded aesthetic significance even from everyday objects. Yes, on the one hand, Victorian bookcases of this quality would have been limited to a privileged few, but on the other hand, we can say that even today's fine contemporary furniture bears the irreducible mark of stylized, mass reproducibility. We have passed from imitating "nature" to imitating the industrial process itself—with all the sterile angles and slight curves that postmodern furniture allows.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a bookcase like this, and to know that it is par for the course and not some exceptional rarity crafted over a century ago? I would like to see a return to this kind of masterful craftsmanship, to the art of rendering space in unique and emotionally significant ways—and trust me, I'm not just nerding out about this furniture (although that's part of it). Look at this drawer front, for example:

On it you can clearly see wheat paired with grapes (carved quite beautifully, at that). As a student of English poetry, I instantly recognize at least some of the meanings, here: wheat, the traditional symbol of death, but also (paradoxically) life and fertility. This is the kind of sly irony that you can expect from Victorian poetry, and here we see it in Victorian furniture, as well. And of course the grapes themselves bring their own, contrasting meaning: the fruit of wine, drink of the gods (especially Bacchus/Dionysus, who has always been linked to poetry and creativity). The meanings are numerous: death paired with life (a famous Victorian cliché), but also the notion of the harvest and thus of agrarian life, a culture that was already giving way toward modern industrialization even before the Victorian period, when the land-based nobility became the capitalist class, when the old ways gave way to the new, etc. Likewise, shortly thereafter England's long tradition of fine, hand-crafted furniture bottlenecked into the handful of dedicated hold-outs that we see today.

I don't pretend to hold some kind of scholarly knowledge about furniture, although I've learned my fair share here at English Classics. However, it is obvious that this bookcase at least exemplifies the aesthetic mentality of the day, providing some answers to the questions: what is art? and what is beauty? and how will we adapt these notions to the spaces that we live in? In my view, these are the questions that we should ask of our furniture.

But we have seen today an increasing focus on cheap utility—regardless of socioeconomic context—and although this approach has its merits (namely affordability), it often suffers from a brand of minimalism that is aimed less at the efficient use of space and more at the least amount of effort. The same could be said of a great deal of postmodern architecture, which offers its own can of worms. So, antiques aren't just about nostalgia. They bring a certain level of history and humanity to the spaces that they occupy. They remind us that we are not alone on this long historical trajectory, and that at one point furniture was valued for its art as much as for its function. So, we can hope that this level of dedicated appreciation might return again—and in a lot of ways, it has, e.g. our line of reproduction furniture. However, there is still work to be done in the culture at large, and I guess that's why we're here.

PWND: Antique Furniture and Digital Culture

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:00:00 -0500

I've said it before and I'll say it again: the continued existence of the antique industry is by definition predicated on stagnation. Which is another way of saying: "They don't make 'em like they used to." Of course, this shouldn't surprise us: the divide between postmodernity and the modern era grows wider every day. It is becoming increasingly difficult for one generation to speak to the next: on top of the usual social and ideological differences between generations, we are now confronted with a deluge of new technologies and revolutionary ways of using them. Is Victorian furniture really any longer relevant to today's young professionals, who are turning in droves toward contemporary tastes and away from the venerable traditions of antique furniture? Is it possible to bridge the generational gap so that our industry can perpetuate itself?

The short answer, in my view, is a resounding Yes. But to make this happen, many industry professionals—from designers, to cabinetmakers, to wholesalers and retailers—will have to entirely rethink their approach to the business. It is no longer enough to provide a good product or a good service: that product must now be socially relevant, exciting, and convenient. Cultural capital is now just as important as selling a finely crafted product.

Going Retro, Going Viral

The roots and direction of today's ad culture.

Today's ad culture has transitioned from the model of the "news spot" commercial to one that simulates social life itself. Consider, for example, this retro commercial for Palmolive soap:

This ad's selling points are, by today's standards, incredibly naive. There's nothing wrong with that, though: because of the proliferation of mass media, basically everyone today is an expert in ad culture. So, we can laugh at the seriousness and sincerity of these old ads, which pretend to offer some kind of scientific or "objective" approach to selling the product. These days, we're all cynics: we know better than to buy into this quaint idea of the scientifically vetted bar of soap. Instead, we buy soap because it smells good or because it has a funny commercial.

Which brings me to my industry-relevant counterexample! Many people have seen or heard of the infamous viral video produced for North Carolina-based Red House Furniture:

The retro aesthetic in this commercial is obviously updated from the era of Palmolive, Nature's Chlorophyll. This is a great strategy, since basically everyone who wasn't born yesterday is familiar with '80's ad culture and its hilariously tacky production values. And the proof is in the pudding: Red House's ad has now reached over 3.3 million views.

Viral videos began as a quirky internet phenomena in the '90's, produced in the basements of bored nerds who shared videos in the sub-sub-cultures of obscure internet forums. Now, even the furniture industry has caught on. Granted, Red House doesn't market antiques, but their video illustrates how a culturally relevant marketing approach can make even furniture seem cool.

Interior Design in Cyberspace

How a traditional profession migrates to digital space.

Bethesda's recent post-apocalyptic RPG, Fallout, is perhaps the supreme example of nostalgia gaming. Set in an alternate reality in which 23rd-century America never moved beyond the naive culture of the '50's, Fallout is replete with retro cultural artifacts. Everything from the musical soundtrack (big band jazz) to the furniture itself is straight out of the '50's cultural imagination (except for the laser guns and mutant monsters). Here is what one player's house looks like in the game (click for hi-res versions):

Other titles have also made the move to Art Deco design, and not just on interiors—for example, BioSchock and LA Noir, the latter of which actually takes place in 1947 Los Angeles. Art Deco in videogames is also not a new phenomenon. Thus, even cutting-edge media like videogames are obsessed with tradition and therefore...gasp - drumroll - trumpets...antiques.

The point isn't that videogames will somehow save our industry. Instead, these examples illustrate how even a medium that is almost exclusively explored by today's youth fetishizes traditional aesthetics. This means that there is hope for marketing antiques to youth—and what's more, that we will have to do so in the language of today.

Nostalgia as Marketing Method

How to revitalize the antiques industry. (omg lol imho w00t)

Postmodern nostalgia is so prolific that even academics are writing about it. As Frederic Jameson argues, we live in an age that is defined by its fetishistic cannibalization of earlier periods and styles. Retro culture (from any period) isn't just making a "comeback": it's who we are. Think hair styles, hipsters, and the newest Ford Mustang—or even Axe's recent lewd soap ad, which is modeled after retro infomercials.

So, what is the lesson here for the antique industry? Adapt! The mom-and-pop model is dead. Shopping today isn't an obscure crawl through the marketplace like it used to be—but that's how people still think about antiques. They're "charming." You don't purchase an antique: you "come across" a great "find." It's time for that to change.

When the antiques that we sell were first crafted, they were considered contemporary and cutting edge—just like today's furniture, with all its curves and angles. So we learn leetspeak. We speak the language of the real world. We migrate to the web. We engage in social media. It's not just a marketing stunt: this is how our culture thinks. Irony, humor, self-awareness. This is marketing 101. The cultural logic of stagnation, if our industry is to survive and thrive in tomorrow's marketplace, must give way to a celebration of the antagonisms between the antique and the contemporary. Articles like this one are a start. Red House is a start. And if our culture's love of retro styles and nostalgia is any indication, antiques will be the next big thing in marketing. w00t!

Antique English Furniture: New Flickr Group

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:00:00 -0500

So, we started a new Flickr group just for English antique furniture. I'm actually pretty shocked that nobody has done this yet—but it sure feels good to get there first! Hopefully we'll get plenty of gorgeous photos... :)

How to Choose Wood Types in English Antique Furniture

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:00:00 -0500

Many people ask us for advice on which wood types to choose for their furniture. Basically, which wood you choose depends on the context: mahogany, walnut, yew, and elm, for example, are generally considered more "formal" wood types. Cherry, oak, and especially pine are usually used in country style furniture. However, these are only trends and guidelines—not rules. You can definitely mix different wood types as long as the style of the furniture and the color match (color is determined by the stain, not the wood). Of course, being able to identify wood types certainly helps.

Similar Wood Types

The first of the two following tables is mahogany, and the second is cherry. As you can see, they are both beautiful, formal tables and the wood looks relatively similar (the difference is in the grain). Thus, depending on the style of the pieces that you're dealing with, you can substitute cherry for mahogany and vice versa.

Similar Styles

In contrast, consider the following two tables, which are identical models but have different wood types; the oak table is also hand-planed and distressed, giving it a more country style appearance. Oak is also generally considered to be a "less formal" wood, although whether you'd use an oak table or a walnut table depends entirely on the style of your home and the furniture within it.

A Little Banding Goes a Long Way

Adding banding to the edge of a piece can make it look slightly more formal without overdoing it. So, as an example, consider the following two pictures. One shows plain cherry, and the other shows cherry with yew banding. A nice touch, isn't it?

More Common English Woods

Beyond these three basic wood types (cherry, mahogany, and oak), the other two most common woods used in English furniture are elm and yew, which are represented in the following bookcase and cabinet, respectively. Note how they don't really look all that different from the other wood types, at least insofar as color and style are concerned.

In Summary...

The most common English woods are mahogany, cherry, walnut, oak, yew, and elm. Occasionally maple, rosewood, pine, and ash are used; satinwood and rosewood are relatively common inlays. Knowing this can sometimes help identify "fakes" that are represented as genuine English furniture; for example, teak is highly unlikely to be used in English furniture, as it is principally an Asian wood. We hope that we've answered some of your wood type questions. As always, feel free to leave any additional questions and concerns in the comments section below!

How to Tell If Your Furniture Is Antique

Fri, 27 May 2011 12:00:00 -0500

This is a common enough question, but basically there is a standard set of elements to consider when determining whether or not your furniture is antique. Many people make the mistake of looking at one or two details while neglecting the rest, but judging antique furniture is a lot like judging a painting: look at the details, but also take in an overall perspective.

Hardware

For starters, look closely at the hardware—pulls, knobs, hinges, screws, nails, whatever. Does it shine brilliantly or does it look old? Keep in mind that hardware goes in and out of style just like everything else, so a large majority of antique furniture has had its hardware replaced at least once. New hardware can also be made to look antique, so don't draw too hasty of a conclusion: just keep it in mind. Also, if you can find screws (usually visible on the back, if at all), are they Phillips or flat head? Phillips screws are a 20th-century invention, so if your piece is supposed to be from the 18th century but has Phillips screws, they have either been added in a recent restoration or it's a fake.

Drawers

This ties into the hardware issue. If your piece has drawers, take a drawer out and look at how the handles are attached on the inside of the drawer. Nuts are more common for antiques, while screws are a newer convention. Also check to see if the hardware has been replaced: usually there will be marks or holes on the wood around the hardware.

Note whether the drawer has dovetails, and whether they are machine-cut dovetails or hand-cut. Does the back of the drawer have dovetails? This is usually a sign that the piece is indeed antique—and high-quality at that, since rear dovetails are very uncommon even in antiques.

Drawers (and backs) are also usually one of the cheapest components in furniture. Look at the wood used in the drawers. Most modern pieces—even high-quality reproductions that look very genuine on the outside—use plywood in drawer construction. The logic behind this move is simple: why waste expensive, solid wood (which has to be carefully treated and cured) on the inside of a drawer? Plywood, however, is another 20th-century invention, so if you're looking at composite wood and your antique is supposed to be Victorian, then that plywood was either added in a restoration or you've got a reproduction on your hands. Flip the drawer over too, as a true period piece will not only have a solid wood bottom, but that wood will be thick and beveled to fit into the grooves of the frame of the drawer.

Finish

This is an easy one. High gloss finishes and polyurethane are 20th-century elements. Antique furniture was usually shellacked, meaning that it typically had a duller finish. This isn't to say that antique finishes can't be shiny and reflective, but they're not going to be high gloss, either. Shellack finishes were very often quite thick (up to a quarter inch!), so that's another—albeit slightly more difficult—indicator to look for.

Style

This element is a little more nuanced. Basically, if you're serious about knowing whether your piece is antique, compare it to similar pieces that claim to be antique. Search the internet—or look at our inventory, which serves a very good benchmark for what English antiques should look like. Our reproduction furniture also exemplifies what a quality replica looks like, so be sure to learn the differences between good and bad antique imitations. You may also want to look up Asian furniture manufacturers: they usually produce caricatures of English or European styles, so you'll find, for example, that ogee feet become ornate and excessively curved, or you may even find Asian motifs carved into the wood.

Wood

This one has limited application but can be a life saver in some situations. We've already written a great piece on distinguishing between different woods, so you may want to check that out. Basically, however, English furniture is usually mahogany, walnut, oak, pine, yew, or cherry (sometimes with rosewood and satinwood, usually as inlays). In contrast, English furniture is almost never teak, which is a favorite of Asian furniture manufacturers because it is a fast-growing hard wood.

We hope that we've answered your questions, but if anything is lacking, please feel free to post in the comments section below!

English Antique Period Furniture Timeline

Tue, 24 May 2011 12:00:00 -0500

The concept here is pretty simple: a visual timeline of English antique furniture periods. You might notice that we've excluded 1650, which coincides with the English Interregnum, a tumultuous time at best. As a result, a distinct, post-Jacobean furniture period didn't really emerge until the turn of the 18th century. Click on the image to view it in full size.

More information about English furniture period history can be found at the following links:

Medieval, Tudor and Elizabethan Furniture (pre-1485, 1485-1603)
Jacobean Furniture (1603-1625)
Queen Anne Furniture (1702-1714)
Georgian Furniture (1714-1820)
Regency Furniture (1800-1830)
Victorian Furniture (1837-1901)
Edwardian Furniture (1901-1910)

May 2011 Furniture Container

Sat, 21 May 2011 12:00:00 -0500

Well, ladies and gents, we sure got a beautiful bunch of antique furniture this month—imported straight from England! Here is a selection of a few of our lovelier items.

Scott Antique Market May 2011

Thu, 12 May 2011 12:00:00 -0500

It's that time again! Summer's coming 'round, and before you know it Thanksgiving will be here, so be sure to keep your eye out for good deals on dining tables and chairs. You might just find the perfect set before heading off to summer vacation! As always, Peter will be there to answer all of your questions in the South building, spaces H9-H10.

Mixing Different Styles of Furniture

Thu, 05 May 2011 12:00:00 -0500

One of the most common questions that we get is, "Can I mix different styles of furniture?" The short answer is a definitive, "Yes." However, there are some subtleties that have to be negotiated before deciding on what styles to use together.

My own approach to eclectic furniture style is a little like the Rifleman's Creed: "This is my style. There are many like it, but this one is mine." This is another way of emphasizing that there are standards for mixing styles, but there is still room for your own personal touch. As they say, however, seeing is believing, so to illustrate my point, I'm going to pick a group of pieces for my lovely, imaginary office.

To begin, the following two pieces are different in both style and wood type, but they still somehow look good together. It is easy to imagine the pair in my hypothetical office—partly because they both display deep, rich complexions and patinas, and partly because the dark, brownish red mahogany contrasts beautifully with the oak, which happens to match the nuanced satinwood string inlays set into the clock.

Continuing our motif of mahogany and satinwood, we can add another pair of pieces to the mix. The first is a Georgian style reproduction that has been hand-crafted by our cabinetmaker in England. The second is a corner cabinet that actually has brass inlays and not satinwood (but they still match!); notice how the inlays are actually floral, which subtly echoes the carvings in the oak table.

Lastly, just to show the limits of difference, I'll add a beautiful red chesterfield leather sofa. Although popular in the 20th century (and still going), the chesterfield has its origins in 18th-century England, thus predating—by 200 years—most of the pieces on this list. Even so, the lovely "ox blood" shade of red contrasts beautifully with the darker mahogany and lighter oak and satinwood, especially since the bun feet themselves are made of mahogany.

Thus, what this list shows is how a variety of styles, periods, and influences can be gathered together in one room to create a surprisingly harmonious combination. Likewise, the heavily carved library table is balanced against straighter, more simple shapes—but the ornate carvings find echoes in elements like the brass inlays on the corner cabinet, so there is a sense of continuity between otherwise contrasting pieces. If you're mixing styles, just remember to maintain this sense of balance and continuity; heavily carved pieces should probably be countered with simpler companions, and so and so forth.

Finally, we will continue this subject with a series of furniture sets to illustrate the good, the bad, and the ugly of designing the perfect setup, so stay tuned for more! In the meantime, feel free to leave any questions or comments below.

Antique Moving Company Sticker Found (Again!)

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 12:00:00 -0500

A while back, we wrote a post about a Pickfords, Ltd. sticker that we found on the back of an antique Welsh dresser. Today I photographed a gorgeous flame mahogany grandfather clock with an even older version of the Pickfords label:

April 2011 Furniture Container

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 12:00:00 -0500

T.S. Eliot once wrote, "April is the cruelest month." Like Eliot, we're Americans harboring a special affinity for English culture (he moved to England and repatriated). Unlike Eliot, however, we're ecstatic that it's April! Not only is the weather simply stunning here in Atlanta, but we also imported a fantastic load of furniture. Here are a few of our favorite pieces. (Click on the pictures to view their listings.)

5 Tips to Recognize Fine Antique Furniture

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 12:00:00 -0500

Most people love antiques. They're green, they're unique, they combine utility with art—they interrupt the dull monotony of everyday living simply by asserting themselves in space. Unique configurations. Unique materials. Distinct expressions of artisanal mastery. And for us, that's what it's really all about: working alongside the limits of beauty five days a week. A large part of this experience involves cultivating a taste for the business as well as for the beautiful pieces that we move in and out on a daily basis. But if you're on the outside looking in, it can often seem difficult to recognize quality when you see it, so to help, we've put together a list of some of our favorite pieces and explained why each piece made the list.

1. Intricate Inlays

Let's begin with an obviously exquisite piece. The following reproduction marquetry chest features a number of highly detailed inlays on the sides, front, and top. Cheap furniture manufacturers imitate this dearly honed skill by using laminate (fake wood) veneers, but you can never replace the real thing. Note the detailed inlay picture, which shows how precisely the inlays were carved before being set into the wood.

2. Artistic Motifs

Next is an intricately carved oak sideboard dating back to Victorian England. A number of pieces in those days featured detailed carvings, but not all of them displayed such a rich and distinct personality. The carvings in this piece show cherubs (also known as puttos) as well as man-woman pairing and a number of lions that happen to look rather surprised. The man and woman each hold what appears to be a small scroll or cylindrical object close to their chests. Perhaps this is a marriage piece—which is cabinetry's answer to the traditional prothalamion.

3. Complexion and Shading

The following red leather sofa is exquisite on a number of levels. Crafted by our leather supplier in a traditional Cambridge style, the leather displays a wonderfully cloudy complexion that reflects years of experience and a careful attention to organic detail. The leather itself is thick, strong and very high quality—not to mention stunningly beautiful.

4. Striking Grain Patterns

Everything that our cabinetmakers send us is carefully crafted on a one-time basis, so our pieces are generally one-of-a-kind. This means that, while all of our quality furniture is created equal, some pieces are more equal than others. This particular piece lucked out with a beautiful selection of veneers that are quite exceptional, even by our standards.

5. Unusual But Classic Shapes

Sometimes, what distinguishes a piece isn't simply the quality of its craftsmanship or the materials used, but rather the structure itself. Thus, while this inverted bowfront bookcase features a remarkable selection of flame mahogany, it really stands out because of its unusual shape.

We hope you've enjoyed having a look at our lovely pieces. As always, feel free to leave any questions for us in the comments section below—and stay tuned for more beautiful antique goodness!

Antique Appraisals at Rare Victorian

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 12:00:00 -0500

We get this question all the time: "Can you tell me how much my _______ is worth?" Most of the time we have to say no because that's not our expertise. While we can tell you the style and probable origin, your best bet is always to go with a professional appraiser. (We actually discussed this issue in a previous post: How to Determine the Value of Your Antique Furniture.)

Well, we're happy to say that we know of a very good appraiser with a scholarly knowledge of antiques. John Werry at Rare Victorian provides an excellent and thorough appraisal service for just $40! Good luck out there!

Prince William and Kate Middleton's Wedding: A Little Furniture History

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 12:00:00 -0500

Photo: AP

As most people have heard, the British Royal Family (and many people across the globe) are preparing for a happy celebration in honor of Prince William and Kate Middleton's marriage ceremony on April 29. Of course, the newlyweds will no doubt receive a number of lovely and interesting gifts—but we would also wager that at least one or two pieces of fine furniture will be among them.

Why? Simple. Furniture and weddings have a long and colorful history together. Going back many centuries, it has been an English tradition (especially among the affluent) to offer specially commissioned furniture as wedding gifts. Usually these pieces feature some type of engraving or plaque featuring a pair of initials or names, or even a dedicatory poem. The styles and means of dedications vary quite widely; sometimes, the plaque simply says (for example), "For the marriage of John and Martha Smith." Other times, the piece contains carved motifs that suggest a marriage dedication without exactly making it explicit—thus illustrating the poetic side of traditional English furniture.

For example, we once found a Victorian oak sideboard that contained, among other things, a pair of images, one of a man and one of a woman:

We can't be certain, but each figure is holding a small cylindrical object to its chest, suggesting that they may be holding scrolls of paper. Perhaps they are wedding vows? We can be certain, however, that the two figures are shown in traditional, ceremonial poses.

We sometimes find carvings that are more explicit, such as this carved panel from another Victorian sideboard, which appears to depict a man proposing to a woman (note the small object that he is proffering to her):

On a different note entirely, we recently came across a Samuel Wright grandfather clock engraved with a poem entitled "The Happy Marriage," by Sir Edward Moore. Ironically, the speaker of the poem describes his habit of extramarital entanglements and his wife's benign reaction to them as a component of their (un)happy marriage. So it isn't certain whether the clock was originally commissioned as a wedding piece, but it's certainly interesting to think about! Here's the clock in question:

We can also verify that giving furniture as a wedding gift is still a common practice: we've had a few commissions made ourselves! Whether William and Kate will have a piece commissioned, however, is another story entirely. In any case, we suspect that they already possess the finest furniture in England. After all, the world still refers to period furniture by the names of English monarchs (Georgian, Queen Anne, Victorian, etc.). Perhaps William and Kate will be the new William and Mary? Time will tell.

Furniture Container March 2011

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 12:00:00 -0500

We have a saying in the antiques industry: "Better late than never." OK, so maybe that's not ours but we like to claim it. Last month, we had a container just full of beautiful antiques, so here is a brief selection.

A Poetic Samuel Wright Grandfather Clock

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 12:00:00 -0500

When we recently acquired this Samuel Wright grandfather clock, we were in for a fun surprise. The text on the door is an excerpt from Edward Moore's poem, "The Happy Marriage." Ironically, the speaker of the poem describes his habit of extramarital entanglements and his wife's benign reaction to them as a component of their (un)happy marriage. You wouldn't think that you'd want such a poem inscribed on the door of your grandfather clock; after 250 years, however, it has a certain charm, doesn't it? A mediocre poem from a similarly mediocre and obscure poet inscribed on the door of a superb clock crafted by a master of his trade. I'd have to say that the irony of the postmodern clock outpaces Moore's original! Here is the text of his poem:

How blest has my time been! what joys have I known,
Since wedlock's soft bondage made Jessy my own!
So joyful my heart is, so easy my chain,
That freedom is tasteless, and roving a pain.

Through walks grown with woodbines, as often we stray,
Around us our boys and girls frolic and play:
How pleasing their sport is! the wanton ones see,
And borrow their looks from my Jessy and me.

To try her sweet temper, ofttimes am I seen,
In revels all day with the nymphs on the green:
Though painful my absence, my doubts she beguiles,
And meets me at night with complacence and smiles.

What though on her cheeks the rose loses its hue,
Her wit and good humor bloom all the year through;
Time still, as he flies, adds increase to her truth,
And gives to her mind what he steals from her youth.

Ye shepherds so gay, who make love to ensnare,
And cheat, with false vows, the too credulous fair;
In search of true pleasure, how vainly you roam!
To hold it for life, you must find it at home.

Scott Antique Market April 2011

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:00:00 -0500

It's that time again! The South's most magnificent, fantabulous, beautiful antique market is back, and we'll be there. The show will last from Thursday, April 7 - Sunday, April 10. Come see Peter in the South building, spaces H9-H10.

Stupid Things People Do to Antique Furniture

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 12:00:00 -0500

Ever wonder why nice antiques are so hard to come by? People do all kinds of less-than-bright things to keep it that way, so to help you spot the problem before it starts, we've put together a list of what not to do...

1. Paint them.

2. Buy them at the "antiques" store.

3. Use them for beer pong.

4. Let your grandkids party in the antiques room.

5. Let your cat help with the restoration.

6. Attempt to move antique furniture without knowing how.

7. Forget where you put them (outside?!).

How to Sell Your Antique Furniture Online

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 12:00:00 -0500

This is a question that we get fairly often. Selling furniture—and especially antiques—can be a very simple process, provided that you know what you're doing and you have the resources to do it. If not, then what is often a pleasant learning experience can turn into a frustrating push to dump unwanted furniture. To help, we've put together a few useful tips that should help avoid this problem.

1. Know the value of your piece. Luckily, we've already written an article on just this subject: How to Determine the Value of Your Antique Furniture.

2. Be patient. We have 15,000 square feet and it's absolutely full of furniture: we can afford to wait if it means getting a fair price on our antiques. Individuals, however, usually don't have the luxury of constantly moving furniture in and out, so it can sometimes feel like an eternity. Depending on the uniqueness, beauty, and price of your piece, it could take several months to sell it...which brings me to my next point.

3. Value and price are never the same thing. For one thing, value is relative: before the recent market crash, antiques were selling at slightly higher prices than they do now, because people expect a deal when times are tough. So even if you do all of the right things and get your antique(s) appraised, you probably won't sell them at the maximum possible value. This is why market research is so important to the selling process: if your piece is just a few hundred dollars lower than the average, you are substantially increasing your odds of selling the piece in a reasonable period of time. But since you determine what is "reasonable," that means striking a balance between how long you want to wait and how much money you want for your piece.

4. Take great pictures and write a great description. In our experience, pictures make a huge impact on whether someone decides to buy or not—especially over the Internet, where a picture is often the only thing the customer has to go on. Likewise, a detailed description of the piece—including, if applicable, history, wear, special features, etc.—can go a long way towards telling the customer that you care about the sale and you know what you're talking about. This is another reason why research is so important, and it's also another of countless examples of the old adage, "Practice makes perfect."

5. Diversify! This is a lot like saying, "Location, location, location." List your piece in as many places as possible: Ebay, Craigslist, GoAntiques, whatever it takes. Of course, dealers have a much wider range of venues to sell their furniture, but that shouldn't keep you from occupying enough marketplaces to make the sale happen. Many of these venues and platforms require listing fees, so this is another example of balance: if you expect to get a lot of money for your antique(s), then you might not mind at all whether you're paying $10/month to maintain your listings. If your piece is cheap, though, you may want to consider minimizing where possible so that you don't wind up selling at a loss.

6. Think about shipping: this is always a big plus, as it opens up new markets. You may not be able to ship yourself, but you can always call blanket wrap delivery companies—which, although expensive, still provide essential services. Ever see a gorgeous antique on Ebay that sells for $150 and doesn't have shipping? That's why. Again, this is one of those issues of balance, but on average, you will fetch a higher price for your piece if you can make it available to the most people possible.

7. Enjoy yourself! Selling furniture is definitely a learning process, but the world of antiques—especially online—is constantly evolving and there is always more to do and more to sell. Good luck out there!

How to Determine the Value of Your Antique Furniture

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 12:00:00 -0500

Whether you are looking to sell a recently inherited antique, or whether you'd just like to know how much your furniture is worth, it is always important to know the value of antique furniture. However, acquiring that knowledge can often be the most frustrating part of selling or inheriting furniture, but knowing how to determine value and, more importantly, knowing what value actually is, makes all the difference.

Value is of course relative to market trends, taste, region, time period, who is buying and selling, etc. Still, there remain three general types of value that more or less apply to every circumstance. Under ideal conditions, the retail value describes the highest possible amount that a piece of furniture can sell for—but antiques seldom sell at their maximum value. For dealers, antiques sell most often somewhere between their retail and wholesale value, which is the amount that dealers and designers typically pay one another. Finally, the "quick sale" value describes the lowest possible value that a piece could sell for in a small amount of time while simultaneously maximizing the seller's gains. For instance, if the wholesale value of, say, a particular mahogany bookcase is $500, then the quick sale value might fall somewhere around $300-350. This is the amount that you could expect to receive if you sold this hypothetical bookcase to a dealer or if you lent it on consignment.

If you are serious about selling your furniture and you know it's worth a pretty penny, then we suggest contacting a certified appraiser in your area. Appraisers are the best option for determining the value of your piece, and in addition to offering detailed information about the age, origin, and unique features of your piece, they usually provide the three values described above. However, appraisers also usually cost several hundred dollars, which may not be an option for everyone. Still, if you're confident that you have in your possession furniture of significant value, getting an appraisal is certainly something that you should do as soon as possible. As an added bonus, insurance adjusters often require these appraisals, so if you get one done, make sure that you keep your records in a safe place.

Luckily, there are a number of other ways to determine the value of your antique if you don't want to hire an appraiser. We recommend searching the Internet for similar pieces: try looking on Ebay, GoAntiques, and Ruby Lane. This is often the best way to determine the going market value of your antique—but be sure to pay attention to the seller and, if applicable, their reputation. For instance, someone who has, say, an 800 positive feedback rating on Ebay (or a Top-Rated Seller) will probably have a better idea of the value of their furniture than someone with only a 1 or 2 rating.

We also recommend trying sites like worthpoint.com and auctionwally.com, where you might be able to find an appraisal for your antique in their archives.

Finally, you can try showing your antiques—or pictures of them—to dealers. This approach meets with wildly varying degrees of success, since many dealers will not provide this type of assistance free of charge, while others are happy to share their knowledge. Even so, keep in mind that it is nearly impossible to accurately determine the age, period, origin, or value of a piece without seeing it in person.

We hope that we've answered some of your concerns about evaluating your antique furniture—but as always, if there's more that you'd like to know, please feel free to leave a comment below!

Scott Antique Market March 2011

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 12:00:00 -0500

It's that time again: the best monthly antique show in the South is back. We just got a new shipment of beautiful antiques, so we've got plenty of cool stuff at the show! Come see Peter in the South Building, spaces H9-H10.

Sending Furniture Pictures to Dealers

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:00:00 -0500

Every morning that I come into the office, I sit down and read through our emails with a cup of hot, black coffee. This morning, I opened an email containing what looked like a photograph of avant-garde artwork. When you work in or run an online business, this is the sort of non sequitor that you come to expect when you look through your inbox. Business as usual. But what looked like an impressionist masterpiece was really just an exceptionally blurry secretary in a dim room.

Now, there are all kinds of photography tutorials out there that could amend this problem. However, there are a few additional things that you need to know before sending pictures to a dealer.

1. Ask yourself: what do I want the dealer to see? Is what I want them to see evident in the photograph? Honesty and clarity should be your rule of thumb.

2. Many people send emails containing pictures of items that they'd like to sell. However, even if you send detailed pictures, it is very unlikely that a dealer will be able to assess the value of your piece(s) without seeing them in person. They may be interested in purchasing your item(s) (if they're the type of dealer that buys from unsolicited offers), but they won't really know the value of your furniture until they see it in person. There are all kinds of details that you simply can't assess without physically inspecting every inch of the piece (what types of screws it has, whether it has dovetails, what the insides of the drawers look like, whether there is a maker's mark, etc.).

3. Be courteous. Practice the golden rule by being upfront about your intentions, and don't send what may be an unwanted email. Save yourself potentially wasted time and effort by checking to see if the dealer actually buys from customers, or if they provide appraisal services (which should cost hundreds of dollars in most cases). If they don't have any information on their website, try giving them a call, or send an email asking if they would be interested in helping you out before you send pictures. Also, consider that viruses frequently spread through emails and attachments, so many dealers simply won't read your email or look at your attachment out of security concerns; businesses are pretty big targets for malicious jerks, so help dealers and yourself by giving them a head's up! This level of courtesy may actually trigger a more sympathetic response in the dealer, prompting them to help you more than they otherwise would.

We hope that we've answered some of your potential concerns, but as always, feel free to leave any questions in the comments section below!

Solid Wood Vs. Veneered Furniture

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 12:00:00 -0500

This is an old topic of debate and I wager that the discussion will never end. However, if you're in the market for quality furniture, you definitely want to know where you stand before settling on a purchase. As with most topics, misinformation is all too common, so I want to clarify a few things. First:

"Veneer" does not necessarily mean "bad."

We cannot emphasize this strongly enough! While I can understand concerns about veneer and preferences for solid wood, it is important to keep in mind the difference between quality veneers and cheap cabinetry. Veneers aren't something that Asian furniture manufacturers invented when they flooded the world with crappy furniture; to the contrary, veneers derive from an old and venerable furniture-making tradition. Back in the Georgian period and beyond, for instance, veneered furniture was considered higher quality, since it took more skill to carefully arrange the expensive veneers over solid wood than it did to slap a few boards together and call it furniture (which still holds true). Cabinetmakers began to use veneers as a way to develop their craft, allowing them to employ a greater variety of techniques using a wider selection of rare wood types, which were so expensive and uncommon—even for the finest furniture—that they were only available in veneers. Even today, the most exquisite wood can only be found in veneers, including burl walnut and flame mahogany. Finally, "inlays" are actually a type of veneer, so if you're looking at anything with wood inlays, you're looking at veneers.

Here are just two examples of high quality veneers over solid wood:

As you can see, the above flame mahogany and satinwood credenza is not some cheap, Indonesian-made throwaway. Likewise, the obscene variety of exquisite inlays in the above marquetry chest indicate only the finest quality. I may be tooting my own horn at this point, but I want to illustrate not only that 1) veneers can be high-quality, especially in English-made furniture, but also that 2) some techniques and wood types can only be employed by using veneers. If a veneer splits or cracks, don't blame veneers as such: blame the manufacturer! Veneers as a technique and a material are no more culpable for bad industry practices than solid wood is when wood splits or cracks. Which brings me to my next point:

All solid wood eventually warps, splits, and cracks!

There is even a name for this phenomenon: "age splits" (the idea being that the wood in quality furniture won't split until it has aged). This is why many cabinetmakers, including our own, offer the option of medium-density fiberboard (MDF), which is stronger, denser, and heavier than solid wood—and which also never warps, splits, or cracks. Solid wood, however, has the advantage of being a little easier to repair in the event that a piece sustains damage. Even so, solid wood and veneers are not mutually exclusive categories, so you will often see, as in our own furniture, that solid wood pieces are overlaid with fine veneers. This gives the cabinetmaker much more flexibility with the design and construction, opening up new possibilities for inlays, banding, and other techniques. In all likelihood, furniture that is purely solid wood with no veneers or inlays whatsoever will be rustic or country style, since formal furniture long ago adapted motifs of inlay and banding that are now irreducibly part of the formal furniture tradition.

So, if you're in the market for reproduction or antique furniture, we hope that you can now go forth into the world with good information. Just remember that if you ever touch on a controversy like the one that has erupted on the topic of solid wood and veneered furniture, you probably want to do some research before buying. After all, if you wind up moving or re-arranging your furniture collection, you may want to sell a few of your own pieces. We hope that we've at least cleared up this little impasse for you, but if you have any other questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments section below!

5 Tips for Buying Furniture Online

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 12:00:00 -0500

When buying furniture online, there are many aspects of the research and buying process to take into account. We've decided to put together a list of the 5 most important things to look for when buying your furniture from an online dealer.

1. Primarily, the quality of the furniture. Depending on how serious you are about this, you may want to do some research (i.e. the difference between solid wood and veneers, how significant dovetails are, different types of finishes and wood types, different furniture traditions like American vs. English). If you could find a retailer who gets their supply from the U.S. or England, I would recommend doing that.

2. The quality of the website. If it is an out-dated or poorly designed site, then chances are, the business isn't very serious about selling online. They probably don't have an updated online inventory and in all likelihood lack property security measures in the code that runs their site.

3. The quality of the photos. If they're beautiful and plentiful, you can probably ask the retailer to take more pictures for you, which can be very helpful when you're trying to make the right decision.

4. The responsiveness of the dealer. If they're polite and have good etiquette and passable grammar, chances are they're a professional who knows what they're doing. Ask them plenty of questions about the piece(s) that you are interested in. If applicable, ask about the wood type, the finish, the manufacturing process, the period (Victorian, Georgian, etc.), the origin (England, China, etc.), and anything else you can think of. The more you know about furniture, the more productive these questions will be, because you may be able to catch a dishonest or ignorant dealer before they get your money. However, I would add that most serious dealers are for the most part honest about their product, because it is difficult to run a successful business by treating your customers badly.

5. Their online reputation. If you found the website at the top of a search engine results page, then they have probably devoted an incredible amount of time and resources to getting there, which means they are serious. Also, check if the dealer is on Ebay, Amazon, GoAntiques, or any other furniture outlet. Sometimes you can even get a better price this way. You may even want to see if they have a Facebook or Twitter account, just to see how involved they are in the business. Taking that extra step towards social media can mean the difference between a lazy dealer and a zealous merchant who is dedicated to their business.

Scott Antique Market February 2011

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 12:00:00 -0500

It's that time again! With last night's freeze and today's inevitable Georgia thaw, we are showing at the Scott's show today through Thursday in the South Building, spaces H9-H10. Although we of course recommend perusing our own booth, Scott's offers a remarkable variety of beautiful antiques and surprising bargains, so a trip to the show can turn up new and delightful finds every month. But don't take our word for it: see for yourself! (And grab a hot funnel cake while you're there!)

How to Care for Your Leather Furniture

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 12:00:00 -0500

Recently, we have started carrying a large variety of beautiful leather sofas, chesterfields, and chairs. Both the vintage and replica English leather pieces we are carrying have a great look. As with any new line, we have been asked several questions about how to care for the leather, so I have compiled this list of suggestions for keeping your leather purchase in tip top shape.

-First and foremost leather is very susceptible to fading in direct sunlight. Leather pieces should not be keep in direct sunlight.

-Also, dry heat will cause leather to crack and dry out prematurely.

-All leather crackles over time. This is part of the natural aging process and can really add character to your piece. The key to keeping the crackle from becoming splits or worse is to keep your leather conditioned. Leather conditioner can be found in a variety of places including the hardware store and most automotive stores. Use a quality leather conditioner twice a year to ensure the leather stays pliable.

-Leather can be dusted or vaccumed regularly, however, use only a soft cloth, slightly damp if need be. Avoid dousing the leather in water, as it will leave spots.

-Light scratches can sometimes be buffed out with a clean finger. Small nicks can be colored in with some leather dyes (see your local automotive store). Larger or deeper scratches are almost impossible to repair and you will need to have a professional take a look at them.

As with any piece of furniture, prevention is much easier than repair. The above tips should help you keep your new sofa or chair in wonderful condition, so it can be enjoyed for years to come.

Furniture Container for October 2010

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 12:00:00 -0500

We were highly anticipating our most recent furniture container, since we knew we had a lot of great items coming in. We purchase all of our inventory from dealers and cabinetmakers in England, so every time we come across a beautiful find, it can be a while, usually a month or so, until we all finally get to see, in person, the gorgeous pieces that first caught our collective eye. This month, the level of excitement was definitely higher than usual, and with the amazing antiques that came in, it's no wonder why. So without further ado, here are just a few of the beauties that I've been yammering about.

Announcing Buttoned Leather Furniture! (August Furniture Container 2010)

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 12:00:00 -0500

We at English Classics are proud to announce the arrival of our new line of reproduction buttoned leather furniture, as well as a veritable stock of antiques. Included in the new line are several types of couches, wingback armchairs, three types of swivel desk chairs, and even a footstool. For your viewing pleasure, we've put together a few pictures: enjoy!

Scott Antique Market August 2010

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:00:00 -0500

With Fall right around the corner, we're gearing up here at English Classics for the August 2010 Scott's show, which will last from the 12th through the 15th. We've decided to shake things up a bit and exhibit in both buildings: in addition to showing at our normal spaces, H9-H10 in the South Building, we will also have a booth set up in D2-D3 in the North Building. So come see both Peters—that's right, we have two of them—and enjoy the sights of the Southeast's favorite antique show! And while you're at it, grab an ice cream cone while we've still got this beautiful Georgia summer.

A Look at Pulls, Antique and New

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 12:00:00 -0500

One of my favorite things about antique furniture is the hardware. I don't often post shots of our pulls, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. Enjoy!

Furniture Container for July 2010

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 12:00:00 -0500

It's that time of the month again:
antiques so pretty it feels like sin.
So feel free to browse this brief selection:
we hope our photos give you a smile.

When we saw this small mahogany bookcase, we found the design so unusual that we had to get it.

This beautiful mahogany dining table arrived in great condition. Similar to the reproductions that we carry, this c1960 piece is a much higher quality table than you usually see from the '60's.

This exquisitely carved oak bureau bookcase dates back all the way to c1820, during the Georgian period. The carvings are very detailed—and the unique pull backplates even have sphinxes and pyramids on them.

At one point in time, this mahogany campaign chest would have furnished an RAF officer's quarters and disassembled into several pieces during relocations in the field. Today, the pieces have been permanently joined together to make this unique piece a more suitable addition for home use.

This Victorian walnut bow front chest recently underwent a complete restoration at the hands of our cabinetmaker in England. The exquisite appearance and unparalleled sturdy structure of of this piece testify to his amazing skills.

We always keep our eyes peeled for barley twist furniture, particularly chairs and tables. This set of four oak dining chairs caught our eye and arrived in wonderful condition.

Pub tables, especially ones with barley twist legs, have always been one of our most popular items. Needless to say, we don't expect to keep this charming beauty for long.

We don't often acquire wardrobes, if only because of their relatively uncommon appearance in the antique market. But when we saw this exquisite flame mahogany wardrobe, it was destiny.

That's all for now—we hope you enjoyed all the pictures. Stay tuned for more updates and, for a more complete list of our inventory, you can always visit our reproduction and antique furniture catalog.

Scott Antique Market July 2010

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:00:00 -0500

After taking a break from the June show, we are back at Scott Antique Market, the best-loved antique show in the Southeast. At Scott's, you can find everything from rustic pine benches to finely hand-polished mahogany desks, so be sure to get a good look at the amazing selection and variety of antiques. The show will be running July 9-11, and there will be plenty of great deals to find. You can find us in the South building, spaces H9-H10. Say hello to Peter while you're there!

Independence Day 2010

Sun, 04 Jul 2010 12:00:00 -0500

Happy Independence Day, everybody! We hope everyone has a good, safe time this weekend.

A Fine Example of Reproduction Furniture

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:00:00 -0500

I was in for a surprise this week while unwrapping one of our recent arrivals, a lovely flame mahogany credenza. Although the furniture produced by our third-generation English cabinetmaker is always high quality, the character of each piece is unique because every one is handmade. This time we received a real gem. Enjoy the pictures.

The selection of flame mahogany and satinwood are really quite beautiful in this piece. The stain and the finish both set into the wood flawlessly to produce one of the lovelier specimens here at English Classics.

One of the great things about fine English furniture is that it achieves the perfect synthesis of utility and aesthetic perfection.

I wouldn't want you to miss the back, so here it is—no detail was lost on our cabinetmaker.

This shot of the hand-cut dovetails also happens to showcase the gorgeous grain and complexion of the wood.

The ogee foot is probably my favorite variety, and in this picture at least I hope it is clear why.

A Fine Example of Victorian Craftsmanship

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:00:00 -0500

Recently I wrote about our May furniture container, and one of the items I featured in that post was a carved Victorian sideboard. This is really such a beautiful piece that I wanted to share some of the detailed photos that we have of it. Enjoy!

The black areas in the backsplash are mirrors.

Take a look at the lion in the center. He looks absolutely shocked. Somewhere, a lion died of old age and woke up in Victorian England as a carving in somebody's sideboard. Not the afterlife he was expecting. Surprise!—you're furniture.

When I first saw this guy, I thought he was a pregnant woman until I saw the beard. For a moment I considered Victorian carnies and bearded ladies, but after banishing that thought, I realized that the representation here is in a classical style, where depictions of men and women are often androgynous.

Here is the little man's female opposite. They are both holding a cylindrical object, the man with his left hand, the woman with her right, but I haven't been able to figure out what it is supposed to represent. I'm sure it was a common and recognizable motif to Victorians.

The surprising thing about these cherubs is the remarkable level of detail shown in their faces. They sure are cute little pudgy things. (In case you're wondering why I don't call them puttos, see my post, "Putto or Cherub?".)

I believe that these pulls are original to the sideboard, which is fairly uncommon for a piece of this age. Incredibly, the pulls show almost as much precise detail as the wood itself.

Antique Furniture Auction June 18 - June 25

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:00:00 -0500

This is it, folks. Our first antique auction on the new website begins tomorrow and ends June 25 at 10pm EST. We have 120 items listed at great deals, so don't miss out!

Furniture Container for May 2010

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:00:00 -0500

I know I'm a little late on this, seeing as it's June already, but we've been awfully busy lately. However, we did get a lot of great antiques in last month, so it should be worth the wait!

This Victorian sideboard arrived in great condition with plenty of gorgeous carvings all over it. We usually have a few sideboards or hunt cupboards similar to this lying around the shop, but this one is particularly unique, since it has carved cherubs and a man and woman pair. What I would consider stock Victorian carvings included lion heads and floral motifs, both of which this one has, but it is unusual (although not rare) to find such distinct carvings. You can also really see the craftsman's touch in many of the more detailed carvings.

People are always asking us about buttoned leather furniture, so here is May's beauty. I don't anticipate this one will be here long, given the great condition that it is in. (Side note: we will soon be carrying English reproduction buttoned leather furniture!)

Gate leg tables are one of our most popular items. This one is especially unique, however, because of its large size relative to most antique gate legs of the same style and period.

This Victorian writing desk arrived in fantastic condition with a gorgeous quartersawn oak grain (sometimes called "tiger oak" for its distinctive striped pattern) and a green leather writing surface that appears to have been replaced circa 1960.

This lovely Edwardian nest of tables is an uncommon find, since antique nests of tables aren't very easy to come by. A rich patina has settled into the mahogany in these tables, which helps to give them their heterogeneous complexion.

Many more wonderful antiques arrived on May's container, but that's all for now.

Ancient Moving Company Sticker Found

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:00:00 -0500

I had this Welsh dresser in the studio recently and found a label on the back that read, "Pickfords Ltd."

I always Google labels found on our furniture. Many times, I hit a dead end, since most of the companies with labels on antiques have long since gone out of business. This time, however, I found these guys, the very same Pickfords on the tag. What I found was fascinating: they've been in business since the 17^th century. "Ancient" is perhaps an exaggeration, but even so. Holy cow.

So there you have it. An antique company moving antiques.

Rethinking Red House Furniture's Viral Marketing Strategy

Wed, 26 May 2010 12:00:00 -0500

When I was perusing my RSS headlines today, I noticed one from Furniture Today about Red House Furniture and their (in)famous viral marketing YouTube video (if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it!). I was curious about what the writer had to say on the subject.

According to the article, Red House "ranks highly" in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages), presumably because of the video, but a quick look at any common search terms shows that they don't. Still, I'm sure they've gotten a great deal of attention as a result of the video, especially locally, and there is nothing quite like saturating your local market, particularly in the furniture industry, since many people want to see the item(s) in person before buying. Given our customer base, I'm not convinced that a viral YouTube video would be the right move for English Classics, but it certainly is funny to think about what we could cook up.

What I found most interesting in the article lay in the comments section. I was frankly surprised to see that anyone was apparently disgusted by the video. One person remarks, "Our forefathers must have been insane when they brought North Carolina into the Union," while another points to the video as "a prime example of what is wrong with the furniture industry." Now, every marketing strategy has its place, but Red House Furniture certainly doesn't seem to be selling top-dollar items, so I don't see the harm in appealing to their customers: people who have a sense of humor and who like to be entertained. If only every furniture store could find a way to turn a customer base into a happy, entertained audience, perhaps our ailing industry would find more success in the 21st century.

Scott Antique Market May 2010

Fri, 07 May 2010 12:00:00 -0500

It's that time of the month again: English Classics is exhibiting at the Scott Antique Market, the best-loved antique show in the Southeast. Located just outside of Atlanta on Jonesboro Road, the Scott Antique Market promises everything from Persian rugs to fine antiques, and now that the weather's warm, you may even want to consider picking up an old-fashioned ice cream cone. Come see Peter and our find selection of antique & reproduction English furniture, located in the South Building, spaces H9-H10!

English Classics Reinvented

Wed, 05 May 2010 12:00:00 -0500

Welcome to the new look of English Classics! We have completely re-built our site from the bottom up. Interested buyers can now make offers on our products in addition to purchasing them outright, and we have also instituted a new auction system, so be sure to keep up with our blog to find out when our first auction will take place. We have also created new RSS feeds for the blog and our products, so you can have the latest news and most recently arrived antiques delivered to your RSS reader of choice. Soon we will integrate shipping and payments directly in the site, so stay tuned for the latest in the continuing evolution of English Classics.

We hope you like what we've done with the place! We'd also love to receive feedback on the new site, so be sure to leave us a comment before exiting.

Site Re-Design Coming Soon

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:00:00 -0500

Long time no see! I know it's been a while since we posted anything, but we've been busy working on a new site re-design, so stay tuned for a new and beautiful English Classics—coming soon to cyberspaces near you.

Killer TV's and Responsible Furniture Use

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:00:00 -0500

A recent AP news article reported that TV and furniture-related injuries are on the rise. According to the article, about 14,700 furniture-related injuries occurred each year between 1990 and 2007—almost half due to TV sets, the most common article involved in the accidents—and resulted in about 300 deaths.

According to Furniture Today, part of the problem may be that people are moving their old, bulky TV's. But I think the problem is simpler than that. Flat screens are easy to knock over because they don't have the wide bases of the old tube and projection varieties. Plus, they often hang on the wall, which is an added risk, and because of their thin size, people are putting them in more precarious places than they used to. And of course, anyone who has been around children long enough (or remembers being one!) knows that they love to climb on things, and it seems likely to me that a child would try to climb up the front of a flat screen TV since, given enough time, a child will climb on everything they lay eyes on.

This situation reminds me of a time, several years back, when we came into some extremely heavy solid wood furniture (I'm talking several hundred pounds for a chest of drawers). At a show, we were on the brink of selling one of these gargantuan chests to a woman when she told us it was going in her young child's bedroom. We had to refuse the sale, because we knew that if the child tried climbing the chest, it could tip over, quickly rendering the ingredients for a New Guinea meat pie.

What's my point? As much as we try, we don't always make the most responsible decision when it comes to how we use our furniture (and our TV's). To me, the solution seems obvious, but that may be because I own two ferrets whose primary purpose for living is to find new ways to get into my stuff, including my oven, my recliner, and of course my wire-stuffed TV cabinet. I am always developing new ways to keep them out—and just like ferrets, the best way to keep children off of a TV would be to lock it up in a TV cabinet or linen press, which is what plenty of people do, in any case—e.g. our TV cabinet selection.

But you don't have to shop with us to avoid being one of those 14,700 homes per year that discover the perilous ingenuity of children. Televisions, other appliances, and topple-ready furniture—killer or otherwise—should just be kept locked away or out of reach from children, because, as with all things, otherwise they will eventually find a way to make a mess with it.

November Furniture Container

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0500

We got a new container packed full of gorgeous antiques a few weeks ago and we've been so busy that I'm only now just getting around to posting a few pictures here. We've got more furniture coming in next month, so this won't be all. Be sure to check the catalog section of this site for the most up-to-date items. In the meantime, enjoy!

The mahogany desk shown above on the left is actually French, so it is an uncommon item for us. The desktop actually slides out about a foot from its closed position, making this desk even more unique.

This mahogany beauty is a new model of desk for us, modeled after a particular style of formal furniture dating back to the 19th-century American West.

A wonderful pair of these brown leather office chairs arrived, complete with brass brads and mahogany frame. Classy.

The chair to the right belongs to one of a set of six that arrived in nearly perfect order, dating back to around 1950, with rush seats. It looks a great deal like our reproduction country dining chairs, underscoring just how genuine our designer furniture really is.

The ever popular antique card table, this fine solid-oak specimen flips open to reveal a lovely felt-lined playing surface.

This charming little bookcase has leaded glass doors and a sturdy build. We're still working on getting it unlocked at the moment!

Economic Recovery and the Furniture Industry

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0500

A recent article over at Furniture Today about economic recovery characterizes recent developments in the market (particularly at High Point) as an upswing. One quote from Kevin O'Connor, president of Samson Marketing and chairman of the High Point Market Authority, reads, "I think attendance probably was flat, but in this economy, I consider that pretty good." I would emphasize the words in this economy.

It is true that most of the opinions offered in the article are positive, but many are qualified with sentiments like the above: people are just glad that things don't look flat out apocalyptic these days, but I would argue that although things don't look as grim as they did back in the beginning of summer, the economy is still losing jobs on the whole (only at a slower pace), so the economy may not be necessarily on the upswing, just less fatal.

Besides, Fall tends to be the best season for furniture and antiques, since people want to stock their homes with new dining furniture and other domestic trophies before the relatives show up on Thanksgiving and Christmas. After that, things usually start to slow down again for most shows and dealers alike. Still, I hesitate to put a damper on the positive mood, so while I remain optimistic, and while we do seem to have weathered the worst of the storm, I foresee more hardship ahead before we resume pushing antiques by the container load as we saw back in 2007.

As for Atlanta, I think we'll keep our title for the East's biggest antique importer. But as every dealer, designer and investor knows, only time will tell.

Why Buy a Reproduction?

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0500

So you may be in the market for antique furniture, but there are often good reasons for buying a reproduction. My last post on reproductions prompted a conversation with a friend of mine about whether buying reproductions at all is a good idea when you can just go for antiques, especially since good, handmade reproductions can sometimes be more expensive than the real thing. So I decided to put together a list of the top three reasons for buying a reproduction instead of an antique:

1. You may want something flawless that looks new but is in an antique style. If it is an actual antique, you're probably looking at forking over a lot of dough. If you wanted an actual Georgian version of this walnut linen press, for instance, I would guess you would need at least $15-20k. A reproduction might set you back only $5k.

2. You may need something that is rare or practically impossible to find. Some dealers, like us for instance, can make anything you can dream up.

3. You may need a suite of matching or similar furniture; depending on what it is you need, this can be quite difficult. Most of the time when someone needs a group of items, they're looking to outfit an office. So you can get your desk, credenza, bookcase and filing cabinet in one place, with the same leather and wood types if you want—and have them all look antique.

Finding Quality Reproduction Furniture

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0500

This is a prime example of a quality reproduction.

A host of fears and misconceptions haunt the idea of reproduction furniture—and in some cases, with good reason. Chinese junk, for instance, has long inundated the U.S. market, and some dealers aren't as honest as English Classics about where their items come from (and of course not all dealers get their stuff from England). But if you know what to look for in a good reproduction, then you don't need to worry too much about where it comes from because, I imagine, quality can come from the most surprising places. (In fact, I predict that as Chinese incomes rise, the burgeoning upper-class will want the same level of quality that wealthy Westerners have come to expect, and there will be a demand for quality right in their own backyards. This will make cheap, quality Chinese furniture a reality.)

For starters, the best way to find out about a piece is to simply ask the dealer. Ask where and when it is made, what it is made of (veneers, underlying materials, hardware metal). If it is finished, ask what kind of finish it is, and how to clean it. Ask what style it is in, whether it is handmade, and where and how the dealer acquired the piece. The answers to these questions will usually serve as good indicators of quality, and they might even get the dealer to lower the asking price.

As an example of a good, quality reproduction, take the above walnut serpentine chest. Many of our customers mistake it for an antique because of its rich wax finish, shading and distressing, and genuine style. Indeed, it was handmade with an elaborate finish just like they used to do in the old days, and this is one of the most obvious markers of quality. Still, it is also a subtle marker, so if you can't tell the difference between wax and lacquer, there are more things to look for.

For one, if the piece you are looking at has drawers, open them and look for dovetails:

The picture on the left is from a new reproduction desk with hand-cut dovetails; notice how thin they are. The one on the right is from a recently restored c1970 chest with machine-cut dovetails; they are wider and more regular than the hand-cut variety. You might also check the back of the drawers—whether on an antique or a reproduction, this is usually a sign of great quality.

Check for labels.

You can also have a look at the hardware. Labeling conventions vary according to age, location, the individual maker, or even the client for whom the piece is made. This particular label shows that the lock was made in England by A & E Squire, which supplies locks to various cabinetmakers in England.

Push the piece a little to see how sturdy it is. Take a drawer out (if it has any) to check what the inside of the piece looks like. Look at the back: solid wood paneling usually indicates fine quality, and the quality of reproduction furniture usually corresponds directly to the attention paid to the back. And that about covers it; everything else is common sense. For more tips on shopping for furniture, see our post on tips for buying antiques. Good luck and happy shopping!

Antique Appraisals: Take Them with a Grain of Salt

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0500

I recently came across the following article about antique appraisals while digging around for furniture news, and I was surprised at the price tag put on the furniture discussed in the article.

Now let me lay out some disclaimers: I sell furniture, I don't appraise it (we don't do appraisals, in case you were wondering); the furniture I sell is mostly English (duh), not French; most of what comes into our shop is usually 19^th century, not 18^th; and I am sure that Ms. Durr is an absolutely capable professional.

So, that being said, I would be very surprised if Mrs. Francis gets half of the $64,000 of the estimated value. As the article itself indicates, it is difficult for individuals to sell furniture and even more so to sell it at its "worth," because of the Internet (hello, English Classics?) and the slow economy. Unless Francis gets serious about marketing this set, it probably won't sell, and usually such an effort is long and painstaking. This is why marketing is an entire industry in itself, and why, in fact, I am sitting in front of this monitor slapping away at the keys—not everybody can do it.

Mostly it comes down to time. Francis indicates that she is willing to wait, but even given several years, the odds that she will find a buyer without 1) professional help or 2) serious investment of her own time are pretty slim. These kinds of relatively rare, quality items tend to sell in very selective markets composed of high-end auctions, designers and big-shot retailers (e.g. Miami Circle). Other options include Ebay, consignment and a patient email campaign to retailers—none of which are likely to reap anything close to the $64k that Francis is hoping for. This is partly because the Internet is a market where people expect to pay less, and dealers aren't in the business for free.

In short, the furniture market is generally insulated from individuals seeking to dump their valuable antique furniture. Not that I wouldn't love to be surprised or proven wrong, but if you're looking into selling your own furniture or antiques, just keep in mind that a piece's "value" isn't necessarily its price, and for that matter is often just some abstract number that doesn't really mean much to anyone but insurance companies. Your best bet is to do some research and compare what you've got to what other people are selling. Either way, good luck!

IKEA Offers to Furnish $2.7 Million Home

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0500

So I know it seems sometimes that I just love to pick on IKEA (and maybe I do), but when I ran across this article, I just had to share it. The skinniest house in New York—more history here—which runs at 9.5' x 42', was built in 1873 and once housed Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, is up for sale at $2.7 mil. And who steps in to offer to furnish the place for up to $10,000? The laminate name that shines with the gloss of new and vibrant disposable furniture.

There is a great irony in furnishing a multimillion dollar home with furniture designed for dorm rooms. Everyone I know who lived off of IKEA furniture in college spent those four or so years gradually replacing each piece with better finds at thrift stores and antique shops. Of course, as with everything, there are exceptions, and so IKEA does beef up their line with somewhat higher quality items, but even so—$2.7 million? Maybe I just don't get it down here in the Deep South of Atlanta, where we take low real estate prices and large spaces for granted.

Still, what can be more space-saving than a secretary bookcase combination or, for that matter, the ever-useful pembroke table? The English, who have historically had smaller living spaces than their expansive cousins over the pond, have specialized in space-saving cabinetry for hundreds of years. In fact, many of IKEA's designs, which sometimes present themselves with an air of ingeniously patented innovation, are simply borrowed from Old World cabinetmakers.

So if the buyers of this unique home have the taste (and the wallet) to purchase a charming, historical property, I really can't see them letting IKEA's designers have their way with the place. Who knows—maybe they'll shop at English Classics?

Putto or Cherub?

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0500

This isn't the type of question I ask very often, but a post about a Thomas Brooks Dresser over at Rare Victorian peaked my interest. John Werry raised the issue of whether the winged male child, shown at the top of this dresser as well as in countless other works of furniture and art, ought to be referred to as a "putti" (singular for "putto") or as a "cherub."

According to Wikipedia's version of the story, "cherub" cannot refer to the artistic representation of toddler angels, a claim for which Wikipedia provides no support in that article but does in another on putto. I use the term "support" loosely, since the reference does not appear to be academic or peer-reviewed; in any case, a forum poster known as Juan Carlos Martinez argues that "cherub" refers exclusively to the Christian theological figures, and that putto are only secularized versions of Cupid—and thus obviously not Christian (see the rest of his argument). Not wanting to leave the question unanswered, I did what I always do in any contest of English diction: I consulted the Oxford English Dictionary (which unfortunately requires a subscription to access).

Here is a brief history that the OED provides for "cherub":

The history of the sense, or notion attached to the word, lies outside English, though English use reflects all its varieties. In the OTest. the cherubim are ‘living creatures’ with two or four wings, but the accounts of their form are not consistent: cf. the earlier notices with those of Ezekiel's vision (Ezek. i, x). They first appear in Genesis iii. 24, as guardians of the tree of life. This name was also given to the two images overlaid with gold placed with wings expanded over the mercy-seat in the Jewish tabernacle and temple, over which the shekinah or symbol of the divine presence was manifested. A frequent expression for the Divine Being was ‘he that dwelleth (or sitteth) between (or on) the cherubim’. Psalm xviii. 10 (also contained in 2 Sam. xxii. 11) says of Jehovah ‘He rode upon a cherub (LXX. cherubim), and did fly’. It is in connexion with this class of passages that the word first appears in English, and it is difficult to know exactly how the word was construed or used. The inclusion of the cherubim among angels appears to belong to Christian Mysticism. According to the 4th c. work attributed to Dionysius the Areopagite, the heavenly beings are divided into three hierarchies, each containing three orders or choirs, viz. (according to the received order) seraphim, cherubim, thrones; dominions, virtues (), powers; principalities, archangels, angels. Cherubim were thus made the second of the nine orders, having the special attribute of knowledge and contemplation of divine things. Their angelic character is that which chiefly prevails in later notions and in Christian art.

2.b gives this:

One of the second order of angels of the Dionysian hierarchy, reputed to excel specially in knowledge (as the seraphim in love); a conventional representation of such an angelic being in painting or sculpture.

As the Christian notion was simply super-imposed as a kind of gloss upon the Hebrew, the two are not usually separable in med.L. or Eng. Milton completely blends them, as did e.g. Durandus in his Rationale Divinorum Officiorum (1286). In early Christian art, cherubim were app. coloured red, but according to some, blue, the seraphim being red. In modern art, a cherub is usually represented as a beautiful winged child, or as consisting of a child's head with wings but no body.

The entry for "putto" reads:

Esp. in Renaissance or Baroque art: a representation of a child, usually a boy, naked or in swaddling clothes; a cherub, a cupid. (First use c1660.)

Thus, not only does "cherub" refer to both to the actual theological being as well as to its artistic interpretation (which can indeed take the figure of a boy), but "putto" appears much later than either the word "cherub" or the use of cherubs in art, and can apparently refer to either representations of Cupid or of cherubs in addition to being synonymous with "cherub" itself. So it appears that Wikipedia is incorrect, and that you could use either "cherub" or "putti" to describe the figure on the Thomas Brooks dresser discussed by Werry.

Divided We Fall? The Shared Plight of Antique Dealers

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:00:00 -0500

When asked to consider their relationship to other dealers in the industry, most antique furniture merchants will respond with one word: competition. Now of course this is a perfectly reasonable answer, and perfectly correct, but competitive rivalry doesn't exactly capture the nature of the business.

Yes, there is a bottom line—everyone wants to sell the best product at the best prices. In other industries, the resulting competition has seen the concentration of capital in a few hands, most notably in multinational corporations (i.e. our toothpaste comes from four companies, our cars from a dozen or so). In our industry, we have managed to reproduce the same model of horizontal integration, if only on a smaller scale. Nevertheless, just mentioning the phrase, "antique furniture," calls to mind the myriad of mom-and-pop jobs, small dealers and down-to-earth trade markets like Atlanta's own antique show.

Why is the antique business so decentralized? Because our industry is one that resists colonization by larger market forces. As Rockefeller once said (and I'm paraphrasing here), the age of the individual is over, having been replaced by globalized corporate identities—and yet, here we are. Perhaps this is because it is in the nature of antiques to resist change—after all, evading or enduring the countless number of catastrophic events that can beset a piece of furniture, only to emerge hundreds of years later as a beautifully patinated work of art is quite a feat. And of course there is the difficulty in reaping profits from said furniture.

The trials of the antique business are old news: Globe-Wernicke, Herter Brothers, J & W Meeks, to name a few—the great furniture makers of the past, all gone. Reproductions? Chinese throw-aways, or else the infamous IKEA, the epitome of popularized trash. So where a profit can be turned, odds are you won't find the white collar corporate types, although I am positive that some more resourceful businesspersons might be found grinding out the dollars somewhere.

And so you might have noticed the Going-Out-Of-Business sales, We're-Moving discounts and otherwise Where-Did-They-Go? moments. I won't bother tracing the source of our woes to a single event. What I mean to do is to provide a possible solution to our problems.

Cooperation. (Who woulda thunk it?) The Internet. (Revolutionary!) I'm not kidding; if you're reading this, you are probably familiar with the infamous conservatism of the antique business—resisting change again—and this tendency certainly applies to how dealers and customers alike view the internet. But if you take stock of where the big money is, you will find more often than not small communities of dealers, designers and retail buyers alike. In the real world: trade shows, consignment shops, and antique rows or design districts that band together in marketing ventures, e.g. Atlanta's Westside Design District, to which we belong. On the internet: highly successful interlinking communities that dominate the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages), or even co-op sites.

There is more to be gained than lost when closely related antique and furniture dealers band together in cooperative groups in order to increase each member's ability to compete and survive. Still, the same resistant, individualistic impulse that causes people to deal antiques in the first place can also foster an atmosphere of suspicion and isolation, and in these cases failures are more frequent. As for the viability of selling antique furniture in an increasingly globalized market, it is up to us to stave off the incorporation and institutionalization of our still quite unique industry.

Edwardian Furniture (1901-1910)

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0500

The Edwardian period represents in many ways the last period of English furniture craftsmanship in which bench-made furniture pieces played a central role, with later styles of furniture more or less abandoning traditional precedents in favor of cheap materials and machine production. Today, only a handful of English furniture manufacturers continue the tradition preserved by Edwardian craftsmen, among them the third-generation cabinetmaker who supplies our own line of furniture.

So named for King Edward VII’s reign from 1901-1910, the Edwardian period continued the Victorian tradition of reviving and blending older styles. Georgian furniture inspirations occupied the forefront of Edwardian furniture-making, however, and thus the period produced a kind of neo-Georgian style, with key differences. Among these, for instance, was the revived prominence of Queen Anne style furniture, which tended to employ cabriole legs, serpentine curvatures in chests, and chair backs curved to fit the body, with walnut as a favourite wood type. The Art Nouveau style was also a contemporary of the Edwardian period.

Typically, Edwardian furniture makers used mahogany, often in butterfly or quarter-veneer styles. Square tapered legs and spade feet were common. Satinwood was the favoured wood type for inlays, usually in combination with ebony. Satinwood inlay patterns included fan, swag, festoon, and string inlays. In fact, very often Edwardian furniture would include a combination of all of these inlays, producing a richly ornamented appearance, even in the absence of heavily worked carvings, and in this respect Edwardian craftsmen favoured the simple yet elegant Georgian approach to ornamentation.

August Furniture Container

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0500

We got a new container in two weeks ago but it was so full of great furniture that it is taking me this long to get some of them into a post. Enjoy!

It's pretty common to get one or two antique pub tables in on a container but this one is a bit larger than most at 3.5' x 6' when opened.

The quartersawn oak card table shown here has three drawers and dates back to the Victorian period (around 1890), and retains all original components.

This flame mahogany writing desk, reproduced from a Georgian period antique, is a fine example of the excellent handmade quality that our cabinetmaker in England provides.

The pedestal conference / dining table is also handmade by our English supplier and is made from a rich variety of burl elm.

This corner cabinet is another case of a type of item that we regularly get with a unique trait: while most are yew or mahogany, this happens to be made of burl walnut, and it certainly is fresh on the eyes.

This lovely quartersawn oak "linen fold" wardrobe is a characteristic example of c1920 English craftsmanship.

Here we have another fine card table, this time a handmade reproduction of a Gillows antique. The leather looks great against the mahogany, while two of the drawers are faux, and two functional.

In keeping with our four-drawer table theme, here is a great cherry drum table, this time with four drawers that are faux, and four that are functional.

This little round occasional table was English-made around 1920 and features unusually high-quality satinwood string inlays.

Plying the Antique Lexicon

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0500

I have to confess that when I began writing this post, it opened with grandiose assertions of our industry's incomparable singularity and linguistic wealth. I wanted to stake a claim, to mark out a small, fertile patch of our tongue as a special semiotic niche just for the business and subculture of English antique furniture. But every specialist can (justly) insist on his or her similarly unique verbiage, so I had to abandon that approach. Instead, what I found striking about the diction of English antiques lies in the relationship between the infrastructure (and superstructure) of our industry and the language that it employs.

Consider, for instance, the journey that an antique makes from craft to sale: taking into account the entire acquisition of raw materials and production (which involves its own host of complexities), the piece must then find its way to a consumer, survive for a hundred years or more, find its way to an auction, make a trip across the pond (in our case), and find a new home. The English in particular have a unique history of cabinetry because of the pre-industrial habit of craftsmen to produce furniture as it was in the old days—one at a time, and either for themselves or for a little extra money on the side. In fact, I would go so far as to say (without any hard historical evidence) that the contrast between and brief co-existence of the small cabinetmaker and mass production encouraged a sort of synthesis between the two, which accounts for the unusually high quality of English furniture through to the 20th and 21st centuries.

Even given that, it isn't as if corporate retailers are proffering antiques to the general public. More often than not, you find the ever-imperiled mom-and-pop jobs or one-man operations run by a restoration enthusiast. Otherwise, small businesses occupy the third and final arm of the antique business here in the U.S. Sure, we have the large auction houses and the rare, name-brand, one-of-a-kind's but nevertheless these features actually contribute to the patchwork nature of antique sales. Add to this the variety of selling options—consignment, business-to-business, wholesale, via interior designers, via show, and old-fashioned retail—and it becomes clear that ours is an industry of diversity.

So what has language got to do with these microscopic movements of capital? Consider the multiple names for one type of table, to which you might apply the terms "gate leg," "loper," "drop leaf," or "Irish wake" (which vary in accuracy). I admit that I recently found myself baffled when a customer asked to see a pie crust table, which I was accustomed to calling a scalloped-edge table. Many misconceptions also abound, such as the fallacious reference to wood types as "finishes" (there is no such thing as a cherry finish). Many take "coffer" and "chest" for synonyms, although coffer refers to a chest with a curved top, which was useful for traveling because it deflected rain more easily, while a chest is straight. Even yours truly misapplies (lightly, I might add) "Georgian style" and "Victorian style," since there really is no such thing: George IV is a style and so is Rococo but Georgian and Victorian refer to periods of time.

One could reduce the purpose of language to a pairing of form and function (although Deconstructionists would argue that the only purpose of language is language itself), but even in that case it is easy to see that our lexicon owes its prodigious size to the plethora of antiques and the even greater variety of uses to which they are applied. Of course, mere function is not entirely the case since, no doubt, if the production, buying, and selling of antiques were standardized and streamlined (like so many products in the age of multinational capital), then our jargon would reflect that normative boredom. As this is not the case, we antique dealers have cause for at least a mild pride in our fair industry.

Victorian Furniture (1837-1901)

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0500

Anybody who knows antiques and the reproductions that follow them knows that familiarizing yourself with various furniture periods can be a big help. That's why we decided to offer our readers a few useful summaries of the major furniture periods of England, starting with one of the first. This post is the 6th in a series of 7, continued from a discussion of Regency furniture.

The same period that produced both an infamous Puritanical moralism as well as On the Origin of Species, the Victorian period is often seen as a time of contradictions, which any look at literature and art from the period can discern. The same can be said of Victorian furniture, where the stately propriety of the day clashed with a clamor of human passions to produce some of the finest, well-crafted furniture pieces of all time. Today, Victorian furniture is often considered the epitomized combination of orderliness and rich ornamentation. Indeed, furniture-makers at the time were so successful that succeeding styles took inspiration from the Victorian period, and even today many of the finest furniture styles (including our own collection) owe their design and construction techniques to the master craftsmen of Victorian period furniture.

Named for Queen Victoria, whose reign lasted throughout the period, the Victorian period lasted from 1837 to 1901. This was a particularly unique time, since it was during this time that England became the first industrialized nation. With industrialization came cheap mass production that conflicted with traditional craftsmanship, and eventually in 1861 a reaction to mass production culture precipitated in the form of the Arts and Crafts movement, started by William Morris. The Art Nouveau style developed as a result, which was heavily influenced by the Glasgow School centered in Scotland, and 20th century art and design would draw heavily upon the precedent it set. Other movements that played a significant role during the Victorian period included Eclectic Revivalism, which was a tendency to adapt older styles to contemporary tastes and requirements. Gothic Revivalism is one such example, a style that featured the use of older, simpler styles like those of the Georgian period, to which craftsmen and designers added the rich ornamentation characteristic of medieval period designs, such as in the Gothic and Tudor styles.

Although not as easy to characterize as cohesive periods like the Georgian period that preceded it, Victorian furniture generally took on this concept of combining old styles with new ornamental flair. Distinct characteristics include the increased use of intricate carvings, which grew heavier and more ornate near the end of the period, barley twist framing, paneling, and “marriage” furniture pieces that usually consisted of a Georgian bottom and a Victorian top (or vice versa), as in a Welsh dresser or secretary bookcase, or else featured the replacement of feet, as in the replacement of Georgian shaped bracket feet with turned feet. One of the most unique furniture types of the Victorian period was the Scottish chest of drawers, which was usually quite large with carved columns and at least one shaped drawer face. Among common Victorian furniture designs and techniques were the classic two-over-three drawer dresser, satinwood and yew wood crossbanding, shaped bracket feet, leather paneling with gold tooling, solid brass hardware, and swan neck style pulls. Many of these designs were borrowed from Georgian furniture and continue to be used today.

The most common woods used by English craftsmen during the Victorian period, as in other styles and periods, were oak, walnut and mahogany. The use of solid oak and pine remained standard throughout the period, while mahogany continued to be less common and more expensive, as it was imported from foreign sources. Craftsmen often used solid oak with thick mahogany and walnut veneers, which in many cases produced a more refined appearance than otherwise. Unlike contemporary conceptualizations of veneer work, the use of veneers in Victorian furniture was recognized as skilled and elegant; the term did not acquire the generally pejorative sense until the 20th century, when mass-production furniture manufacturers used thinner veneers or wood substitutes like plastic or composite materials.

Photoshop & Furniture: For Good or Ill

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0500

If you're a small, enterprising antique dealer like us, you might do your own photography. For our part, we've devoted a small section of our warehouse to an enclosed photo studio with a light set and a computer with Photoshop CS3. Now I'm no PS guru but this is one of those programs that have changed the world, if only in small ways. As for furniture, the advantage of having good-looking pictures is that most antique dealers don't. This always surprises me because beautiful pictures can make or break a sale, especially since many people can be uneasy about buying online without first seeing the item in person. The trick is to show how beautiful your item is without hiding its flaws (if any), and to refrain from performing a Photoshop face lift.

Consider the following photos of a walnut writing desk that we have. Taken with a Canon Rebel XT, an 18-55mm lens and an Hoya polarizer, the left photo has no post-processing at all. The middle has what I would consider the most honest appearance, although I would consider the right most beautiful.

If I were making this photo for our furniture catalog, then I would choose the right photo (because we can make a desk to match the photo). But if this picture was slated for a listing for this particular desk, then I would use the more representative middle picture because I don't want to mislead my buyer into thinking that the walnut has that deeper, more saturated color with more shading and darker tones. This becomes particularly important when shipping furniture from our Atlanta showroom to, say, California, because on top of wanting to please my customer, I don't want to pay for return shipping.

So if you're considering using Photoshop to tighten up your furniture pictures but you find yourself uneasy about the reputation that Photoshop has of creating beautiful illusions, then just keep in mind what you want your buyer to see, and make it happen.

The Future of Antiques: circa 2000 IKEA Desk?

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0500

That's right: this here is a genuine IKEA tin desk machine-crafted around Y2K, about 20 years before WWIII. It is only one of 900 copies surviving from the original batch of 85,000...

Is this the future of antiques? I confess to actually running these kinds of narratives through my mind as I try to grasp what tomorrow's furniture world will be like. How long can our current pool of antiques last? Eventually, I suppose they will all break, rust, shatter or otherwise vanish into the thin air of history until the last remaining specimens become an endangered species of craftsmanship. So if we aren't producing new quality furniture, we are doomed to run out.

Of course, there are quality furniture companies out there but many produce goods on such a small scale, and often in a price range that excludes most income levels, that I doubt their production can replace the dwindling supply of yesterday's furniture.¹ Perhaps I am wrong and some Chinese manufacturer will get it right and corner the reproduction market by producing masterpieces for just a few dollars an hour.

Somehow I doubt that, too. But then, the 19th century was a time when the Industrial Revolution came into full swing, so there must have been plenty of junk that wound up in Victorian scrap heaps. Even so, I imagine the supply/demand ratio has changed a bit since then. I think it's safe to conclude that tomorrow's antique connoisseurs will look on our time with a keen pang of envy, as if ours is the age of plenty. (Isn't it?) Like Deckard in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?: a hundred years in the future, and he's finally got the dough to own a real flesh-and-blood sheep like it's some kind of occult luxury. The poor thing winds up being pushed off the top of his apartment complex by a vengeful android.

Classic science fiction aside, don't hold your breath for antiques. Like retro adverts, muscle cars and bad hair, all rages come and go, so perhaps tomorrow's in-the-know antique gurus will wind up raving on about vintage 2000 junk after all. I think I have a solution, though. We wait for AI to come around and get them to produce aforementioned masterpieces for no wages at all. Then, when we find ourselves in Deckard' shoes, we just won't keep our last-of-the-sheep survivor on the rooftop.

1 Except, of course, our fabulous supply of handmade reproduction furniture. :)

Regency Furniture (1800-1830)

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0500

How to Tell the Difference Between Wood Types

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0500

A friend of mine asked me the other day about how I distinguish different wood types. Now, I only regularly deal with a limited selection of wood types, but there are two basic facts that you need to know.

1. The first, most important thing I could say on the subject is this: there is no such thing as a "cherry finish" (to name the most popular example). This is a misnomer invented for the convenience of cheap synthetic veneers made to look like cherry (or any other wood type), and the term has simply become so popular that it has come to incorrectly apply to real and imitation cherry alike. Finishing is the process of staining and coating applied to a wood.

2. The way to identify wood is by its grain—not by its color. There is, again, no such thing as a "cherry color." Before staining, nearly all wood simply looks, in color at least, like the normal timber you'll find at any hardware store. This is why you will find, for example, oak furniture that is very light, or orange, or even black (as when it is ebonized). Some woods, however, tend to be a certain color, like yew, which tends to be orange-ish, and all woods take differently to different stains. However, the rule still stands: you identify wood by its grain.

It is difficult to explain what each grain looks like, but it is easy to show with pictures. Just see the following. (Click on the pictures for larger sizes.)


This is normal oak.	The wood you see here is quartersawn oak. Some people call it "tiger" oak because of its characteristic striping.

This is a great example of several wood types. The main, innermost wood that you see is cathedral mahogany. The innermost banding is ebony string inlay, which borders a thin band of rosewood. Exterior to that is satinwood string inlay, which borders a wider band of satinwood. The outermost band is flame mahogany.	This occasional table was made with flame mahogany. Note the wispy, flame-like grain.

This is walnut with walnut crossbanding (notice the grain difference).	This is another variety of walnut, again with walnut crossbanding, dating from c1910.

This hunt board is made from solid cherry.	Shown here is probably the most ideal example of burl elm.

This chest of drawers is made of yew, and the top shown here is bordered by string ebony inlay.	The wood shown here is bird's eye maple.

History, or, Batman Likes Antiques

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0500

In a recent blog post for Antiques Avenue, a UK seller of vintage jewellery, I discussed the particular appeal of antique furniture, but afterward I found myself wondering about antiques in general. What is the nature of our attraction to all things old? Obviously I could cite quality, but I'm not sure that accounts for the charm that antiques hold over us. In the case of vintage antiques¹, many of us who were there are still around, so it makes sense that some Baby Boomers would have a taste for the styles of their youth. Still, vintage and retro pop aesthetics have no problem thriving in today’s young community (think of the hipster clothing craze, or the continued popularity of retro adverts). So what gives?

Carved Victorian bookcases and popular marketing? I don’t think so.

In some senses, I think our case of commercial historical fetishism hits us with a chicken-or-egg dilemma. That is, antique culture is marketable: it’s time-proven and tested, so what could be a more solid investment? If you stock shop windows and ads with any particular style, it’s almost guaranteed to catch on—consumer behavior is programmatic—but many consumers are exposed to these styles prior to the ads. However, it’s not as if carved Victorian bookcases take part in this marketing feedback loop that is dominated by more trendy items like clothes and jewelry, so there must be something else in play.

Retro posters come off with a certain naïve bravado that calls to us and makes us laugh at the same time.

One theorist by the name of Frederic Jameson argues that the postmodern world longs for a time when society cohered around a unified cultural identity², and in many ways I think he’s right. Retro ads and posters, for instance, come off with a certain naïve bravado that calls to us and makes us laugh at the same time: they evoke in us a certain incredulity, a simultaneous disbelief in their propagandistic format and a willingness to believe, a kind of historical verisimilitude.

World War propaganda makes a great analogy, but back to antiques. In the end, I do feel that contemporary products too often come across as cheap and ephemeral, especially compared to quality antiques. Take movies, for instance: what pulls off opulence better than luxurious antiques? (Think Batman’s mansion.) Obviously, our popular consciousness responds to antiques positively because they are beautiful, but also, I believe, simply because they are old. I think the idea that any concept (isn’t style a concept?) can survive the Darwinian meme grinder for a hundred years or more lends a certain credibility to that concept (assuming it hasn’t survived through infamy), not to mention rendering it timeless. And this last may lie at the heart of our attraction to antiques: perhaps, in some small way, we gravitate toward the spectral icons of the past, as if it lives on through them, escaping time and death, and we find this marvelous.

1 I realize that, according to which definition of antique you use, this may be a bit of an oxymoron.

2 Jameson, Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, 1991.

On the Eve of Our Independence

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0500

Tomorrow is the 233rd anniversary of our independence here in the U.S. I find it a great irony that I am writing about it here, since, after all, our furniture is English. Every now and then, we get a piece from around the time of the American Revolution, and I can't help but wonder what the original owner must have thought about the events on our side of the pond.

How would the owner of this 18th century coffer bach have felt about our independence?

I suppose these kinds of thoughts are part of what make antiques so charming to us. After all, owning a piece of furniture from the late 18th century does have a certain appeal for some of us Yankees; the idea of it exerts a nameless pull over the psyche, as if we have opened a back door somewhere to let the other side in. History that has passed long ago allows us to think this kind of thing without any of the animosity that now seems alien and unimaginable to us, absurd even, given our close ties to Great Britain. Still, having a piece of the past in the same room with you has a way of reviving history, of bringing it closer to you in a way that enriches meaning.

And so we arrive in the present. What would yesterday's ghosts think of our world? Or tomorrow's? I sometimes fear that the disposable nature of our furniture and other belongings will render our zeitgeist so ephemeral and abstract that all we will leave behind is some sort of vague, cyberspatial imprint that will seem irrelevant to the worldview of the future. Either way, barring some disaster of extraordinary scale, antiques that were there to see the first Independence Day will still be around, like visitors from the past, waving perpetually.

Georgian Furniture (1714-1820)

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0500

Anybody who knows antiques and the reproductions that follow them knows that familiarizing yourself with various furniture periods can be a big help. That's why we decided to offer our readers a few useful summaries of the major furniture periods of England, starting with one of the first. This post is the 4th in a series of 7, continued from a discussion of Queen Anne furniture.

Such was the rich, compelling character of Georgian period art and design that most English reproduction office furniture today is modeled directly after Georgian style examples. In fact, our office furniture collection owes virtually all of its designs and many of its construction techniques to the efforts of the master craftsmen of the Georgian and Victorian periods.

The Georgian period, so named after the first four King Georges, lasted from about 1714 to 1820. A few of the period’s most influential furniture designers were Thomas Sheraton and George Hepplewhite (whose first name is coincidental). Contemporary furniture styles included the French Régence, Directoire and the internationally adopted Empire style (known in German-speaking nations as Biedermeier style and in England as Regency).

Furniture of the Georgian period was characterized by a simple elegance that was markedly different from ornate Empire styles as well as from previous, more lavish styles such as in the Jacobean (1600-1630) and Queen Anne (1700-1715) periods. For instance, rather than the exquisite carvings that characterized Jacobean furniture or the frequent use of cabriole legs in Queen Anne furniture, Georgian furniture saw more conservative, imposing designs that reflected the English return to neoclassical art and design. In this sense, it was more in keeping with Empire furniture styles, but differentiated from them in its simpler English adaptation to contemporary tastes, which for the most part opted for conservative stateliness in place of opulence.

Examples of distinct characteristics of Georgian furniture would include a general absence of intricate carvings as well as the use of turned or square-tapered legs instead of cabriole or French style. Even so, Georgian cabinetmakers employed a great deal of knowledge that was developed in other periods and styles, including the classic gateleg table design that finds its origin in the Jacobean period. Ornamental inlays were preserved, the most common among them being crossbanding, although other inlays such as the classic “fan” inlay were sometimes used.

The most common woods used by English furniture craftsmen during the Georgian period, as in other styles and periods, were oak, walnut and mahogany. The use of solid oak remained standard throughout the Georgian period, while mahogany became more popular near the end of the period, and solid walnut pieces all but disappeared from Georgian furniture. In place of solid walnut and mahogany, craftsmen often used solid oak with thick mahogany and walnut veneers, which in many cases produced a more refined appearance than otherwise. Unlike contemporary conceptualizations of veneer work, the use of veneers in old times was recognized as skilled and elegant; the term did not acquire the generally pejorative sense until the 20th century, when mass-production furniture manufacturers used thinner veneers or wood substitutes like plastic or composite materials.

Among common Georgian furniture designs and techniques were the classic two-over-three drawer dresser, satinwood and yew wood crossbanding, shaped bracket feet, leather paneling with gold tooling, solid brass hardware, oval and swan-neck style pulls, and astragal glass moulding. Many of these concepts and techniques carried over into the Victorian and Edwardian periods, and continue to be used by contemporary reproduction craftsmen today.

More than Georgian techniques were recycled, however: many Victorian tables and other pieces (particularly demi-lune tables) were either marriages of Georgian and Victorian furniture pieces, or re-used materials and pieces from the Georgian period. One convention in English furniture history has been to combine a top and a bottom half as in, for instance, a secretary bookcase or a dresser with a hutch.

Antiques - An Industry in Trouble?

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0500

Some blame eBay for paring down the retail market.

With the current economic recession, it's no surprise that most of us are feeling the effects of depressed consumer spending. The antique market, which owes its very existence to value that defies age and somehow survives each generational recession, shows its own signs of a serious slowdown. Every month that passes by, mom-and-pop operations and even established dealers and antique shows are either closing shop or teetering on the verge. Some blame eBay, while others point to the poor taste of today's young consumers, but everyone agrees that the antique industry is in trouble. The trick lies in knowing what to do about it.

Our industry, which fixes its eye and dollars on the cultural icons of antiquity—furniture, jewelry, collectibles—now faces an opportunity to embrace things utterly contemporary in the interests of self-preservation. This includes, yes, adapting to eBay and the online marketplace, maybe even starting a website, and those who don't are either lucky to have the buffer of a steady old-fashioned customer base, or they'll find themselves going the way of the Dodo. Consider, for instance, the great 19th century cabinetmakers: where are their shops now? They all shut down in the face of mass-produced junk. It is a sad irony that we now find ourselves facing a similar fate.

Even so, it's true that antiques hold their value, no matter how much all the Asian-made caricatures and Swedish disposables saturate the market. You still can't replace quality craftsmanship and one-of-a-kind value, and that's really what antiques are all about. So when we come out of this mess, the antique market will still be around, if only more in cyberspatial terms than before, and maybe that's the key to tapping the wallets of younger consumers. Any look at a successful antique-based online community can tell you that this strategy will ultimately change the face of the industry: just have a look at Rare Victorian, and you'll see a thriving community of knowledgeable experts and enthusiastic antique lovers. Meanwhile, some have found a way to look on the bright side of antiques in a bad economy. After all, as everyone keeps saying, now's the time to buy, but with the housing market down, fewer antiques are entering the marketplace, so who knows? As for me, I think I'll fall back on the old maxim that has done so well by our industry: "Time will tell."

Queen Anne Furniture (1702-1714)

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0500

Hand-Cut Vs. Machine-Cut Dovetails

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0500

Many people ask us how to tell the difference between dovetails that are cut by hand and those that are cut by machine. Once you know, it's fairly easy to tell. Just have a look at these pictures:

Click on the above pictures to view them in larger sizes

The picture on the left is an example of machine-cut dovetails. Note how square they are, and how many. The dovetails on the right, however, have been cut by hand, and are narrower, tapered, and fewer. Whether or not dovetails are hand-cut is one of many indicators of age when dating an antique, since machine-cut dovetails entered into prominence after the Edwardian Period.

Jacobean Furniture (1603-1625)

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0500

Anybody who knows antiques and the reproductions that follow them knows that familiarizing yourself with various furniture periods can be a big help. That's why we decided to offer our readers a few useful summaries of the major furniture periods of England, starting with one of the first. This post is the 2nd in a series of 7, continued from a discussion of Elizabethan furniture.

As a time that saw the emergence of King James I’s famous Bible as well as the Virginia colony of Jamestown and some of the finest English art ever (including Shakespeare and Milton), the Jacobean period also preceded the regicide of King Charles I and the bloody English Civil War that followed. Many of the tensions that exploded in those years mounted during King James I’s reign, and so this period represents a very important period in English history. Perhaps it is for this reason that Jacobean history has always been seen with a distinctness and clarity that other periods have seldom attained. As for Jacobean furniture style, it has survived mostly through the styles that succeeded it, particularly as a result of 19th century Eclectic Revivalism.

So named for the reign of King James I (1603-1625), Jacobean period furniture saw a rather smooth development from earlier furniture styles. As opposed to many other transitions between English periods, the transition from the Elizabethan to the Jacobean period was marked by continuity rather than by opposition. Indeed, rather than radically shifting designs, Jacobean furniture altered certain aspects of Elizabethan precedents. For example, furniture maintained ornate carvings and florid designs but was no longer so large and heavy, nor so deeply carved. Marquetry became more common, while later in the period designs became lighter and more ornate. Jacobean cabinetmakers invented the gate leg table and developed and perfected many of the basic furniture designs used today, such as fix-framed chairs and tables as well as framed chests with drawers and draw leaf tables, which made their first appearance about 100 years prior to the Jacobean period. Thus in many ways Jacobean furniture represents the beginning of modern English furniture and the end of all styles before that (a trend begun in Elizabethan period furniture). The distinctive maze-like decorative paneling that continues to be used in furniture today was also developed and commonly used during the Jacobean period.

At this time, oak remained the dominant wood of choice because of its strength and availability, followed by elm and ash. Walnut and other exotic woods were for the most part imported from the European continent but remained uncommon, as the principal import at the time was the use of ornamentation and carvings. Very few Jacobean pieces survive today, so much of what is commonly known about Jacobean furniture exists only in reproductions.

There is an unusually long gap between distinctive furniture styles after the Jacobean period, probably due to the chaotic upheaval that took place after King James I’s reign, a time that endured both the English Civil War (1642-1651) and the Interregnum (1649-1660). Indeed, the Georgian period that followed began nearly a century later in 1715.

New Furniture Container

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0500

This month's container arrived a few days ago and we thought we'd share a couple of our favourite items with you.

When we found the grandfather clock in England, we knew we had to bring it home. The clock dates back all the way to the Georgian period, around 1815, and is made of quartersawn oak and flame mahogany. This particular clock is unusual because it is in near perfect condition, with very few nicks and a new French polish.

The cane-backed armchair is one of a set of 6 that arrived in excellent condition, which is unusual for cane furniture. They date from c1920.

The adorable little side table, made with flame mahogany, is a c1920 reproduction of a Georgian Period antique.

List of Furniture Directories

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0500

In a recent post we discussed where to look for furniture and after some thought we realized that one of the best places to find furniture websites is in online directories. So, to help you find your way, we've compiled a list of a few of our favourites, which we may update from time to time. If you have any suggestions, please let us know!

Collectible Directory
DecorateIndex.com
Dharoo.net - A shopping resource
Furniture Store Directory
The Furniture Machine
Furniture Web Sites

Medieval, Tudor and Elizabethan Furniture (pre-1485, 1485-1603)

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0500

5 Tips For Antique Furniture Buyers

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0500

We often see people who are in the market for antiques but don't know where to look, or how. So we decided to put together a helpful list of tips to help make buying antique furniture easier for our readers.

1. Take measurements—before leaving.

Many people leave the home or office without knowing how large or small they need their furniture to be. After all the effort of finding the perfect antique, learning that it won't fit through your doorway can be a real downer—you may also find yourself coming back the next day only to see a sold sticker on your favourite table, or having to leave a show on its last day. So take measurements and come prepared with pen, notepad, tape measure, and camera in hand. Now that you are prepared, you can begin looking for the perfect antique.

2. Know where to look.

Many antique shoppers take the whole process in as if it were a typical retail experience—which it isn't. Some antiques can be hard to find, so while driving around your local retail district may reveal some interesting buys, you may be missing out. Be sure to try out eBay, local auctions, shows, and even estate sales. Estate sales and live auctions are a particularly good way to find antique furniture at great prices, but be on the look-out for hidden damage when buying at auctions. I might also add that our own selection of antique and reproduction furniture would be worth a look.

3. Learn to recognize quality.

Once you've found a place to buy your furniture, knowing the difference between a good antique and a bad one can save you hundreds of dollars, so it benefits you to learn how to recognize quality furniture when you see it. Start with the basics: is there any damage? Does it wobble? How old is the piece, and what period is it from? Be sure to have a look at the hardware. If it has drawers, are they dovetailed?—take the drawer out and look at the front and back. Does the piece have a striking grain as opposed to one you can't see too well? What wood type is it? Are there any inlays? Have any parts been replaced or restored—if so, what did that entail?

Be careful not to shun a piece because it is veneered. This is a common mistake made by many honest and die-hard antique enthusiasts. Veneers were first developed during the Italian Renaissance as a means of developing complex inlay patterns and also as a way to preserve stores of rare and exotic woods like imported mahogany. Since then, veneers have grown increasingly complex and varied, and have always been a marker of high quality. When you do come across veneer, whether on antique or reproduction furniture, take note of what the underlying material is—MDF, solid wood, blockboard, particle board, etc.—how thick it is, what finish it has, if it has inlays, and whether it has crackling.

In any case, the most consistently reliable way to discern the quality of an antique is to simply ask the seller, which leads us to our next point.

4. Ask the right questions.

When you've set your sites on an antique, you will need to know which questions to ask. Again, start with the most basic, like, "How old is this piece?" Also ask what wood(s) the piece is made of—inside and out—what kind of finish it has—i.e. lacquer or wax—what style it is in, whether it is an antique or reproduction, whether it is handmade, where it was made, whether it has been restored, whether it has a history of damage, and where the seller bought the piece. Some dealers may not know all the answers to these questions, and some may not like answering them, but asking them will usually improve your experience and may even lower the asking price a bit—and this brings us to haggling

5. Haggle!

Most antique dealers are flexible with their prices, but many people are accustomed to the standard retail experience you might get at a mainstream corporate store (think Swedish dorm-room disposables). But in our experience, antiques almost never sell for their asking price—in fact, the price usually goes down once or even twice. This is especially true for shows, where dealers are in tight competition with one another and that enormous solid oak bookcase starts to look very heavy when it's just about time to haul it away.