American furniture
styles evolved from Jacobean to modern and contemporary designs.
The earliest examples of furniture used in America were imported from Europe and were made in the English and Dutch Colonial styles. Much of the furniture made by the earliest American shops was highly derivative of previous Old World styles. After the American Revolution, primitive styles were developed along with traditional established European approaches to furniture making. Does this Spark an idea?
Earliest Styles
Much of the first American furniture was modeled after the ornately carved English Jacobean (1600 to 1690) style. The rigidly designed and sturdily constructed furniture featured a dark finish. Early American (1640 to 1700) furniture was crafted from local woods and patterned after European designs. The William and Mary (1690 to 1725) and Queen Anne (1700 to 1755) styles featured refined elegant designs of moderate proportions and graceful appearance.
Colonial Period
Furniture of the Colonial Period (1700 to 1780) blended and simplified characteristics of earlier English derived styles. The Georgian style (1714 to 1760) used heavy proportions and featured ball-and-claw feet. The simple, utilitarian Pennsylvania Dutch style (1720 to 1830) personified American country furniture aesthetics. The Chippendale style (1750 to 1790) was developed from the Queen Anne style and utilized cabriole legs with ball-and-claw feet. The furniture was distinguished by its hallmark broken pediment scroll atop tall pieces.
Federal Period
Federal style (1780 to 1800) furniture synthesized various neo-classic tendencies in furniture making. The style employed graceful lines, tapered legs and the use of veneers and inlays. Robert Adam (1765 to 1800) furniture was fashioned after classical Italian designs. The neo-classic Hepplewhite (1765 to 1800) designs displayed delicate patterns with tapered legs and contrasting inlays. Hepplewhite furniture was produced in New England and the Carolinas.
Victorian Period
Victorian furniture (1840 to 1910) was the first to be mass produced in the United States. The heavy Gothic forms were elaborately carved and ornamented. The influential Shaker style (1829 to 1869) furniture was popular for its utilitarian simplicity and clean lines. The Arts and Crafts or Mission style of 1880 to 1910 produced furniture composed of mostly straight lines influenced by the furnishings of old Spanish Missions in California. The curved lines and intricate patterns of Art Noveau (1890 to 1910) furniture often incorporated stylized plant forms.
Tags: 1765 1800, 1800 furniture, American furniture, ball-and-claw feet, Colonial Period, furniture making, Queen Anne