When was the Victorian period in furniture?
Victorian furniture refers to the style of antique furniture that was made during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837 – 1901). It is often revivalist in style, in that it adopts stylistic motifs from other periods, creating huge waves of revivals with nostalgic nods to the past.
What was furniture like in the Victorian era?
Victorian furniture was usually made from Walnut for smaller pieces such as small tables and Mahogany for large pieces such as wardrobes, dining tables and bookcases. Sometimes these pieces featured Flame Mahogany veneers and used walnut and rosewood for decoration of for example, table tops.
How do I identify early American furniture?
Early pieces were large and were based upon styles that were popular in England; however, there were some key differences in physical features. Common motifs on furniture from this time included floral carvings, crescent shapes, and chip-carved scrolls and leaves.
How do you date American furniture?
How to Determine the Age of Antique Furniture
- Look Past the Style of a Piece.
- Examine Bottoms, Insides, and Backs.
- Check for Perfectly Matching Elements.
- Try to Figure Out What Tools Were Used.
- Look at the Wood and Upholstery Fabric.
- Investigate the Screws and Other Hardware.
How can you tell if furniture was Victorian?
Of all the pieces commonly associated with the Victorian period, Chests of Drawers are without a doubt one of the most easily spotted pieces of furniture. Most chests were either Bow fronted (out swept curving front) or were simple square fronted chests with rounded corners and edges.
What century is Victorian furniture?
Victorian furniture is commonly constructed out of mahogany wood. Victorian furniture refers to 19th-century furniture from the Victorian period. These pieces may include replicas inspired by furnishings of the past, as well as antique pieces that have been restored.
What was unique about Victorian furniture?
Victorian style furniture is often marked by its favoring of ornate carvings and dark woods. Victorian interiors often employed a number of darker wood varieties, including mahogany, rosewood, and walnut, much of which was liberally stained. Furniture was often large, intricate, and heavy in weight or appearance.
What years is early American furniture?
Early American furniture, furniture made in the last half of the 17th century by American colonists. The earliest known American-made furniture dates from the mid-17th century, when life in the colonies was becoming increasingly settled.
What is early American furniture styles?
Early American (1640 to 1700) The Early American period was really the first period where a distinct style began to appear within furniture pieces in the colonies that went beyond mere practicality. Ornamental carvings, finials, raised panels and woodturnings were hallmarks of this period.
How old is my antique furniture?
Technically, an antique is a piece of furniture with special value because of its age, particularly those pieces embellished with fine artistry. The age factor is subjective: general antique stores label objects 50 years or older as antiques. Fine antique dealers consider objects 150 years and older to be antique.
What is early American furniture?
What were Victorian couches called?
Chesterfield Sofa It originated in England in the late 18th century. Legend has it was named for the trend-setting Earl of Chesterfield, who allegedly commissioned one. It is typically associated with mid-19th-century Victorian styles, flourishing with the development of coil-spring technology in the 1830s.
What is Early American style?
Early American furniture is rudimentary, utilitarian furniture made from local woods. It was brought from or modeled after European furniture styles, particularly from England, France, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, and Spain. Simple – Straight lines, simple design, and little ornamentation.
What is American style furniture?
Heavily influenced by the French and English, American furniture designed from 1780-1820 mimicked the Neoclassic elements of English furniture makers. Straight lines and tapered legs give a lighter, more graceful elegance. Veneers of contrasting woods created inlaid wood designs and decorative borders.
In what years was early American furniture popular?
How do I find out what year my furniture was made?
Make sure to search for labels, stamps, or manufacturing tags that can tell when and where a piece was made. Furniture companies and makers often listed their names, locations, and year of production This information can be found on the inside of drawers, the backs of bureaus, and on the lower edges of pieces.
Why are Victorian chairs so low?
Style, fabrics and materials tend to dominate the evolution of furniture. But speculation is – backed up by good statistics – that we as humans were just smaller in height and therefore furniture was made to reflect that. Basically the lower we stood, the lower we sat.
How old is early American furniture?