The Art and Mystery of Tennessee Furniture to 1850 (1988)

1830s Butler's desk.
Tennessee?

Sue: "There's a book that's $700.00 that I think Family Tree should have."
Me: "Okay."

Yes, indeed, it's the authoritative text for the earliest Tennessee furniture: The Art and Mystery of Tennessee Furniture to 1850, and the cheapest one available online is actually just $499.00. Not exactly in my budget--though my birthday is in April if you are looking for something to get me. The authors investigated scant written records and signed furniture to come up with Tennessee characteristics; in many cases, however, it remains a mystery. The book itself is also a mystery--apparently a small printing in 1988 by the Tennessee Historical Commission that originally sold to mainly just members for $35.00.

Demand, meet Supply. Supply, Demand.

Within full view of the
Special Collections desk. 

The public library does have several copies in the downtown branch, so we headed there to see what all the fuss was about. One viewing copy resides in a locked shelf in the Nashville Room. The others are listed as in "Main Stacks," but the librarian told me they were secret. It is a public library, right?

It looks like a standard coffee-table book to me. There are a good number of photos and detailed information from 1820 and 1850 manufacturing census records. It tries to explain what a "Jackson Press" is--made difficult because furniture makers used his name to advertise many types of cabinets! (Press is confusing furniture term too, I think. It basically means a cabinet, so you can have a china press, clothes press, etc.)

"What are you in for?"

While researching a couple of antique furniture pieces for this week's sale, I went back to the libary to check some other details. At least fifty-two makers are thought to have built furniture in Tennessee before 1850--most of these in the eastern part of the state, especially early on. These early makers were necessarily influenced by North Carolina furniture traditions as migration spread from that direction. A little later, by the 1830s, increased Mississippi River traffic led to population and manufacturing growth in the west. Meanwhile, Middle Tennessee grew steadily along the Cumberland and the Harpeth Rivers.

They say you can identify a maker
by the arrangement of compartments.

I learned there is a form of sugar chest only found in Tennessee, that walnut and cherry were the main woods used (mahogany veneer was imported in special cases), and that a desk like the ones I'm researching could be had for about $15. Alas, no identification on the desk just yet. I'll be looking for marks again later today--this time CSI-style with black lights.