OUR NOTES:

We anticipate that anyone who collects Antique Furniture made in the Ohio area will wish to purchase one of our limited supply of these books. This review covers Volume 1, 1790-1845. Please also see our product listings for Volume 2 in this series, covering 1790-1860, which provides additional material.

This book will be a historians delight, especially if Ohio is your field of interest! This volume covers the early handcrafted fine wood furniture created in this region as well as providing detailed historical records and insights into the artisans and craftsmen from the area that brought this practical art form to life.

Examples of some of the pieces shown include Windsor chairs, cherry candle stands, stencil & ponce designs (for adding accents to the furniture -- great for definitive ID!), fall/ drop font desks, cherry and oak secretaries, drop leaf tables, mahogany sideboards, primitive carved examples with spiral turnings on the legs, cupboards, magnificent show pieces for the homes of the wealthy, and much more.

Much of the contents are broken down by county, with photographic examples and descriptions provided for locally produced furniture. An index contains a more complete listing of all the names of know cabinet/ furniture makers for each county, broke down by name. (A genealogist would also find this helpful!) Some of the counties they have spent additional time exploring include Adams, Belmont, Brown, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Fairfield, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Montgomery, Morgan, Muskingum, Perry, Preble, Ross, Warren, Washington.

---- copyright 2004, Collector Bookstore, John K, Reviewer

PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION:

In the brief period from 1790 to 1849 a frontier was settled and a way of life in America came and went. During this time, furniture making in southern Ohio changed from a matter of primitive necessity to a thriving industry capable of producing furniture of a quality which rivaled anything produced on the eastern seaboard. The furniture makers who came to Ohio as part of this great westward migration often saw their fortunes rise and fall in response to the unsteady economic policies of the times. But they persevered and saw the furniture trade flourish in Ohio.

This book briefly discusses the settling of Ohio, the first types of furniture produced and the life of the average cabinet or chair maker. Included is an alphabetized checklist of 383 men who worked in Ohio from 1790 to 1849. In addition, there appears a list of furniture makers arranged according to the county in which they worked. Both checklists could prove to be invaluable to historians and genealogists alike.

Within the pages of this book are over 125 color, as well as many black and white photographs of furniture attributed to southern Ohio. Also reproduced are some of the clues which led to the discovery of these artisans and to an understanding of the climate of the times. Receipts, newspaper advertisements, documents and excerpts from diaries and letters appear throughout the book.

The very first furniture makers in Ohio were concerned with furnishing their simple cabins, but in the short span of 60 years towns flourished, and with the advent of a more comfortable life-style came the demand for more highly-styled furniture. The character of this furniture is closely tied to the history of the state in which it was produced. Those interested in Ohio Decorative Arts or frontier history will find this publication to be a valuable addition to their libraries.