Antique Furniture Innovations in the Design of Furniture During the Nineteenth Century

Certainly when you are reviewing antiques and design history, you'll need to take into consideration the innovations that took place during the time period—more specifically the nineteenth century.  The reason this is significant is that by recognizing when certain contemporary improvements took place, either in the manufacture or the design, you'll be able to better determine the precise period of time the design was manufactured.  This is critical since furniture is generally considered antique around the one-hundred fifty year mark.  However, many furniture items are reasonably judged at the 100 year mark and above as antiques.

Regardless, knowing when certain innovations took place in the manufacture or in the item's design will put you in a better position later on to determine if the particular brand is the real deal.  For example, if you know for certain particular antiquities came from certain workshops prior to factory setups and you can tell the item was assembled in a factory, you'll be able to conclude it is a fake and not worth the sacrifice of a purchase.

Innovations happen not just now but prior to even when you were born and this holds true with the antiques you purchase today.  The following innovations are what occurred during the 1800s.

Innovation number one is the introduction of metal springs within the furniture world.  During the first half of the 1800s (since the precise date is not known) metal springs became a part of furniture construction.  The construction of springs provided a much more comfortable chair or sofa.  Prior to metal springs stuffing was used by the cabinetmakers.

The second innovation is the use of plywood in the construction of furniture.  Plywood had a good deal of strength to it and was durable.  It was easier to affect intricate carvings on the plywood;  much more so than regular wood.  The primary proponent of the use of plywood in the manufacture of furniture in the United States was John Henry Belter (born in Germany in 1804).  Belter served as a cabinetmaker apprentice in Wurttemberg, Germany. Belter reached the pinnacle of his success and popularity around the mid-portion of the nineteenth century.  Most of the renowned cabinetmaker's work was constructed in the Louis XV revival style.

Third, Michael Thonet was an Austrian artisan who experimented with bending layers of veneer.  He practiced the concept in Boppard Germany. He was able to successfully bend beechwood into curved shapes by way of heat.  Thonet's chairs became popular during the last half of the 1800s; and, further, they are still popular today:  You'll find his chair design still being manufactured.

One thing is certain, when reviewing the nineteenth century furniture design there were many instances of period furniture revival.  The revival styles were brought to the forefront, it is thought, due to the fact the Empire Style was the forerunner of the time period.  The Empire Style was merely a continuation of Neoclassical styling with an archaeological edge to it in the way of ancient Egyptian adornment and design.  Curiosity about decorative arts in past time periods opened the door to revival styles. 

One style that was revived and very popular during the period of the 1800s was Louis XIV as well as Elizabethan furniture.  There was a reintroduction of the straight turned leg.  Furniture elements fitting the Baroque style also made an appearance.  Louis XIV styling was manufactured in sets and were block-styled and square.  Additionally, the furniture items were lavishly upholstered.

Louis XVI styling was once again, revived.  The Louis XVI styling appeared in groupings of furniture and provided design elements such as round, tapered legs, chairs and sofas with oval backsides, and (once again) elegant upholstered furniture.  Further, the Louis XVI styled leg was frequently used on furniture items that were upholstered and constructed to be comfortable and where structural design consisted of a metal frame.  In fact, the only wood that was obvious on the item was on the legs.  The rest of the furniture was covered in the finest fabric.  The upholsterer of Louis XVI styling was afforded the delight of embellishing the furniture item with lavish tassels, braids and in employing the technique of tufting.

Another master proponent of revival during the nineteenth century was the English poet and artist William Morris.  Morris did not prefer the furniture produced by machine at the time, and rallied for a return of handcrafted furniture construction.  Morris was inspired by the furniture construction dating back to the Middle Ages.  Morris based his designs and concepts on the styles of artists and woodworkers from the preceding era.  His design ideas were considered significant and followers of Morris included Ernest Gimson and the Barnsley family.  These designers/craftsmen were able to produce small amounts of fine quality furniture made by hand, the quality which has never been surpassed.

In conclusion, the nineteenth century was a time where revival styles were reintroduced to a large extent; some furniture was made by machine; and other designs were produced by means of handmade construction. 

 The Empire Style (known as the Regency Style in England) which prevailed during the nineteenth century was followed by a series of times where various styles were revived.  The Empire Style was basically a continuation of Neoclassical design with ancient Egyptian ornamentation.  Who knows:  Maybe drumming up the past decorative elements from Egypt's ancient past played a role in the revival of styles from various periods during the nineteenth century.  Plus transportation and communication proved exceedingly better than in the past so this form of ease may have been the result:  meaning rather than constructing anything new, merely reintroducing a style from the (distant) past seemed practical.

The first revival style reintroduced was the Gothic style.  The reintroduction of Gothic occurred in the 1820s.  It is believed the Gothic style was popularized in England due to the fact there was interest in romantic literature.  The novels of Sir Walter Scott were widely read.  The Gothic style applied within the nineteenth century was in no way equivalent to the lightness and casual effect of Gothic revival during the mid 1700s.  The (revival) style that followed the Empire Style was inclusive of an overabundance of Gothic motifs which were applied or affixed to every type of furniture style.  Certainly there was no discrimination used as to where and how frequently the Gothic motifs were applied.

Other revival styles followed the initial Gothic style.  There was a revival of the Rococo style.  This revival style was met with the greatest amount of welcome by the general public and was quite popular during the 1800s.  It borrowed from the curvature of design associated with Louis XV styling and in particular the cabriole leg.  Those familiar with antiques know that the cabriole leg is a support projecting outward at its upper portion and becoming convex right about the knee or middle area.  The Rococo revival style furniture design was used in the construction of entire room groupings.  The price the purchaser paid was relative to the amount of carving incorporated on exterior surfaces.  There were other revival styles constructed during the period of the nineteenth century; however, Rococo appears to have been the most popular or preferred of the revival styles.  The furniture employing the Rococo styling was manufactured using mahogany, rosewood, and walnut woods. 

So when reviewing antiques you'll need to find out whether the antique originated from the actual time period of the original design or if, in fact, the style is a revival.  Again, you'll find many time spans where particular furniture was revived during the nineteenth century.

Once the Rococo Style touched upon the shores of England, the influences of the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio had already been felt.  The Italian Palladio style architecture was a design of architecture that existed on a much grander scale.  Since dwellings proved to be much larger, it stood to reason Brits wished their furniture to also be proportionately accommodating.  Also, the trend was to expect pieces that were more disarming or dramatic in their effect.  In other words, there was a trend to expect the pieces made of walnut-veneer of the 1700s to be replaced by furniture with significantly more impact.
 
An architect, during the time period, who was motivated by the interior aspect of Italian and French palatial structures, was William Kent.  He decided to devote time to furniture design.  The design Kent came up with was classical and in keeping with traditional Palladio architecture and the architecture of Inigo Jones, an English architect whose adornment was Baroque.
 
Kent's furniture design was appropriate at Holkham Hall in Norfolk, England; and Rousham Hall in Oxfordshire.  There the mirrors were gilded or gold leaf which were generally part of the interior décor of lavish Palladian style architecture. Kent's furniture style included side tables with chair sets and comfortable settees covered with velvet.

And although the classic Palladian-style proponents did not prefer the asymmetrical effect of the Rococo style which prevailed during the early eighteenth century, it became a part of English adornment and furniture design despite their objections.

If you review pattern books during the time period, you'll find the ornamentation relative to Rococo style by Henry Copland and Matthias.  The books were published in London.  Further, another well-known name associated with furniture antiquities—Thomas Chippendale published the 'Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director' in the middle portion of the century (1754 to be precise).  The Director provided furniture patterns in the Rococo style as well as Gothic and Chinese styling which branched out from the Rococo style.

The Rococo style was a big part of furniture design during the 1750s and 1760s.  Chippendale, it may be noted, became famous for the preceding publication; however, he was not the designer.  This may surprise some antique buffs who are familiar with the Chippendale name as it relates to fine antique furniture.  Chippendale had employed two other designers known by the names of Copland and Lock.  You may speak of a Chippendale chair; however, this does not mean the chair was made by Chippendale himself, but rather by someone within his workshop.
 
The numbers of different chair splat respective of the Rococo style runs into the hundreds. Basic chairs, beds, tables, and cupboards were decorated and designed in a variety of ways.  Thus, this means the clever thoughtfulness of the carver and the cabinetmaker with respect to Rococo style new no certain boundaries.

During this period of time, it is important to note that Gothic style (a branch of Rococo styling) was particularly well-established in England.  In the early to mid eighteenth century (1740), Gothic started to take hold in interior decorating (schemes); architecture and furniture (design).  The Gothic furniture during this time period was entirely dissimilar to Gothic furniture of the medieval period.  Quite simply, the adornment from previous Gothic architecture from medieval times was borrowed and incorporated into the furniture design scheme relative to 1740.  In summary, Rococo style, although lacking in symmetry was the preferred style of the mid eighteenth century.