Museum Charts Changing Bedroom Furniture Styles From 16S0-1930
GAY BROWNLEE
Virginia Correspondent
NEW MARKET, Va. At the
Bedrooms of America museum
located at 9386 Congress Street
in the Lee-Jackson Building, bed
room furniture circa 1620-1920 is
featured in 11 separate bed
rooms.
The arrangements of authentic
furniture depict periods and
styles in American history and
are accessorized with suitable bed
coverings and wall coverings.
While the periods of furniture
styles in America cannot be pre
cisely pinpointed to the exact be
ginning and ending date in each,
approximate dates have been es
tablished through research.
The dates are recorded on the
wall beside each bedroom door,
along with a condensed history
about the furniture styles.
From the landing of the Pil
grims until approximately 1800,
English furniture styles were
used by the majority of early
American settlers, who, after all,
were still English subjects upon
reaching opposite Atlantic Ocean
shores. Furniture from the land
of their nativity accompanied
them. In later years, however,
cabinetmakers devised variations
of English styles.
Starting with William and
Mary furniture, the trumpet and
inverted cup turnings are are no
table characteristics on the legs of
highboys, lowboys and tables.
Silk and satin coverings of bed
frames were additions that hid
bedsteads with a flowing regality,
since William and Mary were the
King and Queen of England. The
period spanned 1689-1702 in
England but lasted longer than
The William and Mary bedroom highboy, left, is notable for legs with turnings shaped
like a trumpet or an inverted cup. At right, cottage furniture was notable for bedroom
sets painted and stenciled such as this piece.
that after its influence reached
the colonies.
Queen Mary was a daughter of
James the Second. She had a sis
ter, Queen Anne who also had a
furniture-style period named
after her.
Although the Queen Anne
room was restricted owing to ren
ovations, the Queen Anne period
was approximately 1745-1750.
People favored the curved lines
of Queen Anne, which gave the
furniture greater elegance as op
posed to the formal Tines of Wil
liam and Mary. Not only did the
cabriole legs add grace to Queen
Anne furniture, but also the rich
mahogany wood. At the time ma
hogany was the principal wood
and used increasingly, during the
Queen Anne period.
From 1755-1785 was the peri
od of Chippendale when the pre
vailing style was of consummate
craftsman, Thomas Chippendale.
Chippendale furniture featured
the claw foot and the O-G foot.
His furniture earned the reputa
tion of being the finest ever
made.
It is said Thomas Chippen
dale’s name by general consent
has been attached to the most
splendid period of English furni
ture.
Meanwhile, George Hepplew
hite was hard at work in London.
His furniture in England rose to
greatest popularity between
1780-1792.
In America, however, the style
flourished around 1800, after the
Revolutionary War. Heppiewhite
furniture was lighter than the
heavier Chippendale pieces and
often had long graceful legs.
Thomas Sheraton was called
“A champion of the straight
line.” Like Hepplewhite, he used
inlay freely. Furniture called
“Later Sheraton” have simple
turned legs, notably on chests
and stands. The Sheraton style in
America was between 1795 and
1815.
Sheraton’s work was so re
spected that he was regarded sec
ond only to Thomas Chippen
dale.
From approximately 1805 to
1840 the “Empire” period devel
oped from French and English
styles. It continued to the endur
ing Victorian period which span
ned the years 1837 to 1901 and is
sometimes considered to have
had three parts.
The beginning Victorian was
1837 to 1850, mid-Victorian was
1850 to 1875 and late-Victorian,
1875 to 1901.
The enormous and airy Victo
rian bedroom furniture is a
strong favorite of museum visi
tors.
The beds huge headboard and
matching classic dresser domi
nate the high-ceilinged, airy
apartment. Both pieces are mid-
Victorian (1860 to 1870). The ar
rangement of furniture overall is
combined to reflect parts of the
entire Victorian era.
After mass production in
American factories began, cot
tage furniture became popular.
The bedroom sets were painted
and stenciled to reflect happy
times as evidenced in the cheerful
cottage room.
The comfortable Country
Room is a depiction of homey
furniture from no particular peri
od. Most of the pieces were made
on the farm or by a friendly
The massive bed is displayed in the popular Victorian
bedroom.
neighbor who also happened to
be a good carpenter.
Mass production brought in
the Art Deco period when the
bulk of furniture was manufac
tured in Grand Rapids, Michigan
and sold by firms like Sears Roe
buck. During the Great Depres
sion, furniture was constructed
with cheap veneers and laminat
ed.
The bedrooms, themselves are
found on the second floor of the
imposing Lee-Jackson building.
An interesting staircase curves at
the top landing, providing the op
tion of turning right or left to ac
cess the various displays. Anoth
er set of stairs with 17 steps exits
down again.
ry
neighbor skilled in carpentry.
Owner Benny Long, a native of
New Market who has worked
with antiques for decades, said
when the 18th century structures
existence was threatened with
plans for demolition 20 years ago,
he decided to purchase and re
store it for historical preserva
tion.
It had been built in three
stages, the first part in 1765, then
1880, and in 1910.
Long believes Bedrooms of
America is the nation’s most
unique concept in antique muse
ums because it shows how furni
ture styles and tastes have
changed through the passage of
time.