Simple Colonial Furniture

Simple Colonial Furniture
by Franklin H. Gottshall

Reviewed by Mark Gazella – June 2008

I hope to continue my trend of linking a library article with the prior month's featured speaker in this newsletter. Simple Colonial Furniture deals not only with a pragmatic approach to creating functional pieces of furniture, but includes simple adornments that can elevate a piece from mundane to museum quality. I hope it will prove a logical choice for this month. I'd also like to mention this book was donated to the library some time ago by Bob Colgate.

Though rather thin at 125 pages, it's jam-packed with great how-to information on constructing all sorts of colonial period furniture. Originally published in 1935, it tried to capture a renewed interest in this type of furniture during years of a depressed economy. Mr. Gottshall's intention was to provide a reference as well as textbook on American furniture design. He claims all designs are "new" - not copies - and employ principles that are closely held to the originals. The book is separated into three parts; Part One provides a definition of Furniture Design. Part Two (the bulk of the book) deals strictly with Colonial Furniture Design. Part three is a wrap-up with instruction on Furniture Finishing.

Furniture Design stresses how furniture was borne from a simple life in colonial times. All were imbued with inherent strength that reflects a character trait typically found in those that lived a hard life. Settlers worked land that was reluctant to offer up crops and gardens. Forests were dense with large, old-growth trees defiant to both saw and axe. To survive, these folks became quite resourceful. Often-times furnishings were created from bits of scrap left from daily chores such as chopping firewood, repairing buildings, and mending fences. Even during this period, when most possessions were need-based and crafted from necessity, furnishings featured three key elements the Author defines as his "Essentials of Design". First is utility - furniture should fill a need, be comfortable, and exist in harmony with other furnishings. Second is strength - must obviously be strong, with good joinery, and employ proper adhesives for long-life. Third is beauty - of paramount importance, for a piece that meets the first two criterion is abhorred by it's maker if he fails this final design element. The year 1725 seems to mark a chronological line of demarcation for colonial furniture styles. Early pieces tend to fall under a European or Jacobean design influence, while pieces that follow are of a Georgian flair. Either style selection was simplified by the hard-working colonists, and many may not have been cognizant that they were creating furniture of a particular style.

Colonial Furniture Design contains many small chapters that describe completed pieces of furniture. Many are listed in this part, so I limited my selection to a sampling for description here;

Wing Chair; constructed with a full-back (to keep drafts off a person's head and back), with scrolled side-panels and carved arms

High-Post Four Poster Bed; with a scrolled headboard that could easily receive relief-carved motifs, and turned finials on each post

Gate-Leg Table; uses many turned components in stretchers and legs, and has four gates that support two leafs on either side

Colonial Mantel Clock; has carved quarter-columns, a scrolled bonnet-top, and turned urns to cap the top

China Cabinet; uses many finials and rosettes, with carved pilaster mouldings

Every chapter includes detailed patterns rendered within a grid and drawn to scale, along with sketches of what the end product should look like. Everything is black and white, but you still get a good feel for how ornate some of these items can be.

In Furniture Finishing Mr. Gottshall admits finishing is an art, and to describe in a few pages is just plain inadequate. He also speaks candidly about antiquing; i.e., don't do it! He believes this to be deceitful, and thinks colonial furniture should be finished as new, to echo the honesty and integrity of the maker. In the few pages that comprise this part he lists five key elements of a proper finish. One - Prepare surfaces properly, with filing and/or sanding. Two - Apply a suitable oil-based stain to the piece. Three - Apply filler to open-grained woods that may be employed. Four - Apply a protective film, either shellac or varnish. Five - Rub-down the piece with a pumice stone. A good furniture-maker believes finishing time should be comparable to the time allocated for initial construction.

I thought the Author sounded familiar to me. Sure enough, we have several other books already in our library by Franklin Gottshall. How to Design & Construct Period Furniture contains much more about furniture design, and is a great reference for not only woodworkers, but collectors, antique dealers, and even decorators. Really pegs detailed design for many periods throughout history. Provincial Furniture Design & Construction is all about furniture produced during our nation's early years, both sophisticated and simple. What's most surprising is this book is identical to another entitled Making Early American and Country Furniture. Not sure why he or his publisher decided to sell two identical works with different titles, but I surmise there was profit to be had somewhere! Anyway, we got a sort of two-for-one bargain with this copy. While these are all old editions (published back in the '30s and '40s), they prove their worth with relevance today. I hope to review these in future articles. Simple Colonial Furniture will be available for checkout at the next general member meeting.