Note: This exhibit is CLOSED. For reference only.
January 22 - March 11, 2000
at the
Delaware History Center
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Some of the finest examples of Delaware craftsmanship from
the 18th-19th centuries are showcased in a new exhibition at the Delaware History Center.
The exhibit features more than 20 examples of Delaware furniture created in towns
throughout the state from 1775-1886. Sideboards, tall case "grandfather" clocks,
dressing tables, washstands, desks and chairs evidence the Federal, Empire, Victorian an
Eastlake styles of furniture design. All the pieces on display are from the collections of
the Historical Society of Delaware.
Delaware craftsmen, or cabinetmakers, began creating
furniture in the 1700s. Like their more prestigious contemporaries in Philadelphia,
Delaware cabinetmakers created fiuniture to be both beautiful and practical in fashionable
styles. Delaware craftsmen, however, usually added their own details to create a look
distinctive from that of Philadelphia craftsmen.
The exhibit Delaware's Master Craftsmen includes work by
George Whitelock of Wilmington (1780-1833), John Janvier Sr. of Odessa (1749-1801), and
Lemeul Shockley of Dover (1814-1860s). Several Windsor chairs, a Chippendale
style"grandfather" clock and looking glasses (i.e. framed mirrors) are also on
display.
