American decorative arts · circa 1840 – 1900
Victorian furniture, researched and archived.
Object notes, maker attributions, and auction finds from the American Victorian era — organized as a reference library for collectors and researchers.
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Own the Name: Exact-Match .com Domains for the Great Victorian Cabinetmakers
Herterbrothers.com. Rjhorner.com. Johnhenrybelter.com. Rare exact-match .com domains for the most documented American Victorian cabinetmakers — available now via secure escrow.
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A Horner-Attributed Winged-Griffin Library Desk
Hal Hunt is offering an oak library desk attributed to R. J. Horner, with full-standing winged griffins and a $3,000–$6,000 estimate.
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A Meeks-Attributed Rosewood Étagère at Stevens
Stevens is offering a laminated rosewood étagère attributed to J. & J.W. Meeks, with Annesdale Mansion provenance and an $8,000–$12,000 estimate.
For the Record: Kimbel & Cabus in a Little Oak Key Cabinet
A small oak hanging key cabinet at the Met shows Kimbel & Cabus applying Gothic architecture to a household form — a useful comparison point for minor case pieces.
For the Record: Daniel Pabst, the Hand Behind the "Furness" Modern Gothic Cabinet
The Met's towering Modern Gothic cabinet is attributed to both Frank Furness and Daniel Pabst — designer and maker. Here's why the distinction between the two roles matters when you're cataloging one of these pieces.
German Renaissance Revival
I received an email from Alyson wanting to sell her Renaissance Revival parlor set (contact me if interested) and was intrigued by it's history so I thought that I'd share. "This set was handed down to me by my Grandmoth
Decent Furniture for Decent People
I'm sharing a PhD Thesis on 19th Century Canadian furniture with a special focus on manufacturer Jacques & Hay by Denise Jacques (I assume there is no coincidence there on the last name). She is now working on a book
Daniel M. Karcher Bookcase For William S. Auchincloss
It's not often that you can definitively identify a maker for a particular piece of Victorian furniture and equally rare is identifying a piece's original customer. When lucky enough to have some of this information, you
The record is in the objects. Research what survives.— The Rare Victorian archive, est. 2008
Maker dossiers
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644 documented objects
Furniture forms, auction records, maker attributions, and collector notes — organized as a working research library.