In the early to mid 1830s, Andrew Jackson bought extensive amounts of 
furniture for his home, the Hermitage, outside of Nashville.  He made most 
of his purchases in New Orleans, but the bulk of it was actually made in 
Philadelphia (check with Marsha Mullin at the Hermitage for more info, or 
visit their web site).  And, it would be fair to say, he was very conscious 
of the latest tastes, and would have himself been striving to be considered 
fashionable.  The vast majority is in the so-called Empire taste - not the 
light Lannuier and Duncan  Phyfe stuff of the early 19th C, but the heavy 
stuff that has never really found a great resale market.  Of all periods of 
historic American furniture, these types of pieces are generally the least 
expensive, so you are in luck!  I agree with a previous comment that you 
probably can buy the originals for less than repros, but I haven't followed 
the market recently (when I was in grad school, I was buying chests of 
drawers from this period for $15-$25 or so, including a butler's desk dated 
1838 - I actually have a half dozen or so that are still stored in a barn, 
much the worse off for wear, I'm sure).  You may even find folks in your 
area that would donate some of the pieces you need.  I probably would if you 
were closer and my pieces were in display condition.  And, definitely, 
rococo revival was later, the earliest beginning in the 1840s, but not 
catching on until later.  Good luck!

Marc

American Conservation Consortium, Ltd.
     4 Rockville Road
     Broad Brook, CT 06016
     www.conservator.com
     860-386-6058

*Collections Preservation Consultation
*Conservation Assessments & Surveys
*Environmental Monitoring & Low-Tech Control
*Moisture Management Solutions
*Collections in Historic Structures
*Collections Care Grant Preparation
*Conservation Treatment of:
     Furniture
     Painted Wood
     Horse-Drawn Vehicles
     Architectural Interiors

Marc A. Williams, President
     MS in Art Conservation, Winterthur Museum Program
     Former Chief Wooden Object Conservator, Smithsonian Institution
     Fellow, American Institute for Conservation (AIC)


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Heidi Campbell-Shoaf" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2007 2:56 PM
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] 1825-40's Lavish furniture on a little budget??


> Where in Va are you? And how small of a budget do you have? For the time
> period your thinking of Rococo Revival is a little late - I'd recommend
> Empire aka Classical Revivial mixed with some Gothic Revivial or late
> Neo-Classical items. Fortunately, in general, antique furniture is not as
> hot (price-wise) as it was so you might be able to find some decent old
> pieces for less than repros. There is a dealer in Strasburg, Va. called
> Vilnis that specializes in Empire pieces and last time I was there 
> (earlier
> this year) he had several sideboards, mirrors, and other items on your 
> list.
> I believe he has most of his pieces french polished which gives them the
> sheen they would have had originially and would add to the "expensive 
> look"
> your going for.
>
> Heidi Campbell-Shoaf, Curator
> Historical Society of Frederick County
> 24 East Church Street
> Frederick, Md. 21701
> www.hsfcinfo.org
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On 
> Behalf
> Of Sarah Gulick
> Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2007 2:20 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: 1825-40's Lavish furniture on a little budget??
>
> Hello,
>
> We are working on a small entrance display for a historic building in
> Virginia. We are focussing on its use from 1828-1836. It was used as
> a business and the owners were very wealthy and trying to impress.
>
> Now the building houses a non-profit, and so our budget is not nearly
> so expansive! However, we would still like to evoke a sense of the
> historic time period and grandness.
>
> Can anyone suggest a resource for budget friendly furniture from this
> time period 1828-1836 (Jacksonian, Early Victorian, Rococo Revival).
> Replicas, reproductions, originals, we are open to ideas! We are
> looking for items for two displays:
>
> - side board, any length, table height, not more than 18" wide,
> shallower preferred. Also possibly mirror? coat rack? spittoon?
> umbrella rack? or anything appropriate for an entrance way and
> parlor  during this time period
>
> - small desk for business use, and additional accessories, such as a
> ink, pen, light, etc
>
> After hours and hours on the internet, I have concluded this either
> doesn't exist, or requires ideas from more than just google ;-)
>
> Any suggestions offline would be greatly appreciated!!
>
> Thanks!!!
> Sarah
> [log in to unmask]
>
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If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).