
Mitchells and
Rammelesberg, Cincinnati, Ohio
Rococo
Revival Style Etagere, circa
1858-1880
walnut
Property transfer
to the Illinois State Museum Collection (1984.64.3)
The
original Rococo style in France in the 1700s was also called Louis the
Fifteenth, after the French king. In the 1820s, renewed interest in the
Rococo style gave birth to the style known as Rococo Revival. The nineteenth-century
English and American furniture makers considered it a 'deluxe style,' especially
suitable for women's rooms because of its curves and graceful decoration.
Etagere
The word etagere comes from the
french word étagére, which means cabinet with open shelves.
it is often called a what-not because people can put anything they want
on the shelves.
The manufacturer's name, Mitchells
and Rammelesberg, is stamped on the inside of the drawer. This company
made furniture by machine in Ohio from 1848 to 1880. The factory was steam-powered
and employed 150 workers. Most of the work was done with scroll
saws, lathes, and molding machines. The flowers on this etagere were
hand-cut. The various pieces were put together with dowels
and glue, a method that is not very strong.
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