etegere

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.