Furniture and Its Makers of Chester County, Pennsylvania

Book excerpt: This book is a 476-page survey of furniture craftsmen working in Chester County, Pennsylvania from its founding in 1682 to 1850 when there was a recognized decline in the handicraft tradition. The settlers included predominently English Quakers for the first half century, after which numbers of Scotch-Irish Presbyterians, Welsh Baptists, Irish Quakers, and Germans became equally important and, later, had major influence in the county. The hand made furniture from the county has certain distinguishing features which are explained in the well-researched text, and illustrated in 175 photographs. Hundreds of cabinetmakers and other craftsmen are profiled in detail from their contemporary public records. The work is an important reference for furniture and social historians alike.