American Styles Flashcards
The typical early colonial American house was simply an English medieval house with a wooden
exterior. It often had an additional ‘lean-to’ on the north, bringing the roof down close to the
ground to help protect against winter wind and storms. The Cape Cod cottage was often built by
ships’ carpenters entirely without foundations so that it “floated” on the sand dunes of the cape
EARLY COLONIAL HOUSES
had clapboard siding, a thatched roof and a chimney made from twigs finished with wattle and
daub, which is highly flammable.
SMALL COTTAGES
a composite building material used for making walls, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips. usually made of some combination of wet
soil, clay, sand, animal dung and straw.
Wattle and daub
building
was made of squared oak timbers joined by mortises, tenons, and wooden pegs; the building’s cagelike structural skeleton is often strengthened at the corners with braces.
MEDIEVAL HALF TIMBERING
has an overhanging second story, small windows and central chimney
NEW ENGLAND HALL AND PARLOR
Has a steep pitched roofs that were essential for allowing rain and snow to run off easily
GARRISON COLONIAL
Developed from the hall and parlor or Garrison style with the addition of an ell or lean to on the back
NEW ENGLAND SALT BOX
low, broad, single-story frame building with a moderately steep pitched gabled roof, a large central chimney, and very little ornamentation.
CAPE COD HOUSE
Portuguese influence was present with “paintbrush feet” or
Spanish feet/ Braganza feet
had back uprights consisting of split spindles or flat bars
BANISTER CHAIR
had a back with horizontal slats, stretchers to support the
construction and had either plain or rush seat
LADDERBACK CHAIR
Splat resembling a with Jacobean turnings, Spanish foot, rush woven finish
QUEEN ANNE CHAIR
Named after William Brewster, with 4 heavy turned posts, many turned spindled, wooden seat or rush woven finish
BREWSTER CHAIR
Distinct carved decoration of sunflower panel and tulip design outside the panels
CONNECTICUT “SUNFLOWER” CHEST
All over pattern of flowers and sinuous vines carved in very low relief
HADLEY CHEST
Gate leg with split turning, upright back
GATE LEG TABLE
Small drop leaf table whose leaves are supported by a swinging bracket resembling wings of a butterfly
BUTTERFLY TABLE
Severe solid backed chair. Probably developed from the
detachment of a piece of wall paneling with a seat board attachment.
WAINSCOT CHAIR
a chair with a table-top back
CHAIR-TABLE
dressing table
LOWBOY
had shaped aprons, flat stretchers, bun feet, and bell turnings on legs (William & Mary style)
HIGHBOYS (TALLBOYS)
was a common form of
sleeping furniture in
the 17th century. It was hung with bed-curtains which, when drawn, formed with the frame and panel ceiling a small, box like room.
JOINED TESTER BEDSTEAD
composed of cabriole leg with club foot, patterned after the Queen Anne Chair
BANDY CHAIR
wooden rocking chair with a high spindle back, a
decorative top panel, and a seat and arms that curve down at the front
BOSTON ROCKER
Turned splayed legs, saddled-shaped seat with spindles, back and arms
WINDSOR CHAIR
square shape chair with 2 backs connecting
ROUNDABOUT CHAIR / MITER CHAIR
chests, cabinets, and desks with fronts divided into three parts decorated with shell motifs, made of solid mahogany (cut from a single piece of wood)
BLOCK-FRONT
the most famous name in the
decorative arts of the Federal period
DUNCAN
PHYFE
he designed in the Sheraton, Directoire, and
Empire styles, although he gave the designs his own interpretation
DUNCAN PHYFE
example of early Federal style, inspired by Sheraton style.
DUNCAN PHYFE SOFA
This much admired chair design is an American adaptation of the
Empire style as developed by Lambert Hitchcock. It has a black painted frame with decorative painting, turned legs, and rush seat.
Empire Style Chair
It was designed to provide a surface and storage for a gentlewoman’s needlework or other leisure actives, including basket-weaving, crochet, macramé and painting as
it was customary for women to gather and take up work around the table.
WORK TABLE
Chairs had shield, oval, or lyre backs;
straight front legs with spade feet, and carved back legs.
SAMUEL
MCINTIRE
He Followed the styles of Hepplewhite
and Sheraton,
SAMUEL
MCINTIRE
Sofas (in Hepplewhite style) had curved backs, continuous carved top rails and curved arms and legs
McIntire Sofa
He has been called the Chippendale of Victorian furniture, and his work is important for many reasons,
JOHN H.
BELTER
worked in the Rococo
Revival style, most popular in
the United States from the late
1840’s until about 1860. His
designs are intricately carved and pierced.
JOHN H. BELTER
SLIPPER CHAIR is by
JOHN H.
BELTER
was a leading
cabinetmaker in Philadelphia, where
there were a large number of German
cabinetmakers in the 19th century.
DANIEL
PABST
furniture tends to be
massive and lacks the airy
quality of Belter furniture.
DANIEL
PABST
A footstool; more likely to have feet and be
square
HASSOCK
The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a
metal plate with a smooth surface.
COLORED LITHOGRAPHS
Some modern silhouette artists also make silhouette
portraits from photographs of people taken in profile.
PORTRAIT SILHOUETTE
a photograph taken by an early photographic process employing an iodine-sensitized silvered plate and mercury
vapor.
DAGUERREOTYPE
