Victorian furniture styles
Victorian Gothic revival tall cabinet, England, c.1870-1880. Museum no. W.24-1972
Style, the way things look in a particular period, depends upon interlocking social and artistic factors. There was a greater diversity of styles in Victorian Britain than in the eighteenth century. The desire of the new rich to be seen on equal terms with the landowning aristocracy, or to be better than them, the desire of the rapidly developing industrial and business community to find a style that suited them, and the desire of an increasingly powerful middle class to tell the world about their new status - all these aspirations made it impossible for one style to meet everyone's demands.
Each group tended to choose a style demonstrating their identity and their worth. For the business class, for example, the worthy and patriotic status of classical design gave authority and weight to their position of trust. This type of furniture would not have been found in average middle-class homes or even those of many wealthy people. However, the new designs pioneered in these pieces were soon simplified and commercialized by manufacturers. The design of all furniture, even the very cheapest, was to follow the lead.
The design of much Victorian furniture, like Georgian furniture before it, was based on historical models and the wide range of styles was selected from architecture as well as older furniture designs. In the first part of Victoria's reign, many design styles were simply elaborations of earlier ones with increased emphasis placed on surface decoration. As the period progressed designs were viewed more critically and interest shifted away from decoration towards structure and form.
Victorian furniture styles: Medieval and Tudor
Medieval styles appealed to the Victorian new rich because they endowed them with a ready-made British heritage. These diverse styles ranged from heavily carved pieces in Norman and Gothic style, through pieces painted with knights and ladies to glittering, heavily encrusted furniture inspired by 14th-century work.
Oak table, G. E. Street
Table
George Edmund Street (1824 - 1881)
Made by George Myers for Cuddesdon College, Oxford
England
1853 - 1854
Oak
Museum no. W.88-1975G. E. Street was influenced by medieval work when he designed this table in 1852. The craftsmanship in this simple design is shown in the pegged mortice and tenon joints. The design disguises nothing, and makes a feature of the grain of the oak from which it is made.
Wells Antiquarian Chair, Mr. Kensett
Wells Antiquarian Chair
Mr. Kensett of Mortimer Street
London, England
1830-1840
Oak and ash
Museum no. W.24-1913This chair, made before 1840 at the beginning of Victoria's reign, is an example of pure and very clever reproductive craftsmanship. Mr. Kensett of Mortimer Street in London made this and many other pieces with such loving care and attention to accurate historical detail that, bought by the Museum in 1019, it was at first shown in the Tudor galleries as the chair of the last Abbot of Glastonbury.
St. George Cabinet, William Morris
St. George Cabinet
William Morris (1834 - 1896)
Made by Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co.
London, England
1861 - 1862
Mahogany, pine and oak, with copper mounts
Museum no. 341-1906The highly decorated St. George's Cabinet demonstrates Morris' love of romance. It was painted by Morris for the 1862 International Exhibition in London, to show the products of his new interior design company, Morris & Co. Althought the press praised its 'true medieval spirit', the decoration of St. George and the Dragon is a piece of pure Victorian romantic narrative.
Vita Nova Washstand, William Burges
Vita Nova Washstand
William Burges (1827-1881)
England
1880
Carved, painted and gilded wood, marble top and bowl inset with silver, tap and fittings of bronze
Museum no. 217-1961Carved, painted and gilded wood washstand wit a marble top and bowl inset with silver. The tap and fittings are of bronze. The side of the cabinet is carved with a Tudor rose motif, with wrought iron-hinged doors on four legs topped with a cream and green marble surface inset. The inset bowl is made from red and white marble inlaid with silver fish, with a tap fitting in the shape of a goat.
This washstand was made for the guest chamber of Tower House, Melbury Road, London, the home of William Burges. His love of jokes is reflected in the design - the battlemented washstand has a tank in the upper part which supplied water trough the goat tap into a marble basin inlaid with silver fish.
A companion piece to the bed designed by Burges (Museum no. W.5-1953)
Bed, William Burges
Bed
William Burges (1827-1881)
England
1879
Painted wood, inset mirrors
Museum no. 217-1961Carved and painted bed with inset mirrors and a depiction of a medieval version of The Judgement of Paris, with side-boards inset with illuminated vellum and textiles under glass. The inscription on the front of the bed reads VITA NOVA and bed posts - and on the right and left - WILLIAM BURGES ME FIUERI FECIT and ANNO DOMINI MDCCCLXXIX.
This bed was made for the guest chamber of Tower House, Melbury Road, London, the home of William Burges. Through the hares, hearts and arrows carved and painted on the foot of the bed, Burges surrounded his guests with the symols of love and dreams.
A companion piece to the wash stand designed by Burges (Museum no. W.4-1953)
The Yatman Cabinet, William Burges
The Yatman Cabinet
William Burges (1827-1881)
Made by Harland & Fisher for H.G. Yatman
Painted by Edward John Poynter (1836 - 1919)
England
1858
Painted wood
Museum no. 217-1961Secretaire designed to resemble a house with four painted panels of classical scenes across the middle, three at the bottom, and ornate designs containing columns, porcupines, profile portraits etc.
Everything Burges did was painted, not carved, to more closely match the medieval spirit. Unlike Morris' painted furniture, which used furniture merely as a vehicle for the painted subject, Burges always applied the decoration so that it had an integrity with the structure of the piece.
The design of the desk is taken from a medieval cabinet then in Noyon Cathedral in France. Much of this piece is decorated with stencilling, a technique that Burges took directly from medieval sources, but these are not the only inspiration. The top cupboards illustrate the Greek legend of Cadmus and the Dragon's teeth. The lower doors have three very different paintings and it is these that give the most obvious clue to the cabinet's use. The Assyrian mason lettering his monument, Dante writing in the monastery and Caxton with his press, indicate that this object serves words and communication. Another clue is in the roof dormers, which act as a perpetual calendar.
Medieval style table in oak, A. W. N. Pugin
Table
A. W. N. Pugin (1812 - 1852)
Made by John Webb
England
c.1852
Oak
Museum no. W-26-1972Oak table of a simple braced and pegged construction in the manner of a Medieval design. Two curved X- frame supports on either side with a trident support and large stretcher along the bottom attached to two stretcher legs.
Pugin was the leading proponent of the Victorian Gothic style. He owned a large collection of original medieval carvings which were a source of inspiration for his work.
St. George Cabinet by William Morris
St. George Cabinet, William Morris, England, 1861 - 1862. Museum no. 341-1906
The mahogany, pine and oak cabinet, with copper mounts was designed by Philip Webb and painted by William Morris (1834-1896). The painted scenes are from the legend of St George and the Dragon and include Morris and his wife amongst the characters depicted.
The highly decorated St. George's Cabinet demonstrates Morris' love of romance. It was painted by Morris for the 1862 International Exhibition in London, to show the products of his new interior design company, Morris & Co. Althought the press praised its 'true medieval spirit', the decoration of St. George and the Dragon is a piece of pure Victorian romantic narrative.
Listen to the audio below for the views of different generations on the cabinet by Morris.
Victorian furniture styles: Arts and Crafts
Although it is not possible to recognize a single Arts and Crafts style, the varied work of designers within the movement was underpinned by a common philosophy. They were reacting against the spirit of the 1851 Exhibition with its emphasis on decoration and technique and against the harshness of industrialisation. They favoured 'honesty' of construction and continuity with medieval traditions, where value was placed on hand-crafted work with one individual responsible for all stages of production.
The medieval tradition of craftsmanship and honesty was developed through a system of Guilds formed of associated craftsmen. The members, most of whom were architecturally trained, designed for a variety of media, for special commissions, or for limited and rather costly production. They sold directly to patrons through specialist design shops. Hand-made furniture was expensive, however, and therefore denied to the working classes, which conflicted with Morris' socialist ideals.
The inspiration for these designs came from a number of different sources. The sophisticated but simple classical forms used in 18th and 19th century England were a particular favourite. Even Morris & Co.'s styles were influenced by the Guilds that they had helped to inspire.
Refectory table by Philip Speakman Webb, England
Refectory table
Philip Speakman Webb (1831 - 1915)
Made by Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co
London, England
1865 - 1870
Museum no. W. 45-1926Plain oak rectangular panel table with cut-away decoration and column legs with decorative plinth bases and a runner board.
This table, designed in 1860 by Willam Morris' friend, the architect Philip Webb, has the simplicity of much Arts and Crafts work. This piece is hand-made and demonstrates the concept of 'honesty'; the wood is unpolished and the construction is not disguised.
Sussex armchair by Philip Speakman Webb (attrib.), England
Sussex armchair
Attribulted to Philip Speakman Webb (1831 - 1915)
Made by Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co
London, England
1870 - 1890
Ebonised beech, rush seat
Museum no. CIRC. 288-1960Sussex armchair in ebonized beech with a rush seat.
The 'Sussex' chair (possibly designed by Philip Webb) was part of a range of modest furnishings available from the Morris shop. It was available in various styles in black or red. Like other furniture made by the firm in their early years, the shape is based on early country designs. It sold in large numbers and became the firm's most familiar product.
Sideboard by Philip Speakman Webb, England
SIdeboard
Philip Speakman Webb (1831 - 1915)
Made by Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co
London, England
1861
Ebonised wood with painted and gilt decoration
Museum no. CIRC. 540-1963Ebonised wood sideboard with painted and gilt decoration and panels of stamped leather paper, with a three shelf upper stage. Handles and hinges of brass and copper with incised decoration, and floral decoration on the main sideboard and shelves.
Chair designed by A H Mackmurdo, England
Chair
A H Mackmurdo (1851 - 1942)
Made by Colinson and Lock
London, England
1883
Carved and painted mahogany, leather upholstery
Museum no. W. 29-1982A.H. Mackmurdo designed this chair in 1881. It was produced in the following year by his newly formed Century Guild, the first of those loose associations of craftsworkers mentioned above. The flowing swirling pattern in the back precedes Art Nouveau design by more than ten years. The difference is that, flame-like and contorted though this pattern may be, it is a decorative panel set in a rather simple chair in an eighteenth-century style. In an Art Nouveau chair, the whole frame would have writhed in sympathy with its back.
Art Nouveau design is remarkable for the way in which the pattern explores, describes and envelops the total structure. Where Arts and Crafts use flower patterns in surface decoration, Art Nouveau make decorative use of the whole plant.
Cabinet by Morris & Co, England
Cabinet
George Washington Jack (1855 - 1932)
Made by Morris & Co
London, England
1893
Mahogany with marquetry of sycamore and other woods
Museum no. CIRC. 40-1953This cabinet (actually a writing desk) exemplifies the changes that were taking place within the Arts and Crafts movement: the 'honest' wood of the carcase has been covered with veneer; the old English oak-leaf motif has been added in marquetry.
The developed Arts and Crafts style was exhibited to great acclaim abroad and acquired by museums in Europe. Artists and designers in France, Belgium, Austria and Holland, and later, Germany, were inspired to develop the end-of-century style now called Art Nouveau. The developed form of this style was not welcomed or appreciated in Britain. Most of the major Arts and Crafts designers, such as C R Ashbee and W R Lethaby, spoke against Art Nouveau in quite vehement terms. Despite this, it is possible to see in their work the seeds that on the continent flowered into this style.
Armchair designed by Smith and Brewer, England
Armchair
A. Dunbar Smith and Cecil Brewer
Probably made by Heals
England
c. 1860
Ash wood and rush seat
Museum no. CIRC. 511-1962Ladderback ash chair with turned stiles and front legs and a woven rush seat. Probaby designed by the architectural partnership of Smith and Brewer, and made in London in about 1897, this armchair is in a long-established rural style and uses indigenous ash and rush. The Arts and Crafts movement respected tradition, as well as regional variation, and favoured work that used local materials. In an attempt to be closer to these traditions, some leading members of the movement moved their workshops to the countryside.
Victorian furniture styles: Japanese style
Japanese style sideboard by E W Godwin, England, c.1867. Museum no. 38-1953
In 1853 Japan reopened its borders and provided a fresh source of artistic inspiration to the west. British critics praised the simplicity, purity of form and strong feeling for nature they perceived in Japanese art. In a reaction against ornate historical styles, a group of British designers tried to capture the spirit of the east.
Among them was E.W. Godwin, whose cabinet, designed in 1877, uses decorative elements immediately recognizable as coming from the east, including the formalized use of plant forms such as the sunflower, lily and fruit blossom. Less obvious is the source of the design's power. This lies in the understanding by the designer of the harmonious, symmetrical balancing of forms in a composition that is totally unlike the classical symmetry of the west. The lacquered wood finish makes this piece stand out from its surroundings and emphasizes the structure as design. Functional elements of hinge and keyplate become the decoration, together with the Japanese leather paper (originally gold). The decoration strengthens the shape of the solid elements, balancing them with the more powerful voids that are defined by uprights and stretchers.
Victorian furniture styles: Liberty & Co.
Oak washstand by Liberty & Co., England, c. 1894. Museum no. W. 19-1984
Those who wore aesthetic dress might surround themselves with artistic furniture inspired by Japan, Godwin or the eighteenth century and embellish it with blue-and-white china, Persian rugs and Indian shawls. In contrast to their dress, however, the furnishings showed no signs of medieval influence.
A major outlet for artistic items was the shop opened by Arthur Lazenby Liberty in Regent Street in May 1875. E.W. Godwin described the excitement that Liberty's skill in buying from the east could arouse in his customers when a new shipload of goods arrived on the pavement outside the Regent Street shop. This was so intense that customers, ecstatic over the silks, fans, rugs, china and enamelware, would demand that the packing cases be opened in the street.Not everything could be imported and Liberty was aware of the demand for the complete artistic interior. His answer was to employ British designers such as Archibald Knox and Arthur Silver to supply complementary designs, so that customers could furnish a whole house from his store.
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