Creativity and tradition: the corner cupboards of southwestern Sussex County, 1790-1850

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1989
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University of Delaware
Abstract
In the first half of the nineteenth century, rural joiners and cabinetmakers developed individual styles, producing a distinctly American furniture. The issues of creativity and style are raised in an examination of a corner cupboard tradition of southwestern Sussex County, Delaware. The artisans of this tradition include the Ralph family of Laurel, Delaware. They built cupboards of soft woods, joined and nailed, and decorated with layers of sawn, carved, and plane molded scallops, fretwork, reeding, and cornices. Sometimes they painted them in multiple colors. Utilizing extant pieces of furniture, probate inventories, Orphans Court records, and Ralph family records, this study examines the design, construction, and historic context of the cupboards, drawing on the methodologies of Material Culture and Vernacular Architecture. (Abstract from ProQuest citation page.)
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