Potthast Bros., Inc.: Baltimore furniture craftsmen, 1892-1975
Date
1999
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Potthast Bros., Inc., (1892-1975) founded in 1892 by four German immigrant brothers William, Vincent, John, and Theodore Potthast, was the most prolific cabinetmaking shop in late nineteenth and twentieth-century Baltimore. The firm's copyrighted slogan, "The True Antiques of Tomorrow," was not only prophetic but reflected the philosophy behind the founding brothers' hand-crafted reproduction furniture. This mindset, this desire to create furniture with "intrinsic" value, affected the way the brothers and their craftsmen went about designing, manufacturing and marketing furniture. ☐ The firm was not only influenced by but also contributed to its Colonial Revival context; the origins, development, and products of Potthast Bros., Inc. help tell the significant story of twentieth-century interest in American Antiques, and in turn, the popularity of reproduction furniture. ☐ Potthast Bros., Inc.'s careful selection of antiques to reproduce, the aggressive marketing used to sell the furniture, the conscientious craftsmanship and labeling practices, and the eighty-three year duration of the firm ensured the survival of a great quantity of objects to study. It is the survival of documentary materials (sales literature, photographs, drawings, and correspondence) however, that offers a glimpse into the process behind the objects, and the minds of the craftsmen.