For The Record: Bardwell, Anderson & Co., Boston, MA

I was perusing one of my oft-used Victorian furniture books, Furniture Made In America, 1875-1905, and ran into a table that I knew that I had seen before. My recollection is that Meg and Bruce Cummings had one in their catalog and lo and behold, I found one there for sale. Meg and Bruce run Southampton Antiques of Southampton, MA. This table was manufactured by Bardwell, Anderson & Co., Boston, MA. It looks as if the table only had to travel about 100 miles in the last 125 years to reach it's current location. I am surmising that the table is from their 1884 catalog. Two of their catalogs are represented in the book, including their 1889-90 catalog but the reproduction images aren't annotated and catalog pages are heavily intermingled with the catalogs of other manufacturers. The book is organized in categories (parlor, bedroom, etc.) vs. being organized by maker. This organization makes it easier to identify one's furniture since you can find a myriad of desks (or parlor furniture or whatever you might have) by multiple makers in one series. It makes it difficult, however, to see the full spectrum of furniture from a single maker in one place. Bardwell, Anderson, and Company manufactured their furniture on 19 Charlestown Street and had warerooms at No. 81 Union Street in Boston. It appears that they were known for their extension tables and this particular table was available in 12, 14, 16, or 18 foot versions.