Rare Victorian Est. 2008 · The Curator's Archive
Research No. 577

Galusha Mahogany Secretary

Originally published

Elijah GalushaLate ClassicalRipple Moulding

Galusha Mahogany Secretary
Galusha Mahogany Secretary

To continue to fill out my online collection of Elijah Galusha furniture photographs, this secretary is another known Elijah Galusha piece in residence at the Rensselaer Historical Society in Troy, NY. I'm assuming 1835-1850-ishdate for this piece. The pulls are replacements unfortunately, so don't be distracted by their later date.

Galusha seemed to enjoy incorporating ripple moulding on his pieces and this is another of those examples with it trimming out the door panels.
As a side project, I'm assembling all the Galusha furniture images into a loose online reference here for all posterity. More of this secretary below.
Galusha Mahogany Secretary
Galusha Mahogany Secretary

Find elijah galusha secretary bookcase on eBay →

Galusha Mahogany Secretary
Galusha Mahogany Secretary
Galusha Mahogany Secretary

3 comments

  1. Brad Charles
    Hi, I have had a few of these pieces. I wasn't sure of the maker but the common theme was the selection of flame grain mahogany, the simplicity and elegance of style. Also the wave molding...which as a restorer/woodworker/antique dealer is amazing. One of the most difficult things to reproduce there is. I have had commodes with the same look and style. As anyone identified his bedroom furnishings? Brad
  2. John Werry
    Brad, I have old B&W photos of a dresser coming up
  3. woodwright
    Very nicely veneered. Notice how the grain is balanced and symetrical throughout it. The pattern is centered (equal spacing to the L&R & T&B). The dark lines of the crotch carry up through the frieze and crown. The dark lines are equal on the left and right doors and line up with each other in the center. The center drawer is a 2 pc butt match which is always more interesting than a 1 pc veneer. I always take the time to do this myself when veneering, but it adds a great deal of time to the project and is always a sign of high quality work. It takes careful veneer selection to select veneers that have an interesting pattern and keep the pattern lined up throughout it. You also need consecutive sheets (cut from the same tree and kept in order) where the grain is nearly identical to each other to accomplish this.

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George Hunzinger Receipt

I recently purchased this original George Hunzinger receipt from 1900, which is two years after George Sr's death. Notice the "& Son" in the logo. I assume that this is an example of Hunzinger wholesaling to another