Victorian Furniture Books

Styles of American Furniture 1860-1960

Eileen and Richard Dubrow

Covers 100 years of furniture but still packs in a lot of information and images without shorting any maker or timeframe (e.g. 38 pictures of Hunzinger pieces alone). Chapter 2 includes short biographies on almost 100 cabinetmakers, which makes the book worth it for that alone. It goes on to cover Renaissance Revival, Aesthetic/Art, Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Modern, with good sections on Egyptian Revival and Wooton desks.

Covers Alexander Roux, Leon Marcotte, Pottier & Stymus, Thomas Brooks, Mitchell & Rammelsberg, J & JW Meeks, Daniel Pabst, George Hunzinger, Herter Brothers

American Furniture of the 19th Century 1840-1880

Eileen & Richard Dubrow

Same authors as the "Styles" book, so it also opens with cabinetmaker biographies — 43 pages concentrated on the makers of the 1840-1880 period. Covers Gothic, Rococo, Elizabethan, Renaissance, Aesthetic Movement, Louis XVI, Neo-Grec, and Moorish styles. The Rococo section is extensive, with several dozen photos and information on John Henry Belter and J & JW Meeks.

Covers John Henry Belter, J & JW Meeks, Alexander Roux, George Hunzinger, Kimbel & Cabus, Pottier & Stymus, Herter Brothers, Mitchell & Rammelsberg, Thomas Brooks

Victorian Detail: A Working Dictionary

Priscilla S. Meyer

No longer in print, but especially well suited to the collector who wants to learn about the furniture and not just look at it. Covers the basics of the various Victorian sub-genres and includes a dictionary of only Victorian-relevant terms. A must-have and worth the price.

Covers Joseph Meeks, Neo-Grec, Empire Reproduction, John Belter, Baudouine and other Belter competitors, Rococo-Revival detail, unpierced Belter, "French Antique" style, gilding, Louis XIV/XV/XVI (a chart), 1890s palace reproductions, pre-Civil War plantation furniture, Gothic, Elizabethan and Renaissance, Mitchell & Rammelsberg, a dictionary of construction detail, "Modern Renaissance" style, Grand Rapids, Eastlake Gothic reform, Turkish cozies, Stickley’s Mission reform, colonial reproductions

The Furniture of John Henry Belter and the Rococo Revival

Marvin D. Schwartz, Edward J. Stanek & Douglas K. True

The definitive reference on John Henry Belter and his furniture. 88 pages. Includes information on Belter’s lamination process and very detailed Belter identification points, plus many photos of furniture with pattern names, including lesser-known pieces.

Covers John Henry Belter

Herter Brothers

Furniture and Interiors for a Gilded Age

Howe, Frelinghuysen & Voorsanger

272 pages of extensive detail and 300 illustrations covering the works of Gustave and Christian Herter. An excellent pictorial reference of Herter pieces (Gustave alone as well as Herter Brothers) that also includes one-off images from Marcotte, Pottier & Stymus, Kimbel & Cabus, and others.

Covers Herter Brothers

Century of Revivals

Nineteenth-Century American Furniture in The Newark Museum

Ulysses G. Dietz

A 63-page catalog prepared by Ulysses Dietz, Curator of Decorative Arts, documenting in black-and-white photographs some of the key 19th-century pieces in the museum’s collection. A nice book to have in your reference library, especially for John Jelliff fans.

Covers John Jelliff (several pieces); one or two images each for Belter, Meeks, Roux, Mitchell & Rammelsberg, Hunzinger, and Marcotte

Victorian Decor

Martin M. May

A go-to for R. J. Horner reference — dozens of Horner pieces alongside other 1880s/1890s carved oak and griffin furniture. Also surveys Victorian architectural antiques, stained glass, furniture, art glass, lighting, match holders, and poster art.

Covers R. J. Horner, carved oak, griffin furniture, kerosene lamps, student lamps, Handel, Pairpoint, Duffner & Kimberly

Furniture Made in America 1875-1905

Eileen & Richard Dubrow

Comprised of excerpts from actual period furniture catalogs, including pictures and original pricing, with an intriguing section on original ads for furniture-making machinery. Sections cover all major categories and excerpt dozens of well-known and obscure makers. Leans toward mainstream, mass-produced furniture.

Covers Stickley-Brandt, mass-produced Victorian furniture

Nineteenth Century Furniture

Innovation, Revival and Reform

Art & Antiques (intro by Mary Jean Madigan)

Large, detailed color and B&W photographs and history of furniture by particular makers and categories. Despite the title, some sections cross into the very early 20th century. A good book for Daniel Pabst, Egyptian Revival, and Kimbel & Cabus given the scarcity of reference material on them; all other makers and styles are covered equally well.

Covers Philadelphia Empire, Hitchcock, Belter, Pabst, Egyptian Revival, Eastlake, Kimbel & Cabus, Gallé and Majorelle, Art Nouveau, Charles Voysey, Chicago furniture, Gustav Stickley, Roycrofters, Thonet and bentwood, Hunzinger, wicker, cast iron, Adirondack hickory

Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company

Classic Wicker Furniture — The Complete 1898-1899 Illustrated Catalog

Introduction by Richard Saunders

A reprint of the original 1898-1899 Heywood-Wakefield catalog with clear black-and-white drawings of chairs, tables, settees, lounges, photographer chairs, ottomans, cribs, parlor sets, baskets, and much more. An excellent reference for identifying Heywood-Wakefield wicker.

Covers Heywood-Wakefield wicker furniture

Art & Enterprise

American Decorative Art, 1825-1917 — The Virginia Carroll Crawford Collection

High Museum of Art (Donald C. Peirce)

A 411-page, richly detailed catalog of the Crawford collection at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, comprising major examples of American craftsmanship and design. Includes 235 color plates of photographs, patent drawings, catalogue pages, bills of sale, and pieces in situ, each with detailed background on the maker and the item. Sections span Classicism, Industrialization, Gothic and Elizabethan Revivals, Rococo, New Classicism, Patent Furniture, Arts & Crafts, Eclecticism, Cut Glass, Art Nouveau, and designs by architects.

Covers Alexander Roux, George Henkels, Daniel Pabst, John Jelliff, Gustave Herter, Herter Brothers, A & H Lejambre, Thomas Godey, Charles Rohlfs, Charles Baudouine, Harvey Ellis, Herts Brothers, Gustav Stickley, R. J. Horner, J & JW Meeks, Kimbel & Cabus, Kilian Brothers, Leon Marcotte, Wooton, and many others — plus porcelain, glass, and silver

Late 19th Century Furniture by Berkey & Gay

Brian L. Witherell

A high-quality reprint of an 1880 Berkey & Gay catalog showing their complete line of parlor sets, bedroom suites, and parlor tables. Anyone who collects reference books on furniture of this era should not be without it.

Covers Berkey & Gay

The Furniture of George Hunzinger

Invention and Innovation in Nineteenth-Century America

Barry R. Harwood

A rare book (hence the price), but the definitive guide to George Hunzinger and his body of work. 168 pages. A must-have for Hunzinger fans, with extensive pictures of chairs, tables, and parlor sets, Hunzinger patents, period furniture ads, and 19th-century photographs of Hunzinger furniture in homes and businesses.

Covers George Hunzinger