I had hoped to kick off our new Publications Review section with a review that was restrained in its praising however after reviewing The Furniture of Charleston, 1680-1820 restraint will have to be left out until another publication is reviewed.

When this three volume set The Furniture of Charleston, 1680-1820 by authors Bradford L. Rauschenberg and John Bivins, Jr arrived I was immediately impressed by the quality of the thick cloth covered case and books themselves. As impressed, as I was it was the content of the books themselves that left me wondering what could I say about such an obviously important contribution to the field of American decorative arts. Fortunately, the answer came in the first paragraph of volume one. Gary Albert, the editor of The Furniture of Charleston wrote1,

“With The Furniture of Charleston, 1680-1820, Bradford L. Rauschenberg and John Bivins, Jr. have raised the publications of American decorative arts to a new level.”

After extensive review of these tomes, I am convinced Mr. Albert is understating the case!

For those not familiar with Charleston, Charleston was the wealthiest city in the in the country until the end of the eighteen century2, with that wealth came demand for the finest in furniture. The authors Bradford Rauschenberg and John Bivins have researched and documented an enormous number of Charleston pieces and their love of the subject matter really shines. In the over 1,400 pages of The Furniture of Charleston 440 pieces of this furniture are shown in some 1,400 photographs along with the biographies of 679 craftsmen. Every piece of furniture in these volumes is accompanied by the materials list, dimensions, condition, construction detail, marking/inscriptions and its history. What I found to be particularly informative is the generous use of photographs showing furniture detail. Coming from a cabinetmaking background, I found this type of information particularly valuable and very often lacking in other publications. It abounds in these volumes. The cabinet in figure 1 on the following page and the photographs in figures 2-5 are typical of the documenting done in these volumes. To round out this set, volume three is dedicated to the craftsmen of Charleston.

In the third volume, the authors have put together brief biographies of 679 Charleston cabinetmakers. The biographies are brief but I found them very informative and an ideal starting place further research. In all, having gone through the first two volumes, the furniture and now volume third, the cabinetmakers, I am left with a much fuller understanding of the furniture of Charleston, its makers and Charleston as a whole.
It also leaves me hoping that future authors will use The Furniture of Charleston as a model for publications on Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.

One final point remains to be discussed and that is the price. I have had number discussions about this set and invariably the discussion turns to the $325 price. I have also had a number of discussions about other books like The Master Craftsmen of Newport, John and Thomas Seymour: Cabinetmakers in Boston 1794-1816, The Work of Many Hands: Card Tables in Federal America, 1790-1820 and so on.
The story usually goes something like this.

I bought a copy of that book after it was out of print from a used book dealer for $500. Oh I bought that book when it first came out for $30.

The Furniture of Charleston, 1680-1820 is a significant contribution to the field of American decorative arts and I strongly recommend it.

Scott P. Calkins
The Society of American Period Furniture Makers