Sofa

Salem, a bustling port city in the early 19th century, was home to many wealthy merchants. Their fashionable homes were filled with fine furniture crafted by local artisans such as Samuel McIntire. The as-yet unidentified maker of this Salem sofa adapted a popular design found in Thomas Sheraton’s 1791 The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Drawing Book, which illustrates a carved crest rail, also used by McIntire. Although Sheraton suggested that these sofas be finished in white and gold or japanned, this cabinet maker opted for a less expensive crest rail ornament constructed of mahogany with two arched and one rectangular bird’s-eye maple veneer panels, as was popular in New England. Rather than having raised pads as illustrated in Sheraton, the armrests are finished mahogany.

None of the original upholstery survives, yet physical evidence on the sofa strongly suggested that it was originally upholstered like those in Sheraton’s pattern book. The loose cushions along the back were intended to be rearranged for the sitter’s comfort.
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