Lady's Work Table

This work table has design aspects that place it within a group of furniture currently attributed to Cincinnati, Ohio. The convex drawer fronts, carved foliate motifs in squares/rectangles flanking the drawers, the ball feet, and spiral turned legs are all design elements found in tables, chests of drawers, sideboards, and desks with histories in Ohio and Kentucky that most likely originated in Cincinnati in the early 19th century. Cincinnati became a major furniture producer for both the local and regional market during that period. With the advent of steamboats, the Ohio River became a major transportation route linking Cincinnati to numerous other rivers and canals that expedited the movement of furniture through the region.

This work table descended in the family in the Brockman family of Morgan County, Illinois. The progenitors of the family, Samuel Brockman (1804-1852) and Sarah Ann Smedley Brockman (1804-1847) who married in Fayette County KY in 1824, migrated from Kentucky to Illinois around 1830. They could have brought the table with them from Kentucky or purchased it after arriving in Illinois.
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