| Metalwork on early 19th-century American neoclassical furniture is often attributed to France. Little evidence exists to support these attributions. Few documents survive regarding hardware manufacturers. Therefore, the study of hardware must gather widely scattered resources. Cabinetmakers' account books, inventories, and advertisements often contain references to hardware. Nineteenth-century English metalwork catalogues provide evidence regarding the Birmingham hardware trade. The metalwork itself offers clues through markings and manufacturing techniques. The hardware collection of Boston cabinetmaker Henry Kellam Hancock (1788-1854) survives intact with its original packaging. This collection's provenance supplies a rare opportunity to study metalwork never mounted on furniture. This and other hardware can be linked to English trade catalogue patterns. These connections point to the broader context furniture hardware represents. The objects are products of the Industrial Revolution, cultural exchange, and international trade networks. Interpretation of hardware can offer new insight into 19th-century social, cultural, and economic issues. |
