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March, 2020 The Antique Shoppe Page 33
of the unusual mechanism employed to retract the glass door of the individual
COMMON SENSE units. This unit used a spring-loaded roller attached to the door by two long
leather straps that wound around the roller as it retracted the door.
ANTIQUES Wernicke in his original Minneapolis shop as early as 1891, well before
In fact, the earliest elastic bookcases were patented and produced by Otto
he moved to Grand Rapids in 1897 and well before he helped start Globe-
By Fred Taylor Wernicke in 1904. And all his cabinets, early or otherwise, used the now
famous scissor mechanism to stabilize the doors rather than a roller and leather
straps. The only variation used by Wernicke was after he left Globe-Wernicke
OCCAM’S RAZOR and acquired Fred Macey’s business. Under the Macey name he produced
cabinets that used a geared wheel and track to stabilize the doors.
Occam’s Razor cut through the misguided assumption and established that
Don’t Get Cut the cabinet had some sort of aftermarket Rube Goldberg mechanism, probably

due to missing or broken scissor mechanisms.
In doing the research to answer several Then there was the case of the famous and
readers’ recent inquiries about their furniture, assumed misused trade name that originally
the specter of Occham’s Razor has reared its belonged to one of America’s most famous
head to demand attention. Occam’s Razor states furniture makers, Stickley Brothers of Grand
in its simplest and slightly incorrect form that Rapids. The trade name in question was that
the simplest solution to a problem is usually the of “Quaint American.” Stickley Brothers used
correct answer. The actual proposition stated by that name beginning in the late 1910s as part
14th century English logician and Franciscan of its seemingly endless variation of the name
Friar Father William of Ockham (d’Okham), Quaint, first used around 1903 for its “Quaint
also spelled as Occam, stated that the solution Mission” line of Arts & Crafts/Mission style
with the fewest assumptions was usually furniture.
the correct solution. The “Razor” part of the A reader had a bedroom set marked as
postulation is that bit of logic used to shave “Quaint American” but it carried the maker’s
away unnecessary assumptions. label of Carl V. Forslund. He had enough
The first item in the research list was furniture background to know the Quaint
an “unusual” six-legged table according to American name belonged to Stickley Brothers
the owner. It also had exotic inlaid wood and he had no idea who this Forslund character
on the top. The owner had been his elderly was. He thus assumed it was a blatant case
grandmother from whom he had inherited the of trademark infringement and figured the set
table. She died at an advanced age in the 1990s must be worth quite a bit.
having immigrated from Germany through In fact, Carl V. Forslund, Inc. was the
Ellis Island in the early 20th century. Family marketing arm of manufacturer Brothers
history asserted that she had brought the table Forslund, (later changed to Forslund Brothers)
with her from Germany and since she was over This “German table” was American made during the founded in 1935 by Carl V. Forslund, Sr, a
90 when she died the table had to be over 100 Depression era of the 1930s. Stickley Brothers salesman who quit to begin
years old and handmade. In essence, family his own company. He formed the marketing
history said it was a German table made in the arm the same year. Stickley Brothers closed
19th century. in 1954 and Forslund was granted a license to continue producing some of the
Out comes the razor. The first assumption is that she brought it with her Stickley lines. Quaint American was one of them. So instead of a trademark
from Germany. No facts, just assumption. One fact is that most immigrants lawsuit case, we have a case of an unfounded assumption that the Razor was
who reached this country through Ellis Island did not bring their furniture with able to slice away, given more facts and fewer assumptions.
them. In fact, they usually landed with nothing more than the clothes on their Occam’s Razor is an important
backs and a scrap of paper with their names written in English and hopefully tool in the armory of any furniture
the name of a relative already in America. investigator and is closely related
The second assumption, that it was made in Germany before she to the concept of the provenance,
immigrated, was based on the first faulty assumption and was as unreliable as it the actual, fact-based history of
was. The third assumption of “unusual” design and “exotic” inlay was based on a piece rather than assumptions.
the second assumption, that the table was made in Europe. Don’t let the Razor cut you.
After slicing away the assumptions the facts were that the six-legged design
Send your comments, questions and
was not unusual at all. It was one the most popular designs of the Depression pictures to me at PO Box 215, Crystal River,
era of the 1920s and 1930s, used in “occasional tables” that populated living FL 34423 or email them to me at info@
rooms of the period. The exotic inlay was also not quite so prosaic. It was in furnituredetective.com
Visit Fred’s website www.furnituredetective.
fact a mix of stump cut walnut veneer and flat cut mahogany veneer divided com and check out the downloadable
by a multi-color band of inlay. Stump cut or butt cut walnut was the most “Common Sense Antiques” columns in .pdf
used decorative veneer in the Depression era of the 1920s and 1930s when format. His book “HOW TO BE A FURNITURE
DETECTIVE” is now available for $18.95 plus
the table was made. Stump cut veneer is cut from the stump of a walnut tree $3.00 shipping. Send check or money order for
below ground level where the grain pattern is very confused and erratic. The $21.95 to Fred Taylor, PO Box 215, Crystal River,
skirt and legs of the table were made of the secondary wood, red gum. The use FL 34423
Fred and Gail Taylor’s DVD,
of Occam’s Razor turned a 19th century German handmade table into a mass- “IDENTIFICATION OF OLDER & ANTIQUE
produced Depression era table, produced by the hundreds of thousands in the FURNITURE”, ($17.00 + $3.00 S&H) are also
period. available at the same address. For more
information call (800) 387-6377 (9AM-4PM
The same process was used to try to identify a Globe-Wernicke elastic Eastern, M-F only), fax 352-563-2916, or e-mail
bookcase. While the piece did have the Globe-Wernicke logo the owner info@furnituredetective.com. It is unlikely that this spring loaded
All items are also available directly from the
assumed it had to be one of the very earliest bookcases of that type because website, www.furnituredetective.com roller with leather straps was used
by Globe-Wernicke.