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Page 2 The Antique Shoppe October, 2018
were Empire, Late Classicism, Gothic Revival, Elizabethan Revival, Rococo Revival,
COMMON SENSE Renaissance Revival, Eastlake, the Aesthetic Movement (a combination of Eastlake and
oriental designs), Colonial Revival, Arts and Crafts and even Golden Oak. All could be
ANTIQUES considered to be styles of the Victorian era, but none can be said to be the Victorian
style although Rococo Revival is the longest lasting style and is the most frequently
seen “Victorian” style.
But there is another true style that is frequently mislabeled, but the error is
By Fred Taylor so ubiquitous that few people realize the difference. That style is the resurgent
modernistic style of the Depression era that has regained enormous popularity in
the last few years. The Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels
INTRO TO DECO — Modern or Moderne? Modernes (International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts) was
held Paris in 1925. It was sort of a World’s Fair of decorative arts. The members of the
artistic-intellectual post War generation, were ready for something new - and they
Have you ever noticed that when it comes to names and descriptions of older and got it. They just didn’t know what to call it. It wasn’t exactly “Modern” as interpreted
antique furniture, what you see, or what you hear, is not always what you get? A sofa by the radicals after World War I who rejected all decoration as superfluous and it
can be couch or divan, a settee, a love seat or a settle. A closet can be an armoire, certainly wasn’t traditional or slavishly historical. It was just “modern” with a small
a wardrobe, a chifferobe or a chifforette. A bookcase can be a lawyer’s bookcase, a “m”. And it was modern with decoration - all kinds of decoration drawn from a myriad
barrister’s bookcase or elastic storage. A convertible bed can be a sleeper, a Murphy of sources including African and Egyptian art, Asian lacquer and Native American art
bed, a lounge or a cabinet bed. A china cabinet can be a hutch, a breakfront or a and architecture. And while it definitely was modern, it had some of its roots planted
vitrine. A sideboard can be a buffet, a hunt board or a server. You get the idea. firmly in the past, particularly in furniture forms.
Of course, not all the terms I just used are exactly interchangeable but since there But of course, no new style or movement could survive long, especially in the
are few if any antiques “names police” we can usually get away with calling anything United States market, without a catchy name or a snappy handle. The name assigned
almost anything as long as someone else understands us. to the new style was taken from the description. It was called Art Moderne. The extra
But then there are the few purists who tend to believe that the correct “e” on the end of modern gave it a French flair and was pronounced “mo - DURN.”
nomenclature of both forms and styles always helps to be more precise and avoid the And while there were some truly Avant Garde ideas expressed in furniture designs,
misunderstandings that can arise when terms are loosely applied. I admit to being some were based transparently on designs of the past. The idea that took the most
one of those purists on certain occasions when it won’t ruffle too many feathers or firm grip was the “Streamline” look. Car design went from the stodgy squarish Model
even sometimes when it does. I have been asked to leave a shop now and then after I A to the versions with flowing fenders and teardrop lighting of the 1930s. Homes
disputed an owner’s description of a piece of furniture. His loss. and commercial buildings had rounded corners and wrap around windows. Even
One of my favorite areas of confusion is the term “Victorian.” Look through almost locomotives looked “streamlined” with rounded noses.
any auction catalog and you are bound to see a number of “Victorian style” chairs or a One line of furniture design also took the streamlined route. It involved the
Victorian bedroom set not to mention Victorian jewelry, houses and clothing. But the copious use of vividly striped veneers and rounded corners and edges. This was the
truth is Victorian was a period of time, not a style. It refers to the period 1837 to 1901, ever popular “waterfall” effect. Waterfall refers to the shape of the top front edge of
when Victoria, the only daughter of Edward, Duke of Kent, the fourth son of George the piece. The veneer on the top runs from back to front instead of side to side as it
III, sat on the throne of England. No style in modern history has been maintained does in most styles. As it goes over the rounded edge this gives the effect of “going
uninterrupted for 64 years and neither was the style of “Victorian.” Within that span over a waterfall.”
of years, several prominent and very distinct styles rose and fell in favor, among them Continued on Page 6

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