Featured Oncology Researcher Stumped After Extensively Researching Antique Dresser

Should I go ahead and ring up Sotheby's? ;-) Thank you! At this early stage, I consider being 100 or less years off on my guesstimate a win! I'm learning. I don't think I'm understanding what veneer is in antique furniture. I'll have to dive yet deeper still. Thank you! Very helpful.

 

I tend to avoid commenting on furniture these days, though I have a lot of 18th and early 19th American in my collection. In part because pics are usually inadequate in this section, and commenting “take better pics” is usually ignored. But you do have a few shots that show important areas, so I’ll throw in my opinion.

This certainly has replaced drawer pulls, as previously noted. The original location seems to be the large center hole. So by all means, yes, take off some of the easiest to remove pulls to look for evidence of what pulls were used originally.

Beyond that, this does not ring true for early American furniture. Too much is wrong - hard wood secondary on drawer sides, dovetails too slender and fine, too little mass. The stained secondary wood surfaces seal the deal. This appears to be very much a sister to the piece Brad showed. And therefore looks English, from mid 19th century at the earliest, probably later 19th or early 20th when “antique” demand was high here in the US and lots of this stuff was being found and made.

BTW, though your pics are much better than most here, they are still lacking. Pull out a drawer and show full view of bottom, back and side, along with interior. Pull out all the drawers to take an interior shot of the full back and sides, and also full on views from the outside. That is how you can recognize veneer, and why it is obvious that the drawer fronts on this are veneer. Finally, something never done here, but crucial to know authentic history of a piece, is to flip it on its back and take some pics of the legs and base.

I think part of the problem is that people are used to using google image search, which uses external pics and works well for mass produced items including 20th century furniture, so they assume it will work for everything. Unfortunately it is almost useless to try to distinguish between authentic antiques and the century of reproductions that have been made.

 

Lovely looking dresser! We are kindred spirits, as I obsessively research every piece of antique furniture I have…

Agreed that drawer sides, backs bottoms etc. are all helpful to photograph and post.

As I’ve learned here and elsewhere, there were some very fine furniture makers in the 19th century who created some amazing looking pieces modeled on furniture that was then 200-300 years old. There were also furniture revivals, e.g. Gothic, Jacobean etc. during that period. This can complicate dating a piece.

 

Your opinion and insights are always valued by the regulars, Jeff. And also by newbies who do post useful photos and are genuinely interested beyond the market value.
But I understand, we need good relevant pictures, and there are posters who don't care enough to post them.

Google image search, while very useful for certain identifications, tends to take the place of true knowledge and expertise at times. That is a pity, and can be very disheartening for those who do have knowledge.

 

That was super helpful. Thank you. I have loads of pictures and can upload more but everything you said makes sense. I freely admit I know nothing about this stuff and all I know about the dresser is that it was my grandmother's grandmother's. I don't know if she purchased it or inherited it. That's why I'm here. I became fascinated. I, too, thought the dovetails were too thin to be functional. I still haven't googled veneer, but plan too. Work and school are distracting me from my new obsession. I appreciate your insights and will share the photos you suggested tomorrow after I've gotten some sleep. Thank you, though. That was really informative and I appreciate it.

 

Oh my gosh. I haven't even run across some of those terms yet! I have so much to learn, and it feels so much like work since this is what I do all day, except in oncology, which is almost as complicated. It's nice to hear I'm not the only one here that's obsessed with research. I'm still working on figuring out the basics (veneer?) and now I'm adding Jacobean to my list of things to look up. It was getting overwhelming and distracting me so I had to put myself in time out, but it's great being back and getting all this information. I appreciate you taking the time. Thank you!

 

I am a "by the book", follow directions kind of person when outside of my area of expertise, so I read the introduction and tips, which outlined the photos and angles requested in the post. I had to use google just to do that, as "dovetails" was one of the requested shots and I had no idea what they were. I appreciate all of you sharing your knowledge with me. I'm insatiably curious, about everything, but most things don't take long to master, whereas antiques, I don't think anyone possibly could in one lifetime. It's fascinating! Frustrating, engaging, enlightening - my idea of fun.

 

And you did it perfectly.

We all use google (or equivalents), and its is very useful.
Google image search is different from googling terms etc though. It gives you an image that is comparable to the one you upload, but it doesn't give you any knowledge. And periods, even cultural settings, can differ greatly from the item on the image you uploaded.

Of course you can use it as a start for research, but it is sometimes thought of as correct information, which is a risk. This is when a superficial view takes prevalence over knowledge and expertise, and unfortunately I've seen it on Antiquers too. Often the OP has left by the time someone comes along with correct information, because they were happy with the wrong ID.

 

Brit here. That’s British. It talks in an early nineteenth accent or at a pinch, late eighteenth. If someone reminds me, I’ll get a photo of the thing I have with identical feet.