Antique Dresser: Is it American Empire? Victorian?

Hello,

I’m hoping someone might be able to help me identify the style and approximate age of a dresser that I own. I’ve included some pictures. (Front, rear, drawer joinery, and leg) If you need any other details to help identify it let me know. Thanks in advance for your help!

 

Might best be termed a late classical piece, though those pulls are more typical to the earlier Federal period. Do they appear to be original? Date would be sometime second quarter of the 19th century if the pulls are original. Could be a tad later if they are replacements.

 

And if that's a back country piece it could be even later. Styles hung on in more rural places. Brad's the expert though.

 

Yep, is late Classical but, as Brad says, the pulls are Federal Hepplewhite so, If pulls are original to piece, guesses 1830-1840 or so. If not, could be a bit later, 1850s.
In any event, very nice chest of drawers in pretty good condition looks like.
What's the deal on top drawer with no pulls, does it fold down?

 

I'm just curious but . . . I'm hoping someone can give me a plausible reason for why the top drawer is off-set to the left (in the photo at least) and doesn't have drawer pulls.

I'm also wondering about the dimensions of the piece (what size is it????).

 

Thanks for the reply Brad. Here’s a few pictures of the pulls and hardware- screws look modern to me, and the piece has definitely been restored at some point so I’d guess not original.

 

Yep, they are.

 

The drawer opens by pulling from the bottom. However i think this is a later modification. It looks like someone replaced the front of the original drawer with a board- all the other drawers have two pieces of mahogany veneer and the top drawer appears to be a board nailed to the original front? In the pictures I’ll post below you can see from the inside where someone’s nailed it with modern nails to the original front, and then nailed in a block underneath, I assume to make it flush with the edge or allow it to be opened from the bottom. Not really sure what’s going on with it honestly...

 

I put some pictures in the thread of the situation with the top drawer that might better answer what’s happening there..

Here’s the dimensions:
41.0" W x 38.0" H x 20.0" D

 

Yeah, sees that now, the restoration isn't the best. The nails to reinforce the drawer dovetails, looks like new drawer runners as well, then the top drawer situation makes it a DIY restore job which lowers value considerably.

 

That makes sense. As a young guy with a one year old and another on the way I’ve tried to furnish with real antiques, but ones that wouldn’t break my heart when inevitably take some bumps or dings. The philosophy is that i want to enjoy looking at it and pondering its story, but also use it.

I paid $160 for this particular piece which is less than a particle board dresser from Target that i would have to build myself. If I everdecided to sell it, I’d guess i couldget mymoney back at least, what do you think?

 

Well, it IS an antique piece, no doubt about that & certainly better than sawdust furniture. I'd say $160. is fair and no problem for personal use, different story if trying to flip at a profit.
What may have happened on top drawer is veneer was damaged & rather than confront that issue straight on (not a big deal to glue on a new drawer front veneer panel) someone complicated the issue and it became a bit of a chinese fire drill.

 

This was a design feature of this style, 1850s-1900 and beyond, very popular in it's day, sometimes referred to as "empire revival".

 

Not off-set to the left. Just overhanging the front. Photo makes it look offset due to the angle.

 

Unless someone was locking up his socks, this strikes me as being a bachelor's chest rather than a dresser. For an example:

https://www.rubylane.com/item/413364-LP38/Antique-English-Georgian-Mahogany-Bachelors-Chest

Is the piece above the top drawer fixed in place or does it slide out? A typical bachelor's chest doubles as a writing desk. The way the top drawer is constructed suggests to me you were meant to be able to open it when sitting in front of it with access to pulls obstructed.

 

Yeah, what Brad said. Sometimes you see them with small glove boxes on top or a mirror or both, but that large drawer on top with overhang was a design feature of this style.