Charlecote Antiques in Kansas City sells fine English antique furniture & objets d'art

Victorian Period (1830-1890)

Historical --- Named for Queen Victoria who reigned for sixty-four years, the Victorian period was the prevailing style in the United States for fifty years. Then enthusiastically accepted, it is now derogatorily referred to by most as the “black Walnut and Horsehair Period.” At present some of the furniture may seem grotesque, if not merely ugly, but this period furniture is one, which no one interested in furniture can ignore. Briefly, an effort to stuff machine processes into furniture (as a result of the Industrial Revolution) combined with little regard for esthetic discernment (as a result of an intense – but indiscriminate – revival in generously – designed conglomerate. Although a severe indictment of the entire Victorian period, some types have proven worthy of reproduction and have an inherent appeal.

General Attributes --- The Victorian era was one of sentimentality, primness, stodgy respectability and all of these characteristics were vividly reflected in the furniture of the time. Developed primarily from Greek, Gothic, Louis XIV and Elizabethan styles, Victorian furniture was heavy, formal, and substantially built. It may then easily be said that most of the furniture was not designed in the normal sense of the word, but assembled from old pieces of carving. Black walnut and rosewood were favored woods. Inlays of brass, wood and mother of pearl were also extensively used. Favorite motifs are scrolls. Foliage, pendants, brunches of grapes and numerous nautical emblems. All seating pieces are generally upholstered and the fabrics were plush, haircloth and tapestries with an abundance of needlework, fringes, braids and tassels.