Sideboard
Decorative Arts and Design

Sideboard
Artwork Details
Artist/Maker
Unidentified American Maker, probably Philadelphia
Date
ca. 1875–1885
Medium
Walnut, poplar, painted earthenware tiles, and brass mounts
Accession #
1994.158
Dimensions
76 1/2 x 54 1/2 x 27 1/8 inches
Location
On View - Stent Family Wing, Level 3, Gallery 303
Description
With its visible joints and modest ornamentation, this severe, almost medieval looking sideboard was made in accordance with the design theory of Charles Locke Eastlake, a British architect and critic who advocated “honesty” in the construction of furniture. Along with William Morris—an English artist and designer who exhibited works at the Centennial Exhibition—Eastlake called for a return to hand craftsmanship to counter the dominance of machine production in the 1800s.