desk with drawer with felt-covered writing surface with storage below; double doors on bottom of desk; hutch with glass doors and tilt-up panel below with drawers and compartments; pairs of metal-capitaled columns on hutch and desk

Desk and bookcase, c. 1832-1834

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The business partnership of John Meads (1777-1859) and William Alvord (1766-1853) resulted in some of the most artistically sophisticated furniture made in nineteenth-century America. Meads & Alvord was the premier Neoclassical furniture firm in Albany, and they used their status and shop location to serve a wide clientele throughout the Hudson River Valley and further west along the Erie Canal (completed in 1825). As demonstrated in this desk and bookcase, when designing furniture, Meads & Alvord adopted popular Grecian and Gothic Revival designs that were characteristic of larger American style centers. The overall form of this desk and bookcase was often seen in New York City furniture, while the decoration, such as the carved melon feet, was popular in Boston cabinetwork.

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Meads & Alvord, Desk and Bookcase (#470)
Details
Title
Desk and bookcase
Artist Life
Albany, New York
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2000.166a-h
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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desk with drawer with felt-covered writing surface with storage below; double doors on bottom of desk; hutch with glass doors and tilt-up panel below with drawers and compartments; pairs of metal-capitaled columns on hutch and desk