Images(4)

Couch

Date1815-1820

OriginAmerica, New York, New York City

MediumMaple, cane, paint, gilt, brass, and iron

DimensionsOverall: 30 1/4 × 24 × 79in. (76.8 × 61 × 200.7cm)

Credit LineGift of Linda H. Kaufman, Kaufman Americana Foundation, in honor of Iris and Mark Coblitz, Carly and Frank Fiorina, Clifford B. Fleet III, Jack A. Gary, Ronald L. Hurst, and J. Thomas Savage

Object number2023-6

DescriptionGrecian style couch of figured maple and cane; scrolled head and foot each with an applied boss on end of scroll; back extends about ¾ of the way across from the head to the foot with a scrolled end; caned (replaced) seat, head, foot, and back; legs with gilded winged birds above vert antique paw feet on brass castors. Modern silk cushion and two modern bolsters.
Label TextSince ancient times, couches had long been popular amongst the upper classes. In the early 19th century the form gained popularity with the renewed influence of ancient Greek style and design on fashionable European and American furnishings. Popularized by Thomas Sheraton in his CABINET DICTIONARY and George Smith in his 1808 design publication, the form remained popular through mid-century. American style centers of New York, Boston, and Philadelphia excelled at producing upholstered and caned variations of this form, influencing the regions in which their furniture was sold. Various New York firms, including Deming and Buckley, sold their wares in Charleston, South Carolina, and some Charlestonians placed bespoke orders with New York firms including those of cabinetmakers Duncan Phyfe and Charles Honore Lannuier. Benjamin Huger (1768-1823) of Georgetown, SC was one such individual who ordered “eighteen maple chairs with cushions, neat and fashionable but without gilding and two sofas d[itt]o to answer the above” from New York suppliers. Benjamin’s great-nephew (or grandson - the genealogy is unclear) and namesake, Benjamin Huger Read (1823-1887), and his wife Mary Julia Middleton Read (1828-1904) owned this couch in Charleston, South Carolina. It likely descended to them from their parents or another family member. Perhaps further research will reveal whether the couch was one of the so-called sofas Benjamin Huger obtained from New York earlier in the 19th century.
ProvenanceOwned by Benjamin Huger Read (1823-1887) and Mary Julia (Middleton) Read (1829-1904) of Charleston, South Carolina and believed to have descended through their family to them and from them; William N. Banks, Jr., Newnan, Georgia until 2020. Linda Kaufman, Norfolk, Virginia until 2023.