Furnishing Louisiana: Creole and Acadian Furniture, 1735–1835
Product ID: 127830774
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It is no secret that New Orleans and the surrounding region have long been a hotbed of creativity, giving rise to the careers of many artists, musicians, and writers, but little attention has been given to the remarkable decorative arts and craftsmen of this area. From the early 18th through the mid-19th centuries, distinctive cabinetmaking traditions developed in the Mississippi River valley through a melding of French, Anglo-American, Caribbean, Canadian, and African influences. Furnishing Louisiana: Creole and Acadian Furniture, 1735 1835 stands as a tribute to the region s cultural diversity and remarkable artistry. Louisiana s earliest colonial furniture hewed closely to French models. Yet an influx of immigrants at the turn of the 19th century refugees from the Haitian Revolution, Anglo-Americans drawn south and west in the wake of the Louisiana Purchase had a striking impact on the region s crafts. The fusion of acculturated European craftsmanship and contemporary Anglo-American fashion produced a novel aesthetic in the New World a Louisiana Creole style. And while highly refined cabinet work emerged from cosmopolitan New Orleans, another tradition was developing to the west, on the Acadian prairies. Informed by distant memories of France and recent memories of Canada, modified by Louisiana s climate and available materials, Acadian furniture stands alongside Creole craftsmanship as an enduring reflection of a time, a place, and a people. This elegant, beautifully designed work boasts more than 1,200 full-color illustrations, a comprehensive catalogue of furniture forms, and contextual essays on cabinetmakers, materials, techniques, trade, and the interiors of early Louisiana homes. Review: A stunning accomplishment - Anyone who wants to understand Louisiana culture would be well advised to start with this extraordinary, sumptuously photographed, and meticulously researched book on the state's early furniture tradition. Nothing like it exists. A non-English reader could learn a lot about Louisiana culture from the photographs alone, so fine are they and so carefully and thoughtfully are they organized. Mr. Chapaton's review (above) contains an admirable, detailed description of "Furnishing Louisiana." It indicates the almost stunning breadth and completeness of the authors' undertaking and convinced me to place my order. Yet it did not prepare me for the full power of this book. That power lies in the rare combination of fine photography, deep scholarship, and sensitive layout. For instance, the Catalogue, which I think forms the heart of "Furnishing Louisiana," contains a large photograph of each piece as well as smaller photographs of noteworthy details. Most are set against white-space backgrounds. Preceding the photograph is a brief description of the significance and history, followed by a kind of check-list summary that makes review and reference easy. Dimensions, materials, provenance, conservation, collection, and owner appear in this list. Such a perfect marriage of information and photography is rare in books of this sort, even those with folio-size pages. The authors' and editor's decision to divide the main portion of the Catalogue by types of furnishings is also important and permits the reader to appreciate major features as well as fine distinctions in the collection. Imagine an entire section of beautifully photographed armoires! Imagine being able to compare woodgrains, skirts, stiles, panel construction! Such an experience usually is possible only in rare museum exhibitions, and those necessarily limit the number of items that can be shown. Here, one sees not selected pieces, but what is known to exist. And because most of these pieces are in private homes and collections, one could never have such an experience outside of this book. Also important in establishing the importance of "Furnishing Louisiana" is its inclusiveness. This is not a book about New Orleans furniture makers or importers of furniture or about the furnishings in the great homes along River Road. It is about the entire range of Louisiana furnishing in the period. For example, the area around Natchitoches, on the Red River in Central Louisiana, receives careful attention. And in two beds shown in Kent House Museum in Alexandria may be seen two different strains of design influence. Pieces from the Monroe area, originally Fort Miro, are also included. The scope of this collection is simply stunning. The authors' examinations of the conditions that shaped the Louisiana tradition in home furnishings are clearly written, without the scholarly jargon often found in such books. The distinctive layout and use of rooms in the early Louisiana home (no large central hallways here), the woods available to furniture makers, the historic liaison with Santo Domingo and the West Indies, the great river and port that afforded access to other traditions and materials, the daily needs of the people themselves---from all these emerged a distinctive style and a state of mind that I think still informs life in Louisiana. The melon shaped headboards of beds, the cabriole legs and scalloped skirts of armoires, the inlay and carvings used to embellish---such things suggest a certain taste for gentleness and subtleness that distinguish Louisiana from Anglo America even today. After two days with "Furnishing Louisiana," I pulled down my copy of "Great Road Style: The Decorative Arts Legacy of Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee" by Betsy White, also a superb book. In its pages are seen the mainly English and Germanic influences that migrated down the Great Wagon Road into the Old Southwest. I was struck again by what our furniture reveals about mindsets and worldviews, and again I was struck by the distinctiveness of Louisiana's. For anyone interested in this sort of thing, I recommend White's book. Yet I do not know that I have seen another book on the material culture of a region that is so complete, so beautiful as "Furnishing Louisiana." I am grateful to the authors and to The Historic Louisiana Collection for making this extraordinary book possible. "Furnishing Louisiana" is exactly what John Keats was talking about when he wrote, "Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty": even without the accompanying words, the objects themselves call up a world and a culture. Every time you open it, you will discover something new that will reveal more about that world and its people. This book deserves a place on the coffee table only if that coffee table is frequently used. A stunning accomplishment! Review: wonderful!! - wonderful
| Best Sellers Rank | #564,825 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #516 in Decorative Arts |
| Customer Reviews | 5.0 out of 5 stars 22 Reviews |
G**I
A stunning accomplishment
Anyone who wants to understand Louisiana culture would be well advised to start with this extraordinary, sumptuously photographed, and meticulously researched book on the state's early furniture tradition. Nothing like it exists. A non-English reader could learn a lot about Louisiana culture from the photographs alone, so fine are they and so carefully and thoughtfully are they organized. Mr. Chapaton's review (above) contains an admirable, detailed description of "Furnishing Louisiana." It indicates the almost stunning breadth and completeness of the authors' undertaking and convinced me to place my order. Yet it did not prepare me for the full power of this book. That power lies in the rare combination of fine photography, deep scholarship, and sensitive layout. For instance, the Catalogue, which I think forms the heart of "Furnishing Louisiana," contains a large photograph of each piece as well as smaller photographs of noteworthy details. Most are set against white-space backgrounds. Preceding the photograph is a brief description of the significance and history, followed by a kind of check-list summary that makes review and reference easy. Dimensions, materials, provenance, conservation, collection, and owner appear in this list. Such a perfect marriage of information and photography is rare in books of this sort, even those with folio-size pages. The authors' and editor's decision to divide the main portion of the Catalogue by types of furnishings is also important and permits the reader to appreciate major features as well as fine distinctions in the collection. Imagine an entire section of beautifully photographed armoires! Imagine being able to compare woodgrains, skirts, stiles, panel construction! Such an experience usually is possible only in rare museum exhibitions, and those necessarily limit the number of items that can be shown. Here, one sees not selected pieces, but what is known to exist. And because most of these pieces are in private homes and collections, one could never have such an experience outside of this book. Also important in establishing the importance of "Furnishing Louisiana" is its inclusiveness. This is not a book about New Orleans furniture makers or importers of furniture or about the furnishings in the great homes along River Road. It is about the entire range of Louisiana furnishing in the period. For example, the area around Natchitoches, on the Red River in Central Louisiana, receives careful attention. And in two beds shown in Kent House Museum in Alexandria may be seen two different strains of design influence. Pieces from the Monroe area, originally Fort Miro, are also included. The scope of this collection is simply stunning. The authors' examinations of the conditions that shaped the Louisiana tradition in home furnishings are clearly written, without the scholarly jargon often found in such books. The distinctive layout and use of rooms in the early Louisiana home (no large central hallways here), the woods available to furniture makers, the historic liaison with Santo Domingo and the West Indies, the great river and port that afforded access to other traditions and materials, the daily needs of the people themselves---from all these emerged a distinctive style and a state of mind that I think still informs life in Louisiana. The melon shaped headboards of beds, the cabriole legs and scalloped skirts of armoires, the inlay and carvings used to embellish---such things suggest a certain taste for gentleness and subtleness that distinguish Louisiana from Anglo America even today. After two days with "Furnishing Louisiana," I pulled down my copy of "Great Road Style: The Decorative Arts Legacy of Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee" by Betsy White, also a superb book. In its pages are seen the mainly English and Germanic influences that migrated down the Great Wagon Road into the Old Southwest. I was struck again by what our furniture reveals about mindsets and worldviews, and again I was struck by the distinctiveness of Louisiana's. For anyone interested in this sort of thing, I recommend White's book. Yet I do not know that I have seen another book on the material culture of a region that is so complete, so beautiful as "Furnishing Louisiana." I am grateful to the authors and to The Historic Louisiana Collection for making this extraordinary book possible. "Furnishing Louisiana" is exactly what John Keats was talking about when he wrote, "Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty": even without the accompanying words, the objects themselves call up a world and a culture. Every time you open it, you will discover something new that will reveal more about that world and its people. This book deserves a place on the coffee table only if that coffee table is frequently used. A stunning accomplishment!
D**Y
wonderful!!
wonderful
C**E
period furniture book-
I bought this book for several reasons -- I am a master furniture maker , also have 4-5 generations of family from Louisiana, and I also love history and architecture . This book proves to be the most beautiful book I believe I have ever held between my two hands ! It is so well designed and laid out and so comprehensive of a study of each subject and chapter that it becomes a reference book for me -- The quality of the entire book in every regard is awesome down to every detail-hardware, native woods,provenance of designs& craftsmen& even including the beautiful paper it is printed on- I will cherish this book as my favorite of all times and would highly recommend it to any one who loves beautiful furniture and history of Louisiana by way of incredible master craftsmen.----you'll love it and enjoy it I am sure !!
K**L
Great!
This is a great gift for anyone who enjoys woodworking or antique furniture.
M**S
Louisiana Furniture
This sumptuously illustrated book, long awaited and in gestation for more than thirty years, stands tall in the scholarly tradition beginning with Irving Lyon and continuing, to mention only a few, with such luminaries as Jean Palardy, Charles Montgomery, Benno M. Forman and Nancy Goyne Evans. A comprehensive--nearly exhaustive--study of the entire body of traditional menuisiere of the Mississippi Valley once French territory, it is indispensible to the library of every serious student of American furniture and material culture.
N**J
Fabulous book!
This is a well researched and well written book detailing a century of Louisiana furniture from 1735-1835. The many beautiful photographs contained within make this book a must for anyone with a love of antique Louisiana furniture. Very highly recommended!
P**L
Louisiana furniture
I have collected antiques for over 30 years but nothing as unique and beautiful as the pieces meticulously photographed and described in this book. If you like antiques, if you are from Louisiana, if you love and accept the good and the bad of Louisiana history and culture, you should have this book on your coffee table or in your book case. And you should leave it to your children.
J**S
Furniture in Louisiana
Wonderful book!
R**T
Five Stars
Beautiful book full of information.
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