PHILADELPHIA, 1745-1760

Displaying an elaborately shaped skirt, expertly carved shell-and-bellflower ornament and masterful craftsmanship, this dressing table illustrates the work of one of Philadelphia's leading cabinetshops of the mid-eighteenth century. The construction of the front frame, with a separate board placed between the lower central drawer and skirt, is a distinctive feature that may be unique to a single shop working during this era. Based on the work of William MacPherson Hornor, other examples from this shop have traditionally been associated with the cabinetmaker, John Elliott (1713-1791). Among the items supplied by Elliott to Charles Norris in 1756 are a set of chairs with shell designs and knee returns that closely resemble those on a dressing table from this group, which descended in the Hollingsworth-Morris family (see William MacPherson Hornor, Blue Book Philadelphia Furniture (Washington D.C., 1935), p. 133, pls. 66, 68; G.K.S. Bush, Inc., advertisement, The Magazine Antiques (October 1986), p. 569).