Circa 1855
America
Rosewood, satin: 40 inches high by 21 inches wide
Campbell House Museum
Descriptive Detail
Upholstered in a soft aqua satin, with ornate embellishment that includes deeply carved floral designs, this Rococo Revival rosewood side chair by John Henry Belter reflects the interest in nature and art that appears in many of the Campbells’ furnishings. The chair with its graceful cabriole legs sits elegantly in the front parlor of the Campbell house, waiting for a fashionably dressed caller to sit and take tea with Mrs. Campbell.
National Historical Comnnections
During the nineteenth century, a man’s home was his castle, a place of comfort and a refuge from the stresses of Industry and the making of money. With all the changes happening in industry and transport which brought a new kind of prosperity to the country, many people chose to show this prosperity in their home. In order to make the home truly a castle and also to reflect the status and wealth of the owner, not only was it important to have an abundance of bric-a-brac and furniture, but the objects had to be the finest. To satisfy the desire, the wealthy often turned to one of the most famous and finest furniture makers of the time, John Henry Belter (1804-1863), a German immigrant.
Besides being known for his Rococo Revival design and fine craftsmanship, Belter had originated a method of laminating rosewood that made possible his unique style of elaborately carved and pierced chairs with concave backs. Keeping his method a secret for many years, Belter finally took out patents 1858. His lamination technique involved layering eight to sixteen thin pieces of wood, each one at cross-grain with the next, to create an extremely strong material. After steaming, molding, and drying, the “shaped” wood was carved with detailed floral designs. Between 1858 and his death in 1863, to insure no one would copy his designs and patterns, he destroyed them. His furniture is in the collections of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
From the 1840s through the 1870s, Rococo Revival was the most popular furniture style in the United States. The cost of Rococo furniture depended on the amount of carving on the piece and on the wood that was used. Rosewood, of course, was the most expensive. This ornate style was perfect for the nineteenth century expression of status and wealth, and it is not surprising that Belter-style furniture is in the Campbell home. Wealth and status meant entertaining lavishly for the enjoyment of friends and family and having a staff of servants to assist—one’s prosperity and taste for the finest in everyday life could be shown off to others.
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