Colonial, Pilgrim, and Early American all refer to the first distinct period of American furniture. As one would expect, Jacobean influences from England are incorporated into furniture made in the early days of American settlement.

Design Elements

  • Ornamental carving
  • Inlays including mother of pearl
  • Chunky finials and legs
  • Raised panels
  • Wood turnings
  • Woods tended to be native – fruit, oak, maple, pine, cherry, birch
  • Joints were pegged or mortis and tenon

Examples

Here are a few examples of Colonial/Pilgrim/Early American furniture.   Click on any image to zoom in.

17th century joined armchair   17th century turned armchair   Hadleytype chest   Pilgrim chest   chair table   Hadley chest

 View Member Made Colonial/Pilgrim/Early American pieces from our Gallery >

 

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Bibliography

Furniture of the Pilgrim Century – Wallace Nutting – https://books.google.com/books?id=K3MvAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA182#v=onepage&q&f=false

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turned_chair

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewster_Chair