Settee

From the New York workshop of Charles A. Baudouine, this settee reflects the period's interest in historic styles. Here, the settee's design recalls the decorative motifs of the Renaissance era with its elaborately carved masks, shells, scrolls and flowers. The settee was fabricated using one of the most innovative developments in mid-19th-century American furniture manufacture. The frame was formed with laminated pieces of wood that were then carved, a less costly process than constructing a solid wood frame. The settee is from a suite of furniture, including two side chairs and an arm chair. As was popular for parlors of this era, all pieces in the suite would have been upholstered in the same fabric, which was also frequently used for the draperies.