Acanthus leaf.—A classical ornamental form, derived from the acanthus plant.Arabesque.—Intricate interlacing ornament, in the Arabian manner.Arcade.—A series of arches, supported by columns (fig. 10, page59).Aubusson.—A fine quality of hand-made tapestry; originally made at Aubusson, France, used for carpets or upholstery.Baluster.—In architecture, a turned or square upright support for the rail of a balustrade; in furniture, a splat with the outlines of a baluster. (See fig. 22, page106.)Band or banding.—A narrow inlay which contrasts in color or grain with the surface which it is used to embellish.Banister.—Same as "baluster."Baroque.—The style which followed that of the Renaissance; characterized by rectangular outline much softened by use of curves, and exemplified by Louis XIV furniture, and in modified form by that of the late Jacobean and William and Mary styles.Bead or beading.—A small molding, usually of semicircular shape.Beauvais tapestry.—A fine hand-woven tapestry made in Beauvais, France, since 1662, and used for wall panels and furniture coverings.Bombé.—Puffed, rounded, or bulged.Brass.—An alloy of copper and zinc.Broken pediment.—See "pediment."Bronze.—An alloy of copper and zinc.Bun foot.—See "foot."C-scroll.—In the form of the letterC.Cartouche.—An ornamental form based originally upon the open scroll; an oblong, elliptical, or shield-shaped flat panel, used in the decoration of furniture.Caryatid.—A draped female figure, used as a support in place of a column or pilaster.Chamfer.—The surface formed by cutting away the angle formed by two sides of a board.Classic.—As here used, conforming to the style of ancient Greek and Roman art.Collar.—A narrow strap or band, used near the top and (or) bottom of the leg.Court cupboard.—A short cupboard; originally a small cupboard set on a side table, but later built as one piece.Cyma curve.—A double orScurve, as in the cabriole leg.Dado.—The lower part of a wall, when marked off by panel or moldings.Deal.—Scotch fir.Fiddleback.—Having splats shaped something like a violin.Finial.—A terminating or crowning detail.Flemish scroll foot.—See "foot."Fluting.—Decoration by means of flutes or channels, as in a chair leg or dresser post.Foot—Ball.—Globular, and attached to leg by slender ankle.Ball and claw.—Derived from the Chinese and representing a dragon's claw holding the great pearl.Bell.—Bell-shaped, and joined to leg by slender ankle.Bracket.—Used for cabinets, but not for chairs.Bun.—In the form of a flattened ball. See "trumpet-turned leg," under "leg."Dutch.—Another name for "pad foot."Flemish scroll.—See illustration, page62.French.—See illustration, page57.Hoof.—See "cabriole leg with hoof foot," under "leg."Leaf scroll.—See illustration, page16.Pad.—See illustration, pages59,65.Paw.—See illustration, pages59,65.Peg top.—Turned to a point, like a top, and attached to the leg without a sharply defined ankle.Spade.—See illustration, page68.Spanish.—See illustration, page53.Serpent.—Used on tripod tables.Fresco.—In the fine arts, a method of painting on freshly laid plaster before it dries.Fret.—Interlaced ornamental work, carved on flat surfaces or pierced for galleries, chair backs, or aprons.Gallery.—An ornamental railing of wood or metal along the edge of a table, desk, or sideboard.Gesso(pronounced jes-o).—a plaster-like material spread on a surface or moulded into ornamental forms as a base for painting or gilding.Gilding.—An overlay or covering of gold leaf, or of gold powder with size.Girandole.—A very elaborate type of candle holder, used on the walls of late seventeenth and eighteenth century French salons, and usually made in pairs.Highboy.—A tall chest of drawers, mounted on legs.Japanning.—Art of varnishing with japan; see "lacquer."Knee.—The projecting upper curve of a cabriole leg; see "leg."Lacquer.—In period decoration, a varnish, of which the best was produced in Japan by tapping the varnish tree and drying the sap in the air. Pigments were often added for color. In Japanese lacquer work at least 15 coats, separately polished, were applied.Leg.—Cabriole.—Made in many styles. Illustration on pages16,65show an example with hoof foot and carved knee.S-scroll.—See illustration, page62.Trumpet-turned.—Here shown with inverted cup and bun foot. Many variations of this general form include octagonal legs and pear bulb legs.Term.—Many variations of this form, which is here shown in an ornate leg of the style of Louis XIV.Lowboy.—A chest of drawers, usually not more than 4 feet high and standing on four legs.Marquetry.—Inlaid work, usually in colored woods, but occasionally with the addition of ivory, bone, mother-of-pearl, etc. Sometimes differentiated asintarsia, in which the materials are placed in channels gouged out of the surface of the base, andmarquetry, in which the pattern is formed as a veneer and glued to the surface of the base.Mullion.—A slender bar or pier, forming a division between windows, screens, etc.Neoclassic(New classic).—Designating the revival of classic taste in art, and here applied to the second revival after the discovery of Pompeian art early in the eighteenth century.Ormolu.—An alloy of copper and zinc; used in France for the production of furniture mounts, which were usually first cast, then chiseled with jewel-like precision, and gilded.Parquetry.—An inlay of geometric or other patterns for floors, often in colored woods.Patina.—In furniture, the surface appearance assumed by wood, marble, or other materials as the result of long exposure.Pediment.—In classic architecture, the flat triangular space between the roof lines on the end of a building; now often curved, and applied to over-doors, cabinet tops, etc. In the broken pediment the top line is cut away.Pewter.—An alloy of tin with some other metal usually copper, lead, or antimony.Reeding.—Embellishment produced by narrow convex moldings; the reverse of fluting.Rococo.—The general decorative style which developed from and followed the Baroque; characterized by exclusive employment of curved line, avoidance of complete symmetry, and exuberant and fanciful ornament in which shell and scroll forms were freely employed.S-scroll.—A scroll roughly in the form of the letterS, often used for the legs of chairs or cabinets; see "leg."Serpentine.—Sinuous or winding; in furniture, bow-shaped, with the ends straight or bent back like a Cupid's bow.Splat.—A broad, flat upright member in middle of chairback.Splay or splayed.—Spread outward obliquely.Strap-work.—A decorative design consisting of a narrow fillet or band with crossed, folded, or interlaced ornament.Silhouette.—As applied to stretchers or skirts, an ornamental outline or profile.Squab.—A thickly stuffed loose cushion, especially one used for the seat of a sofa, couch, chair, or stool.Swag.—A decoration in wood or metal, resembling festoons or draperies.Truss.—In furniture, a rigid frame, of solid, open, column or arcade construction, used in pairs to support the ends of a piece of furniture, and usually connected by some form of stretcher.Tester.—A canopy over a bed, supported by the bedposts.Trestle.—A braced frame, forming whole support of a table top.
Acanthus leaf.—A classical ornamental form, derived from the acanthus plant.
Arabesque.—Intricate interlacing ornament, in the Arabian manner.
Arcade.—A series of arches, supported by columns (fig. 10, page59).
Aubusson.—A fine quality of hand-made tapestry; originally made at Aubusson, France, used for carpets or upholstery.
Baluster.—In architecture, a turned or square upright support for the rail of a balustrade; in furniture, a splat with the outlines of a baluster. (See fig. 22, page106.)
Band or banding.—A narrow inlay which contrasts in color or grain with the surface which it is used to embellish.
Banister.—Same as "baluster."
Baroque.—The style which followed that of the Renaissance; characterized by rectangular outline much softened by use of curves, and exemplified by Louis XIV furniture, and in modified form by that of the late Jacobean and William and Mary styles.
Bead or beading.—A small molding, usually of semicircular shape.
Beauvais tapestry.—A fine hand-woven tapestry made in Beauvais, France, since 1662, and used for wall panels and furniture coverings.
Bombé.—Puffed, rounded, or bulged.
Brass.—An alloy of copper and zinc.
Broken pediment.—See "pediment."
Bronze.—An alloy of copper and zinc.
Bun foot.—See "foot."
C-scroll.—In the form of the letterC.
Cartouche.—An ornamental form based originally upon the open scroll; an oblong, elliptical, or shield-shaped flat panel, used in the decoration of furniture.
Caryatid.—A draped female figure, used as a support in place of a column or pilaster.
Chamfer.—The surface formed by cutting away the angle formed by two sides of a board.
Classic.—As here used, conforming to the style of ancient Greek and Roman art.
Collar.—A narrow strap or band, used near the top and (or) bottom of the leg.
Court cupboard.—A short cupboard; originally a small cupboard set on a side table, but later built as one piece.
Cyma curve.—A double orScurve, as in the cabriole leg.
Dado.—The lower part of a wall, when marked off by panel or moldings.
Deal.—Scotch fir.
Fiddleback.—Having splats shaped something like a violin.
Finial.—A terminating or crowning detail.
Flemish scroll foot.—See "foot."
Fluting.—Decoration by means of flutes or channels, as in a chair leg or dresser post.
Foot—
Ball.—Globular, and attached to leg by slender ankle.Ball and claw.—Derived from the Chinese and representing a dragon's claw holding the great pearl.Bell.—Bell-shaped, and joined to leg by slender ankle.Bracket.—Used for cabinets, but not for chairs.Bun.—In the form of a flattened ball. See "trumpet-turned leg," under "leg."Dutch.—Another name for "pad foot."Flemish scroll.—See illustration, page62.French.—See illustration, page57.Hoof.—See "cabriole leg with hoof foot," under "leg."Leaf scroll.—See illustration, page16.Pad.—See illustration, pages59,65.Paw.—See illustration, pages59,65.Peg top.—Turned to a point, like a top, and attached to the leg without a sharply defined ankle.Spade.—See illustration, page68.Spanish.—See illustration, page53.Serpent.—Used on tripod tables.
Ball.—Globular, and attached to leg by slender ankle.
Ball and claw.—Derived from the Chinese and representing a dragon's claw holding the great pearl.
Bell.—Bell-shaped, and joined to leg by slender ankle.
Bracket.—Used for cabinets, but not for chairs.
Bun.—In the form of a flattened ball. See "trumpet-turned leg," under "leg."
Dutch.—Another name for "pad foot."
Flemish scroll.—See illustration, page62.
French.—See illustration, page57.
Hoof.—See "cabriole leg with hoof foot," under "leg."
Leaf scroll.—See illustration, page16.
Pad.—See illustration, pages59,65.
Paw.—See illustration, pages59,65.
Peg top.—Turned to a point, like a top, and attached to the leg without a sharply defined ankle.
Spade.—See illustration, page68.
Spanish.—See illustration, page53.
Serpent.—Used on tripod tables.
Fresco.—In the fine arts, a method of painting on freshly laid plaster before it dries.
Fret.—Interlaced ornamental work, carved on flat surfaces or pierced for galleries, chair backs, or aprons.
Gallery.—An ornamental railing of wood or metal along the edge of a table, desk, or sideboard.
Gesso(pronounced jes-o).—a plaster-like material spread on a surface or moulded into ornamental forms as a base for painting or gilding.
Gilding.—An overlay or covering of gold leaf, or of gold powder with size.
Girandole.—A very elaborate type of candle holder, used on the walls of late seventeenth and eighteenth century French salons, and usually made in pairs.
Highboy.—A tall chest of drawers, mounted on legs.
Japanning.—Art of varnishing with japan; see "lacquer."
Knee.—The projecting upper curve of a cabriole leg; see "leg."
Lacquer.—In period decoration, a varnish, of which the best was produced in Japan by tapping the varnish tree and drying the sap in the air. Pigments were often added for color. In Japanese lacquer work at least 15 coats, separately polished, were applied.
Leg.—
Cabriole.—Made in many styles. Illustration on pages16,65show an example with hoof foot and carved knee.S-scroll.—See illustration, page62.Trumpet-turned.—Here shown with inverted cup and bun foot. Many variations of this general form include octagonal legs and pear bulb legs.Term.—Many variations of this form, which is here shown in an ornate leg of the style of Louis XIV.
Cabriole.—Made in many styles. Illustration on pages16,65show an example with hoof foot and carved knee.
S-scroll.—See illustration, page62.
Trumpet-turned.—Here shown with inverted cup and bun foot. Many variations of this general form include octagonal legs and pear bulb legs.
Term.—Many variations of this form, which is here shown in an ornate leg of the style of Louis XIV.
Lowboy.—A chest of drawers, usually not more than 4 feet high and standing on four legs.
Marquetry.—Inlaid work, usually in colored woods, but occasionally with the addition of ivory, bone, mother-of-pearl, etc. Sometimes differentiated asintarsia, in which the materials are placed in channels gouged out of the surface of the base, andmarquetry, in which the pattern is formed as a veneer and glued to the surface of the base.
Mullion.—A slender bar or pier, forming a division between windows, screens, etc.
Neoclassic(New classic).—Designating the revival of classic taste in art, and here applied to the second revival after the discovery of Pompeian art early in the eighteenth century.
Ormolu.—An alloy of copper and zinc; used in France for the production of furniture mounts, which were usually first cast, then chiseled with jewel-like precision, and gilded.
Parquetry.—An inlay of geometric or other patterns for floors, often in colored woods.
Patina.—In furniture, the surface appearance assumed by wood, marble, or other materials as the result of long exposure.
Pediment.—In classic architecture, the flat triangular space between the roof lines on the end of a building; now often curved, and applied to over-doors, cabinet tops, etc. In the broken pediment the top line is cut away.
Pewter.—An alloy of tin with some other metal usually copper, lead, or antimony.
Reeding.—Embellishment produced by narrow convex moldings; the reverse of fluting.
Rococo.—The general decorative style which developed from and followed the Baroque; characterized by exclusive employment of curved line, avoidance of complete symmetry, and exuberant and fanciful ornament in which shell and scroll forms were freely employed.
S-scroll.—A scroll roughly in the form of the letterS, often used for the legs of chairs or cabinets; see "leg."
Serpentine.—Sinuous or winding; in furniture, bow-shaped, with the ends straight or bent back like a Cupid's bow.
Splat.—A broad, flat upright member in middle of chairback.
Splay or splayed.—Spread outward obliquely.
Strap-work.—A decorative design consisting of a narrow fillet or band with crossed, folded, or interlaced ornament.
Silhouette.—As applied to stretchers or skirts, an ornamental outline or profile.
Squab.—A thickly stuffed loose cushion, especially one used for the seat of a sofa, couch, chair, or stool.
Swag.—A decoration in wood or metal, resembling festoons or draperies.
Truss.—In furniture, a rigid frame, of solid, open, column or arcade construction, used in pairs to support the ends of a piece of furniture, and usually connected by some form of stretcher.
Tester.—A canopy over a bed, supported by the bedposts.
Trestle.—A braced frame, forming whole support of a table top.
In order to avoid confusion, this list is restricted to a few books which are adequate for our present purpose, and usually are to be found in every public library. Books dealing with materials, construction, and special aspects of home-furnishing practice, and with salesmanship and merchandising principles are listed for suggested reading at the end of each unit.
The new Encyclopedia Britannica (14th edition) contains an astounding wealth of well written and beautifully illustrated material very useful to the salesman.
Crane, Ross.Interior Decoration. A Study Course for Furniture Men.The Seng Co., 1430 No. Dayton Street, Chicago, Ill., 1928.Eberlein, Harold.Practical Book of Interior Decoration.J. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia, Pa. 1937.Kelsey, Clark.Furniture: Its Selection and Use.National Committee on Wood Utilization, United States Department of Commerce. Superintendent of Documents, United States Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C. 1931.Muselwhite, Katherine.Principles and Practice of Interior Decoration.Suttonhouse, Ltd., Publishers, Los Angeles, Calif.Palmer, Lois.Your House.Boston Cooking School Magazine Co. 1928.Post, Emily Price.Personality of a House.Funk & Wagnalls Co., New York, N. Y. 1933.Powell, Lydia.The Attractive Home.Macmillan Co., New York, N. Y. 1939.Reyburn, Samuel W.Selling Home Furnishings Successfully.Prentice-Hall, Inc., New York, N. Y.Whiton, Sherrill.Elements of Interior Decoration.J. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia, Pa. 1937.
Crane, Ross.Interior Decoration. A Study Course for Furniture Men.The Seng Co., 1430 No. Dayton Street, Chicago, Ill., 1928.
Eberlein, Harold.Practical Book of Interior Decoration.J. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia, Pa. 1937.
Kelsey, Clark.Furniture: Its Selection and Use.National Committee on Wood Utilization, United States Department of Commerce. Superintendent of Documents, United States Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C. 1931.
Muselwhite, Katherine.Principles and Practice of Interior Decoration.Suttonhouse, Ltd., Publishers, Los Angeles, Calif.
Palmer, Lois.Your House.Boston Cooking School Magazine Co. 1928.
Post, Emily Price.Personality of a House.Funk & Wagnalls Co., New York, N. Y. 1933.
Powell, Lydia.The Attractive Home.Macmillan Co., New York, N. Y. 1939.
Reyburn, Samuel W.Selling Home Furnishings Successfully.Prentice-Hall, Inc., New York, N. Y.
Whiton, Sherrill.Elements of Interior Decoration.J. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia, Pa. 1937.
Burris-Meyer, Elizabeth.Decorating Livable Homes.Prentice-Hall, Inc., New York, N. Y. 1937.Burrows, Thelma.Successful House Furnishing.Manual Arts Press, Peoria, Ill. 1938.Knauff, Carl G. B.Refurbishing The Home.McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc. New York, N. Y. 1938.Koues, Helen.How To Be Your Own Decorator.Tudor Publishing Co., Inc., New York, N. Y. 1939.Maas, Carl.Common Sense In Home Decoration.Greenberg Publishing Co., New York, N. Y. 1938.Merivale, Margaret.Furnishing The Small Home.Studio Publications, London, n. d.Miller, Gladys.Decoratively Speaking.Doubleday, Doran & Co., New York, N. Y. 1939.Storey, Walter.Period Influences in Interior Decoration.Harper & Bros., New York, N. Y. 1937.
Burris-Meyer, Elizabeth.Decorating Livable Homes.Prentice-Hall, Inc., New York, N. Y. 1937.
Burrows, Thelma.Successful House Furnishing.Manual Arts Press, Peoria, Ill. 1938.
Knauff, Carl G. B.Refurbishing The Home.McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc. New York, N. Y. 1938.
Koues, Helen.How To Be Your Own Decorator.Tudor Publishing Co., Inc., New York, N. Y. 1939.
Maas, Carl.Common Sense In Home Decoration.Greenberg Publishing Co., New York, N. Y. 1938.
Merivale, Margaret.Furnishing The Small Home.Studio Publications, London, n. d.
Miller, Gladys.Decoratively Speaking.Doubleday, Doran & Co., New York, N. Y. 1939.
Storey, Walter.Period Influences in Interior Decoration.Harper & Bros., New York, N. Y. 1937.
Aronson, Joseph.Book of Furniture and Decoration.Crown Publishers, New York, N. Y. 1937.Aronson, Joseph.Encyclopedia of Furniture.Crown Publishers, New York, N. Y. 1939.Holloway, Edward.Practical Book of American Furniture and Decoration.J. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia, Pa. 1937.Kimerly, W. L.How To Know Period Styles in Furniture.Grand Rapids Furniture Record Co. 1912.Ormsbee, Thomas.Early American Furniture Makers.Tudor Publishing Co., New York, N. Y. 1930.Metropolitan Museum of Art,Handbook of the American Wing. R. T. H. Halsey-Charles O. Cornelius. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, N. Y. 1928.
Aronson, Joseph.Book of Furniture and Decoration.Crown Publishers, New York, N. Y. 1937.
Aronson, Joseph.Encyclopedia of Furniture.Crown Publishers, New York, N. Y. 1939.
Holloway, Edward.Practical Book of American Furniture and Decoration.J. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia, Pa. 1937.
Kimerly, W. L.How To Know Period Styles in Furniture.Grand Rapids Furniture Record Co. 1912.
Ormsbee, Thomas.Early American Furniture Makers.Tudor Publishing Co., New York, N. Y. 1930.
Metropolitan Museum of Art,Handbook of the American Wing. R. T. H. Halsey-Charles O. Cornelius. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, N. Y. 1928.
Draper, Dorothy Tuckerman.Decorating Is Fun.Doubleday, Doran & Co., Inc., New York, N. Y. 1939.Frankl, Paul.Space For Living.Doubleday, Doran & Co., Inc., New York, N. Y. 1938.Patmore, Derek.Color Schemes for the Modern Home.Studio Publications, London. 1936.----.Decoration for the Small Home.G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, N. Y. 1938.Yearbook of Decorative Art.Studio Publications. 1938.
Draper, Dorothy Tuckerman.Decorating Is Fun.Doubleday, Doran & Co., Inc., New York, N. Y. 1939.
Frankl, Paul.Space For Living.Doubleday, Doran & Co., Inc., New York, N. Y. 1938.
Patmore, Derek.Color Schemes for the Modern Home.Studio Publications, London. 1936.
----.Decoration for the Small Home.G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, N. Y. 1938.
Yearbook of Decorative Art.Studio Publications. 1938.
Unit IV contains much more material than can be discussed at one meeting. The group leader must be selective and decide which points are to be developed at the group meeting. Two programs are suggested.
1.Opening remarks by the group leader(5 minutes):
a.No matter what kind of furniture we stock and sell, we first must have a working knowledge of the historic styles.b.This unit contains condensed information on period decoration. You will not need to learn all these details thoroughly—at least not at once. Take the unit home and read it carefully.c.After this reading, think over your own stock and decide just what parts of the description of period furniture will be most useful to pick out and study in detail.
a.No matter what kind of furniture we stock and sell, we first must have a working knowledge of the historic styles.
b.This unit contains condensed information on period decoration. You will not need to learn all these details thoroughly—at least not at once. Take the unit home and read it carefully.
c.After this reading, think over your own stock and decide just what parts of the description of period furniture will be most useful to pick out and study in detail.
2."High-lighting" a furniture sales talk(35 minutes):
a.A series of talks made by various salesmen and limited to 5 minutes each. Have five or six articles, furniture and rugs, grouped in front of the class and assign one piece to each man after he gets on his feet. Stress the style appeal of the piece under discussion.b.Permit a minute or two for criticism after each talk and criticize them solely as to their probable effect in influencing a buyer.
a.A series of talks made by various salesmen and limited to 5 minutes each. Have five or six articles, furniture and rugs, grouped in front of the class and assign one piece to each man after he gets on his feet. Stress the style appeal of the piece under discussion.
b.Permit a minute or two for criticism after each talk and criticize them solely as to their probable effect in influencing a buyer.
3.A Colonial bedroom(15 minutes):
Demonstration by Mr. Williams will cover all the elements of a good selling talk—fitness, room arrangement, color appeal, beauty of design, style (with emphasis upon sentimental appeal and present vogue) and price. The demonstration should be criticized on the basis of its smoothness and cumulative effect, or "build-up."
Demonstration by Mr. Williams will cover all the elements of a good selling talk—fitness, room arrangement, color appeal, beauty of design, style (with emphasis upon sentimental appeal and present vogue) and price. The demonstration should be criticized on the basis of its smoothness and cumulative effect, or "build-up."
Intermission
4.Is our merchandise properly styled for our own trade?(25 minutes):
Designed to put the buyer on the defensive, and to develop through frank discussion any need for changes in the character of the merchandise from the point of view of design and price only. You are trying to build up a business-getting machine, with no friction, dissatisfaction, or mental alibis. The idea that a salesman can sell anything to anybody will have to be discarded.
Designed to put the buyer on the defensive, and to develop through frank discussion any need for changes in the character of the merchandise from the point of view of design and price only. You are trying to build up a business-getting machine, with no friction, dissatisfaction, or mental alibis. The idea that a salesman can sell anything to anybody will have to be discarded.
5.Promotion plans for this season's business(15 minutes):
By some owner or by the chairman; a brief, candid statement of plans for buying display, advertising, and all forms of promotion and sales effort. Good to insure enthusiastic teamwork and to build up loyalty.
By some owner or by the chairman; a brief, candid statement of plans for buying display, advertising, and all forms of promotion and sales effort. Good to insure enthusiastic teamwork and to build up loyalty.
6.Personal experiences(10 minutes):
The chairman will draw upon the selling experiences of individual members of the group.
The chairman will draw upon the selling experiences of individual members of the group.
1.Opening remarks by the group leader(5 minutes):
a.We can make the best start, with least likelihood of resistance, by helping the customer to find articles that suit her needs, tastes, and means, and add to the comfort, harmony, and beauty of her home.b.Style in furniture doesn't stop with the historic styles, but it does start there, and if we are going to make profitable use of style as a selling factor we must first know how our own merchandise is styled.
a.We can make the best start, with least likelihood of resistance, by helping the customer to find articles that suit her needs, tastes, and means, and add to the comfort, harmony, and beauty of her home.
b.Style in furniture doesn't stop with the historic styles, but it does start there, and if we are going to make profitable use of style as a selling factor we must first know how our own merchandise is styled.
2.Styling our own stock(50 minutes):
a.Early European styles. Mr. Stark (15 minutes).b.Eighteenth century European styles. Mr. Pearson (20 minutes).c.American styles. Mr. Hahn (15 minutes).Go in a body directly to the nearest piece to be shown, and move on the minute that this piece has been adequately discussed. See to it that the men give a brief, orderly statement on three points: (1) The style with which they identify the piece; (2) reasons for the classification; and (3) types of non-period pieces, rugs, etc., in your own stock that could be used harmoniously with it. Time should be allowed for criticism and comment, even if very few pieces can be examined. If the group fails to arrive at general agreement on any piece, request the men who are arguing most keenly about it to consult other authorities and report at the next meeting.
a.Early European styles. Mr. Stark (15 minutes).
b.Eighteenth century European styles. Mr. Pearson (20 minutes).
c.American styles. Mr. Hahn (15 minutes).
Go in a body directly to the nearest piece to be shown, and move on the minute that this piece has been adequately discussed. See to it that the men give a brief, orderly statement on three points: (1) The style with which they identify the piece; (2) reasons for the classification; and (3) types of non-period pieces, rugs, etc., in your own stock that could be used harmoniously with it. Time should be allowed for criticism and comment, even if very few pieces can be examined. If the group fails to arrive at general agreement on any piece, request the men who are arguing most keenly about it to consult other authorities and report at the next meeting.
Intermission
3.Selling furniture on style basis(30 minutes):
Demonstration by Messrs. Black and Herrick. In this demonstration, let the men have 15 minutes free from interruption, with the time limit announced in advance; stop them promptly when their time has expired; and call for comment and criticism. These sales rehearsals are of the utmost value if properly conducted. They should never be permitted to lag or become involved in windy discussion.
Demonstration by Messrs. Black and Herrick. In this demonstration, let the men have 15 minutes free from interruption, with the time limit announced in advance; stop them promptly when their time has expired; and call for comment and criticism. These sales rehearsals are of the utmost value if properly conducted. They should never be permitted to lag or become involved in windy discussion.
4.How can we make use of unit III in closing any sales now pending? Open discussion(20 minutes):
A sale of importance often has to be as carefully prepared and staged as a stage play. If the style appeal can be used to advantage in sales hanging fire or in sight, use the brains of the entire organization to find out how to do it.
A sale of importance often has to be as carefully prepared and staged as a stage play. If the style appeal can be used to advantage in sales hanging fire or in sight, use the brains of the entire organization to find out how to do it.
As an alternative procedure to that suggested in 4 above, the following may be preferred by some group leaders:
Appoint three style leaders, or divide the entire force into three style committees, to deal respectively with(a)the early European styles, from the Renaissance to William and Mary;(b)the eighteenth century European styles; and(c)the American styles. These leaders or committees should be instructed to go through the stock, assign as many pieces as possible to the various historic periods, and be prepared to give the reasons for these assignments to the whole group. In a large stock, limit the assignment to living room furniture only.
Appoint three style leaders, or divide the entire force into three style committees, to deal respectively with(a)the early European styles, from the Renaissance to William and Mary;(b)the eighteenth century European styles; and(c)the American styles. These leaders or committees should be instructed to go through the stock, assign as many pieces as possible to the various historic periods, and be prepared to give the reasons for these assignments to the whole group. In a large stock, limit the assignment to living room furniture only.
5.Assignment of practice work(5 minutes):
Typed forms prepared about as follows should be distributed at this time:
Typed forms prepared about as follows should be distributed at this time:
Historic style_____________ Name of salesman________________________Approximate dates of beginning and end______________________________Reigning monarch____________________________________________________Principal characteristics of the style__________________________________________________________________________________________________Details of construction, ornament, and decorative practice__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Other styles more or less closely related to this one___________________________________________________________________________________Pieces in our own stock which can be assigned to this style. Give number,article, and finish_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Criticism and comment by Mr. (Name of second salesman to be filledin later)_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Historic style_____________ Name of salesman________________________
Approximate dates of beginning and end______________________________
Reigning monarch____________________________________________________
Principal characteristics of the style__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Details of construction, ornament, and decorative practice__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Other styles more or less closely related to this one___________________________________________________________________________________
Pieces in our own stock which can be assigned to this style. Give number,article, and finish_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Fill in one of these sheets with a different style for each salesman. Choose only the styles important for your own business. Hand these forms out with the request that they be filled in after careful study.
Fill in one of these sheets with a different style for each salesman. Choose only the styles important for your own business. Hand these forms out with the request that they be filled in after careful study.
Acacia.—Africa, Australia, and generally throughout the warmer regions of the globe. The 550 species of acacia include several valuable timber woods, among them the Australian blackwood and acacia koa (see Koa) of the Sandwich Islands. Acacia was used as a furniture wood in the Byzantine and Romanesque styles more than 1,200 years ago.Amaranth.—Chiefly from British Guiana, South America. Also known as purpleheart tree and violet wood. It is of fair size; wood heavy, hard, and of a deep purple color not fast to light; used in marquetry embellishment of Louis XV furniture, and still popular in fine furniture.Amboyna.—East Indies, Malay Archipelago. (Also spelled Amboina, from the island of that name, Dutch East Indies.) This beautifully figured and mottled wood has much the color of satinwood. Amboyna burl, so-called, comes from the padouk tree. (See Padouk.) It is a rich golden yellow, shot with brilliant red, and is one of the most costly woods in the world.Apple.—The fruit wood, used in Elizabethan England and since, as an inlay.Ash.—Europe, Asia, and North America. A large, widely distributed group related to the olive family. There are 20 species in North America, ranging from desert shrubs to the magnificent white ash of the lower Ohio valley. The wood is markedly ring-porous, and when skillfully finished is very handsome, either plain or quarter-sawed. Varieties commonly used for veneer are figured trees of American white ash, English, Australian, and Japanese ash, the latter known as "tamo." Color ranges from grayish white to nut brown in tamo; a small fiddle or peanut figure is characteristic.Aspen.—Chiefly from Maryland and the Appalachian Mountains. (Also known as silver poplar.) Large trees, yielding some figured logs having a characteristic small block mottle figure. The wood is of light-straw color with some light-brown streaks, and takes a beautiful finish.Avodire.—West coast of Africa, near the equator. A creamy colored wood, yielding a handsome figure in crotch or quarter-sliced veneers.Ayous.—West coast of Africa. Cream-colored wood of a slight greenish tinge; resembles prima vera in appearance, and because of its low cost is sometimes used as a substitute for blond woods.Basswood.—North America. (Also known as linden and whitewood.) This tree, which belongs to the lime family, has a wood of cream-white color, almost free from visible markings due to pores, annual rings, or rays. In furniture manufacture it is used for plywood cores and kitchen table tops to be left unfinished.Beech.—Europe, Asia Minor, and eastern North America. Of the same genus as the oak and the chestnut, this tree yields furniture wood of light reddish-brown color. It has about the same weight and hardness as sugar maple.Birch.—North America, Europe, Asia Minor, and northern Siberia. A hardy, beautiful tree, yielding a hard and handsome wood, whether in plain or quarter-sawed surfaces, or in the form of veneers. The wood is of close texture; often has a wavy grain, producing what is known as curly birch, noted for wavy figure of changing high lights and shadows.Bosse.—Africa, French Ivory Coast. This large tree, closely resembling the cedar, has a wood light red or pink in color, which takes an excellent finish. It is used in America only as a veneer.Boxwood.—Europe, North America, and the West Indies. An extremely heavy, tough, close-grained wood, white or pale yellow in color, used in making musical instruments and also in furniture inlay.Bubinga.—West coast of Africa. Closely related to the rosewood, and its equal in weight, hardness, and capacity to take a high polish. The wood is slightly darker than mahogany. The veneer is usually striped, but sometimes figured, with a gorgeous black mottle. (See Kewazingo.)Butternut.—North Central United States. (Also known as white walnut.) This relatively small tree has a short trunk which makes it difficult to get veneer logs of good length and free from knots.Cedar.—Asia, Africa, and North America. The cedar of Lebanon has been a favorite with poets and painters for thousands of years. Other famous members of this family are the deodar or "god tree" of the Himalayas, and the thuya. Among the American varieties are the incense or white cedar, the Port Oxford or Oregon cedar, and the red or American cedar. Cedar was used as a furniture wood in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Persia almost 4,000 years ago.Cherry.—Europe and North America. This fruit wood is now rare and little used in furniture making but it is highly valued by cabinet makers by reason of its handsome fine-grained texture, its freedom from warping, and its capacity to take a high polish.Chestnut.—Europe and North America. The wood is closely allied to that of the oak, which it resembles in general appearance, though it is softer and the medullary rays are finer and less pronounced. Ideal for lumber cores of hardwood plywood. Decay resistant; easily glued and easy to work. The blight in no way subtracts from the quality of the wood, but it has decreased the amount now available.Cypress.—Europe, Asia, and North America. The common cypress is straight, tapering, and stately, but dark and forbidding in appearance. The wood is hard, close-grained, of a rich reddish hue and durable. A veneer of cypress stumps, with a highly intricate grain, is used in furniture making under the name offaux satine, or false satin.Deal.—Scotland. The Scotch fir, used to some extent in Elizabethan England and later as a furniture wood.Ebony.—India, East Indies, and Ceylon. Accurately, the black, heavy heartwood of a genus of tropical trees. According to legend the wood was used by the ancient kings of India not only for scepters and images, but also as drinking cups. Macassar ebony, so named from Macassar, seaport of the island of Celebes, Dutch East Indies, is notable for its close grain, intense hardness and rich hazel brown color, striped or mottled with black. It is much used in this country, where it is often known as "marblewood."Elm.—Europe, Asia, and North America. A noble and beautiful tree, widely distributed in the north temperate zone. In this country white elm is chiefly important for furniture, with some use of rock elm and slippery elm. The wood is hard, ranging in color from reddish brown at the heart to white sap wood, and has a fine wavelike grain when plain sawed. The richly figured leather-brown burl veneers made from trunk burls of elms from the Carpathian mountains, in central Europe, are among the costliest of cabinet woods.Goncalo alves.—Brazil. A hard and beautiful wood, closely related to rosewood. It has a rosy straw color, streaked with dark brown and black; is both sawed and sliced on the quarter, and is used for the same purposes as Macassar ebony.Greywood or Silver Greywood.—See Harewood.Gum.—United States. The term gum tree is applied to several unrelated gum-bearing trees in the United States, of which the wood of the red gum is chiefly used for furniture. It has a close grain, uniform texture, white sapwood, and reddish brown heartwood, the latter sometimes containing dark streaks, and known in the trade as figured gum. Tupelo gum and black gum have almost the same texture as red gum, but are white or warm gray in color. Gumwood was formerly called satin walnut in this country and still bears that name in England. Red gum is one of the most widely used hardwoods for plywood and ranks second among native hardwoods in production of face veneers and first in production of utility or commercial veneers. The sap wood is commonly called "sap gum."Harewood(artificial).—England and the Continent. Harewood, a West Indies wood now practically extinct, was much used by eighteenth century cabinet makers. Artificial harewood, also known as silver grey-wood, is made from carefully chosen English curly maple, known there as sycamore. The logs are first cut into planks and air-dried for three months; then cut into veneer and dyed with iron salts in huge tanks under pressure, which produces a beautiful silver grey wood with a slightly metallic sheen. It is one of the most costly veneers.Holly.—England. English white holly has been used since the time of Elizabeth for inlays. The thin veneers, having an exceptionally close texture, can be dyed to various colors. It is similar in appearance and use to boxwood, but less expensive.Iroko.—Africa. Though not of the teak family, this wood is called African teak. It is hard, firm, of the color of a ripe cucumber, and in veneers has a waxy figure.Kewazingo.—Africa. A veneer made in France from a species of bubinga, and cut in a peculiar way to a wavy figure. It is used as a decorative as well as a base wood in tables and case goods.Khaya.—Africa. (African mahogany.) See Mahogany.Koa.—Hawaiian Islands. Belonging to the acacia family, the koa is the most valuable Hawaiian tree. Its beautiful wood is of golden color, sometimes streaked with black or brown. Most logs have some figure and many have a pronounced ripple grain in veneers.Kingwood.—British Guiana, South America. A heavy wood, related to the rosewood, and sometimes called violet wood because of its color. It is chiefly used in the form of veneers sawed from small logs, about the size of fence posts.Koko.—Andaman Islands, East Indies. The East India walnut; has a hard, smooth texture similar to koa; not much figure, but a narrow prominent stripe when quartered; nut brown color.Lacewood.—Australia. (Also known as silky or Australian oak or selano.) This wood of a light, rosy color has pronounced medullary rays, and when quartered yields a beautiful effect of grain strikingly similar to that of coarse lace.Lauaan.—Philippine Islands. (Pronounced la-wan', with both a's as in "arm".) A tall tree native to the Philippines, the wood of which bears a marked resemblance to mahogany. Formerly marketed as "Philippine mahogany," and now as red lauaan.Laurelwood.—Andaman Islands, East Indies. Related to koko, and one of the finest timbers of the East. Laurelwood is a highly figured wood, gray with black stripes, and with a wavy grain.Lime.—Europe. (Also known as linden, the North American variety is basswood.) A soft, white wood, extraordinarily well adapted for carving in high relief or in the round.Macassar.—See Ebony. (Often, and properly, spelled Makassar.) Makassar oil, originally produced from the sandalwood of Makassar, was so much used as a hair dressing in Victorian England that it gave rise to the use of antimacassars or "tidies," as a protection to upholstered chair backs.Magnolia.—Southeast United States. Also species are found in Japan, China, the Himalayas. The wood is fine-grained, fairly hard, white at the sap and of a pale yellowish or greenish tinge at the heart.Mahogany.—A fine cabinet wood, is noted for variety and beauty of figure or pattern of the grain of the wood. Widely used for veneers and lumber of extreme dimensions and freedom from defect. Used for traditional furniture styles such as Chippendale, Hepplewhite, Sheraton, and Duncan Phyfe, and desirable for modern styles either in traditional or the lighter finishes.[32]
Acacia.—Africa, Australia, and generally throughout the warmer regions of the globe. The 550 species of acacia include several valuable timber woods, among them the Australian blackwood and acacia koa (see Koa) of the Sandwich Islands. Acacia was used as a furniture wood in the Byzantine and Romanesque styles more than 1,200 years ago.
Amaranth.—Chiefly from British Guiana, South America. Also known as purpleheart tree and violet wood. It is of fair size; wood heavy, hard, and of a deep purple color not fast to light; used in marquetry embellishment of Louis XV furniture, and still popular in fine furniture.
Amboyna.—East Indies, Malay Archipelago. (Also spelled Amboina, from the island of that name, Dutch East Indies.) This beautifully figured and mottled wood has much the color of satinwood. Amboyna burl, so-called, comes from the padouk tree. (See Padouk.) It is a rich golden yellow, shot with brilliant red, and is one of the most costly woods in the world.
Apple.—The fruit wood, used in Elizabethan England and since, as an inlay.
Ash.—Europe, Asia, and North America. A large, widely distributed group related to the olive family. There are 20 species in North America, ranging from desert shrubs to the magnificent white ash of the lower Ohio valley. The wood is markedly ring-porous, and when skillfully finished is very handsome, either plain or quarter-sawed. Varieties commonly used for veneer are figured trees of American white ash, English, Australian, and Japanese ash, the latter known as "tamo." Color ranges from grayish white to nut brown in tamo; a small fiddle or peanut figure is characteristic.
Aspen.—Chiefly from Maryland and the Appalachian Mountains. (Also known as silver poplar.) Large trees, yielding some figured logs having a characteristic small block mottle figure. The wood is of light-straw color with some light-brown streaks, and takes a beautiful finish.
Avodire.—West coast of Africa, near the equator. A creamy colored wood, yielding a handsome figure in crotch or quarter-sliced veneers.
Ayous.—West coast of Africa. Cream-colored wood of a slight greenish tinge; resembles prima vera in appearance, and because of its low cost is sometimes used as a substitute for blond woods.
Basswood.—North America. (Also known as linden and whitewood.) This tree, which belongs to the lime family, has a wood of cream-white color, almost free from visible markings due to pores, annual rings, or rays. In furniture manufacture it is used for plywood cores and kitchen table tops to be left unfinished.
Beech.—Europe, Asia Minor, and eastern North America. Of the same genus as the oak and the chestnut, this tree yields furniture wood of light reddish-brown color. It has about the same weight and hardness as sugar maple.
Birch.—North America, Europe, Asia Minor, and northern Siberia. A hardy, beautiful tree, yielding a hard and handsome wood, whether in plain or quarter-sawed surfaces, or in the form of veneers. The wood is of close texture; often has a wavy grain, producing what is known as curly birch, noted for wavy figure of changing high lights and shadows.
Bosse.—Africa, French Ivory Coast. This large tree, closely resembling the cedar, has a wood light red or pink in color, which takes an excellent finish. It is used in America only as a veneer.
Boxwood.—Europe, North America, and the West Indies. An extremely heavy, tough, close-grained wood, white or pale yellow in color, used in making musical instruments and also in furniture inlay.
Bubinga.—West coast of Africa. Closely related to the rosewood, and its equal in weight, hardness, and capacity to take a high polish. The wood is slightly darker than mahogany. The veneer is usually striped, but sometimes figured, with a gorgeous black mottle. (See Kewazingo.)
Butternut.—North Central United States. (Also known as white walnut.) This relatively small tree has a short trunk which makes it difficult to get veneer logs of good length and free from knots.
Cedar.—Asia, Africa, and North America. The cedar of Lebanon has been a favorite with poets and painters for thousands of years. Other famous members of this family are the deodar or "god tree" of the Himalayas, and the thuya. Among the American varieties are the incense or white cedar, the Port Oxford or Oregon cedar, and the red or American cedar. Cedar was used as a furniture wood in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Persia almost 4,000 years ago.
Cherry.—Europe and North America. This fruit wood is now rare and little used in furniture making but it is highly valued by cabinet makers by reason of its handsome fine-grained texture, its freedom from warping, and its capacity to take a high polish.
Chestnut.—Europe and North America. The wood is closely allied to that of the oak, which it resembles in general appearance, though it is softer and the medullary rays are finer and less pronounced. Ideal for lumber cores of hardwood plywood. Decay resistant; easily glued and easy to work. The blight in no way subtracts from the quality of the wood, but it has decreased the amount now available.
Cypress.—Europe, Asia, and North America. The common cypress is straight, tapering, and stately, but dark and forbidding in appearance. The wood is hard, close-grained, of a rich reddish hue and durable. A veneer of cypress stumps, with a highly intricate grain, is used in furniture making under the name offaux satine, or false satin.
Deal.—Scotland. The Scotch fir, used to some extent in Elizabethan England and later as a furniture wood.
Ebony.—India, East Indies, and Ceylon. Accurately, the black, heavy heartwood of a genus of tropical trees. According to legend the wood was used by the ancient kings of India not only for scepters and images, but also as drinking cups. Macassar ebony, so named from Macassar, seaport of the island of Celebes, Dutch East Indies, is notable for its close grain, intense hardness and rich hazel brown color, striped or mottled with black. It is much used in this country, where it is often known as "marblewood."
Elm.—Europe, Asia, and North America. A noble and beautiful tree, widely distributed in the north temperate zone. In this country white elm is chiefly important for furniture, with some use of rock elm and slippery elm. The wood is hard, ranging in color from reddish brown at the heart to white sap wood, and has a fine wavelike grain when plain sawed. The richly figured leather-brown burl veneers made from trunk burls of elms from the Carpathian mountains, in central Europe, are among the costliest of cabinet woods.
Goncalo alves.—Brazil. A hard and beautiful wood, closely related to rosewood. It has a rosy straw color, streaked with dark brown and black; is both sawed and sliced on the quarter, and is used for the same purposes as Macassar ebony.
Greywood or Silver Greywood.—See Harewood.
Gum.—United States. The term gum tree is applied to several unrelated gum-bearing trees in the United States, of which the wood of the red gum is chiefly used for furniture. It has a close grain, uniform texture, white sapwood, and reddish brown heartwood, the latter sometimes containing dark streaks, and known in the trade as figured gum. Tupelo gum and black gum have almost the same texture as red gum, but are white or warm gray in color. Gumwood was formerly called satin walnut in this country and still bears that name in England. Red gum is one of the most widely used hardwoods for plywood and ranks second among native hardwoods in production of face veneers and first in production of utility or commercial veneers. The sap wood is commonly called "sap gum."
Harewood(artificial).—England and the Continent. Harewood, a West Indies wood now practically extinct, was much used by eighteenth century cabinet makers. Artificial harewood, also known as silver grey-wood, is made from carefully chosen English curly maple, known there as sycamore. The logs are first cut into planks and air-dried for three months; then cut into veneer and dyed with iron salts in huge tanks under pressure, which produces a beautiful silver grey wood with a slightly metallic sheen. It is one of the most costly veneers.
Holly.—England. English white holly has been used since the time of Elizabeth for inlays. The thin veneers, having an exceptionally close texture, can be dyed to various colors. It is similar in appearance and use to boxwood, but less expensive.
Iroko.—Africa. Though not of the teak family, this wood is called African teak. It is hard, firm, of the color of a ripe cucumber, and in veneers has a waxy figure.
Kewazingo.—Africa. A veneer made in France from a species of bubinga, and cut in a peculiar way to a wavy figure. It is used as a decorative as well as a base wood in tables and case goods.
Khaya.—Africa. (African mahogany.) See Mahogany.
Koa.—Hawaiian Islands. Belonging to the acacia family, the koa is the most valuable Hawaiian tree. Its beautiful wood is of golden color, sometimes streaked with black or brown. Most logs have some figure and many have a pronounced ripple grain in veneers.
Kingwood.—British Guiana, South America. A heavy wood, related to the rosewood, and sometimes called violet wood because of its color. It is chiefly used in the form of veneers sawed from small logs, about the size of fence posts.
Koko.—Andaman Islands, East Indies. The East India walnut; has a hard, smooth texture similar to koa; not much figure, but a narrow prominent stripe when quartered; nut brown color.
Lacewood.—Australia. (Also known as silky or Australian oak or selano.) This wood of a light, rosy color has pronounced medullary rays, and when quartered yields a beautiful effect of grain strikingly similar to that of coarse lace.
Lauaan.—Philippine Islands. (Pronounced la-wan', with both a's as in "arm".) A tall tree native to the Philippines, the wood of which bears a marked resemblance to mahogany. Formerly marketed as "Philippine mahogany," and now as red lauaan.
Laurelwood.—Andaman Islands, East Indies. Related to koko, and one of the finest timbers of the East. Laurelwood is a highly figured wood, gray with black stripes, and with a wavy grain.
Lime.—Europe. (Also known as linden, the North American variety is basswood.) A soft, white wood, extraordinarily well adapted for carving in high relief or in the round.
Macassar.—See Ebony. (Often, and properly, spelled Makassar.) Makassar oil, originally produced from the sandalwood of Makassar, was so much used as a hair dressing in Victorian England that it gave rise to the use of antimacassars or "tidies," as a protection to upholstered chair backs.
Magnolia.—Southeast United States. Also species are found in Japan, China, the Himalayas. The wood is fine-grained, fairly hard, white at the sap and of a pale yellowish or greenish tinge at the heart.
Mahogany.—A fine cabinet wood, is noted for variety and beauty of figure or pattern of the grain of the wood. Widely used for veneers and lumber of extreme dimensions and freedom from defect. Used for traditional furniture styles such as Chippendale, Hepplewhite, Sheraton, and Duncan Phyfe, and desirable for modern styles either in traditional or the lighter finishes.[32]
Three general types of mahogany are recognized: West Indian, conceded to be the hardest and strongest. Most of this type now comes from Cuba, but less than 5 percent of the American imports of mahogany are from the West Indies. The mainland Tropical American, which grows from southern Mexico to Colombia and Venezuela and appears again on the Upper Amazon and its tributaries in western Brazil and eastern Peru. Somewhat milder textured than the West Indian. A third type comes from the West Coast of Africa. This mahogany is not quite as firm textured as the American mahogany, but the trees are large and many are highly figured. Accordingly, the most of the mahogany veneers used in this country areAfrican.Mahogany wood is strong and tough, uniform in structure and close or moderately open grained, depending upon the locality where it is grown. Mahogany possesses a combination of physical and woodworking characteristics that have brought it into high renown as a cabinet wood. It is receptive to the finest of finishes. Freshly cut mahogany ranges from a light pink to yellow, but on exposure to light and air, quickly turns to a reddish brown or sherry color.Mahogany has an interlocking grain which, on the quarter, usually reveals a straight stripe or ribbon figure. To a more limited degree some trees show broken stripe, rope, ripple, mottle, fiddleback, and blister figures and various combinations of these figures. Outstanding are the crotch and swirl figures obtained from sections of the trunk immediately beneath a fork or crotch in the tree. Mahogany does not produce clearly defined annual growth rings common to trees of the temperate zone. Consequently, the shell or leaf pattern in flat cut mahogany is due to the interlocking grain rather than to annual growth rings.
Three general types of mahogany are recognized: West Indian, conceded to be the hardest and strongest. Most of this type now comes from Cuba, but less than 5 percent of the American imports of mahogany are from the West Indies. The mainland Tropical American, which grows from southern Mexico to Colombia and Venezuela and appears again on the Upper Amazon and its tributaries in western Brazil and eastern Peru. Somewhat milder textured than the West Indian. A third type comes from the West Coast of Africa. This mahogany is not quite as firm textured as the American mahogany, but the trees are large and many are highly figured. Accordingly, the most of the mahogany veneers used in this country areAfrican.
Mahogany wood is strong and tough, uniform in structure and close or moderately open grained, depending upon the locality where it is grown. Mahogany possesses a combination of physical and woodworking characteristics that have brought it into high renown as a cabinet wood. It is receptive to the finest of finishes. Freshly cut mahogany ranges from a light pink to yellow, but on exposure to light and air, quickly turns to a reddish brown or sherry color.
Mahogany has an interlocking grain which, on the quarter, usually reveals a straight stripe or ribbon figure. To a more limited degree some trees show broken stripe, rope, ripple, mottle, fiddleback, and blister figures and various combinations of these figures. Outstanding are the crotch and swirl figures obtained from sections of the trunk immediately beneath a fork or crotch in the tree. Mahogany does not produce clearly defined annual growth rings common to trees of the temperate zone. Consequently, the shell or leaf pattern in flat cut mahogany is due to the interlocking grain rather than to annual growth rings.
Maidou.—Burma and Indo-China. This tree is closely related to the amboyna, but has a coarser figure and a darker brown color. Maidou burls are hard, sound, and valuable.Makore.—Africa, West Coast. (Also known as African cherry.) A large tree, yielding a furniture wood similar in texture and coloring to our cherry, but frequently revealing a strong black mottle.Madrone.—California and Oregon. (Also called Madrona.) Chiefly used in in the form of burl veneer, which has a tough hard surface, intricately veined figure, and rose-pink color.Maple.—North temperate zone. There are about 150 species in the maple family, of which 13 are native to North America. The sugar maple (also known as hard maple and rock maple) is a magnificent tree which sometimes attains a height of 120 feet. The wood is heavy, hard and of fine grain, as is that of the black maple. In veneers the maples yield many beautiful effects, including curly maple, bird's-eye maple, and the remarkable maple burls from Oregon trees. With the "natural" finish it is principally used for bedroom, porch, and kitchen furniture. Occasionally it is used in combination with other woods for exposed parts which are stained or painted and for interior parts where strength or rigidity are essential.MarblewoodorMarble-heart.—See Ebony.Movingue.—Africa, west coast. A straw-colored wood resembling Java teak, but more yellow in color. In veneers it produces mottled wood and fine feather crotches.Myrtle.—Northern California and Oregon. A greenish-yellow wood, which when used in veneers has the peculiarity of showing the characteristic figuration of plain, butt, and burl woods in a single small area. Chiefly used in burls.Narra.—Dutch East Indies and the Philippines. Red narra varies in color from deep red shadings to attractive rose tint. Yellow narra ranges through the brilliant browns to golden yellow. When cut on the quarter the appearance is not unlike quartered unfigured satinwood.New Guinea Wood.—A recent popular importation. Brown to light gray with definite black lines. Large trees produce wide, long veneers. A highly figured wood with straight narrow stripe. Resembles oriental wood, but slightly lighter. Usually cut on the quarter.Oak.—North temperate zone. Of the hundreds of species of oak, 84 are found in the United States. Some of the splendid forest oaks reach a height of 150 feet. In the trade, oak lumber is classified aswhite oak(cut chiefly from the white, chestnut, post, burr, over-cup, and swamp chestnut oaks), andred oak(cut chiefly from the red, Shumard red, scarlet, black, and yellow oaks).
Maidou.—Burma and Indo-China. This tree is closely related to the amboyna, but has a coarser figure and a darker brown color. Maidou burls are hard, sound, and valuable.
Makore.—Africa, West Coast. (Also known as African cherry.) A large tree, yielding a furniture wood similar in texture and coloring to our cherry, but frequently revealing a strong black mottle.
Madrone.—California and Oregon. (Also called Madrona.) Chiefly used in in the form of burl veneer, which has a tough hard surface, intricately veined figure, and rose-pink color.
Maple.—North temperate zone. There are about 150 species in the maple family, of which 13 are native to North America. The sugar maple (also known as hard maple and rock maple) is a magnificent tree which sometimes attains a height of 120 feet. The wood is heavy, hard and of fine grain, as is that of the black maple. In veneers the maples yield many beautiful effects, including curly maple, bird's-eye maple, and the remarkable maple burls from Oregon trees. With the "natural" finish it is principally used for bedroom, porch, and kitchen furniture. Occasionally it is used in combination with other woods for exposed parts which are stained or painted and for interior parts where strength or rigidity are essential.
MarblewoodorMarble-heart.—See Ebony.
Movingue.—Africa, west coast. A straw-colored wood resembling Java teak, but more yellow in color. In veneers it produces mottled wood and fine feather crotches.
Myrtle.—Northern California and Oregon. A greenish-yellow wood, which when used in veneers has the peculiarity of showing the characteristic figuration of plain, butt, and burl woods in a single small area. Chiefly used in burls.
Narra.—Dutch East Indies and the Philippines. Red narra varies in color from deep red shadings to attractive rose tint. Yellow narra ranges through the brilliant browns to golden yellow. When cut on the quarter the appearance is not unlike quartered unfigured satinwood.
New Guinea Wood.—A recent popular importation. Brown to light gray with definite black lines. Large trees produce wide, long veneers. A highly figured wood with straight narrow stripe. Resembles oriental wood, but slightly lighter. Usually cut on the quarter.
Oak.—North temperate zone. Of the hundreds of species of oak, 84 are found in the United States. Some of the splendid forest oaks reach a height of 150 feet. In the trade, oak lumber is classified aswhite oak(cut chiefly from the white, chestnut, post, burr, over-cup, and swamp chestnut oaks), andred oak(cut chiefly from the red, Shumard red, scarlet, black, and yellow oaks).
English brown oak is taken from certain English white oak trees, the wood of which has become brown from an infection of microscopic fungus which feeds on the tannin in the wood, leaving a brown residue which gives the wood the appearance of fine tortoise shell. Many of these trees were sturdy specimens hundreds of years before the Norman conquest in the year 1066.Pollard oak is the term applied by English cabinet makers to oak burls. The veneers are choice and costly. Its uses are legion, but in fine furniture it has great strength, durability and attractive appearance.
English brown oak is taken from certain English white oak trees, the wood of which has become brown from an infection of microscopic fungus which feeds on the tannin in the wood, leaving a brown residue which gives the wood the appearance of fine tortoise shell. Many of these trees were sturdy specimens hundreds of years before the Norman conquest in the year 1066.
Pollard oak is the term applied by English cabinet makers to oak burls. The veneers are choice and costly. Its uses are legion, but in fine furniture it has great strength, durability and attractive appearance.
Oriental wood.—Queensland, Australia. (Also known as Queensland or Australian "walnut.") These huge trees resemble the Australian silky oak and the American blue beech. The wood, which is comparatively new on the American market, resembles walnut in appearance, and the veneers, quarter cut, yield stripe, fiddleback, and mottled effects.Padouk.—Burma and the Andaman Islands. (Also known as Vermilion wood.) A beautiful wood of reddish golden color with prominent ribbon stripe. (See Yomawood.)Pearwood.—Europe and North America. The fruit wood, much used by seventeenth century furniture makers.Peroba.—Brazil. The largest family of fine Brazilian woods. Peroba Rosa has a pink color, somewhat resembling that of tulipwood, while Peroba Blanca resembles satinwood. The veneers have a fine grain and take a remarkable polish.Poplar.—United States. The cabinet wood known as yellow poplar, whitewood, and poplar in this country, and as canary whitewood in England, comes from a tall North American tree known as the tulip tree. The wood is of fine grain, uniform texture, and of a color ranging from the yellowish white in the sap to yellowish green, purplish brown, or iridescent blue in the heart. It closely resembles magnolia, but is somewhat softer. Must not be confused with the rarer Brazilian tulipwood.Prima Vera.—Central America. While not a mahogany, prima vera is generally known as white mahogany. The wood is of cream color with a greenish cast, and resembles stripe mahogany in texture.Purpleheart.—See Amaranth.Redwood.—Northern California. (Also known as Sequoia.) Chiefly used in furniture in the form of veneers cut from the huge trunk burls, which yield sheets 5 × 6 feet without defects. The wood has a strikingly veined figure and a light brick-red color.Rosewood.—Brazil, eastern India, and Madagascar. Brazilian rosewood, also known as Rio rosewood, was formerly extensively used in making piano cases and musical instruments, and is still sometimes known as piano-wood. Color varies from brownish yellow to deep red, with black growth lines. The veneer is generally cut rotary, but also sliced on the quarter or across the heart. East Indian rosewood, sometimes known in veneer form as malabor or Bombay rosewood, is one of the finest cabinet woods. It varies in color from clear yellow through the reds to purple, with dark stripes. Madagascar rosewood, also known asfaux rose, is a heavy hardwood ranging from pale pink to dull red in color, and revealing a fine pin-stripe in veneer.Sapele.—West African coast. Most Sapele logs are cut on the quarter and produce a straight stripe that in width is about halfway between the stripe of mahogany and stripe of satinwood.Satinwood.—Puerto Rico, and Island of Ceylon. This finest of cabinet woods was obtained by the eighteenth century masters from the West Indies, but little is now to be had outside Ceylon. Whether straight-grained or figured, satinwood has an incomparable beauty and fire.Snakewood.—Brazil. This term is applied to several woods, of which the most striking is the handsomely mottled wood of the South American leopard tree. It is used only in veneer.Sycamore.—United States. This name is applied to the native American plane tree, although the term still is applied to the ancient Egyptian and Asia Minor mulberry. Sycamore wood, generally known in Europe as maple, is reddish-brown in color and when quartered is handsomely figured. It has interlocked grain and is therefore difficult to split.Tamo.—Japan. (Native name for the Japanese ash.) Veneers cut from figured logs reveal an extraordinary wavy-like figure, and are beautiful and costly.Tanguile.—Philippine Islands. A Philippine hardwood similar to red lauaan (see Lauaan) and like the latter at one time marketed as "Philippine mahogany."Teakwood.—Region of the Gulf of Bengal. A hardwood of extreme durability, with white sapwood and a beautiful golden-yellow heartwood which on seasoning becomes dark brown, mottled with still browner streaks. The teak tree is native to India, Burma, and Thailand, and the wood is known to have been used in India for more than 2,000 years. It is one of the most enduring woods, and instances are recorded of teak beams which lasted more than 1,000 years.Thuya.—Algeria, Africa. (Formerly and properly spelled "thuja.") This is the botanical name for the arbor vitae, or tree of life, of the cedar family. In Europe the thuya burl is considered to share with amboyna the distinction of being the finest of all woods. The veneer is of reddish brown color, with a characteristic figure remotely suggestive of the feather crotch, and speckled with small round "eyes." It is used in Europe chiefly for fine cigarette and jewel cases.Tigerwood.—Africa, west coast. (Also known as African or Benin walnut.) An inexpensive but handsome veneer wood, ranging from golden-yellow to dull brown in color, with a wide and pronounced ribbon stripe. The crotches are large and good.Tulipwood.—Brazil. An extremely hard wood of pinkish-red color, much used since the seventeenth century for marquetry.Vermilion wood.—See Padouk.Violet wood.—See Amaranth and Kingwood.Walnut.—North temperate zone of America and Europe. American walnut is produced commercially from Wisconsin and Southern Ontario to Kansas, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. It is widely used for lumber and veneers.[33]
Oriental wood.—Queensland, Australia. (Also known as Queensland or Australian "walnut.") These huge trees resemble the Australian silky oak and the American blue beech. The wood, which is comparatively new on the American market, resembles walnut in appearance, and the veneers, quarter cut, yield stripe, fiddleback, and mottled effects.
Padouk.—Burma and the Andaman Islands. (Also known as Vermilion wood.) A beautiful wood of reddish golden color with prominent ribbon stripe. (See Yomawood.)
Pearwood.—Europe and North America. The fruit wood, much used by seventeenth century furniture makers.
Peroba.—Brazil. The largest family of fine Brazilian woods. Peroba Rosa has a pink color, somewhat resembling that of tulipwood, while Peroba Blanca resembles satinwood. The veneers have a fine grain and take a remarkable polish.
Poplar.—United States. The cabinet wood known as yellow poplar, whitewood, and poplar in this country, and as canary whitewood in England, comes from a tall North American tree known as the tulip tree. The wood is of fine grain, uniform texture, and of a color ranging from the yellowish white in the sap to yellowish green, purplish brown, or iridescent blue in the heart. It closely resembles magnolia, but is somewhat softer. Must not be confused with the rarer Brazilian tulipwood.
Prima Vera.—Central America. While not a mahogany, prima vera is generally known as white mahogany. The wood is of cream color with a greenish cast, and resembles stripe mahogany in texture.
Purpleheart.—See Amaranth.
Redwood.—Northern California. (Also known as Sequoia.) Chiefly used in furniture in the form of veneers cut from the huge trunk burls, which yield sheets 5 × 6 feet without defects. The wood has a strikingly veined figure and a light brick-red color.
Rosewood.—Brazil, eastern India, and Madagascar. Brazilian rosewood, also known as Rio rosewood, was formerly extensively used in making piano cases and musical instruments, and is still sometimes known as piano-wood. Color varies from brownish yellow to deep red, with black growth lines. The veneer is generally cut rotary, but also sliced on the quarter or across the heart. East Indian rosewood, sometimes known in veneer form as malabor or Bombay rosewood, is one of the finest cabinet woods. It varies in color from clear yellow through the reds to purple, with dark stripes. Madagascar rosewood, also known asfaux rose, is a heavy hardwood ranging from pale pink to dull red in color, and revealing a fine pin-stripe in veneer.
Sapele.—West African coast. Most Sapele logs are cut on the quarter and produce a straight stripe that in width is about halfway between the stripe of mahogany and stripe of satinwood.
Satinwood.—Puerto Rico, and Island of Ceylon. This finest of cabinet woods was obtained by the eighteenth century masters from the West Indies, but little is now to be had outside Ceylon. Whether straight-grained or figured, satinwood has an incomparable beauty and fire.
Snakewood.—Brazil. This term is applied to several woods, of which the most striking is the handsomely mottled wood of the South American leopard tree. It is used only in veneer.
Sycamore.—United States. This name is applied to the native American plane tree, although the term still is applied to the ancient Egyptian and Asia Minor mulberry. Sycamore wood, generally known in Europe as maple, is reddish-brown in color and when quartered is handsomely figured. It has interlocked grain and is therefore difficult to split.
Tamo.—Japan. (Native name for the Japanese ash.) Veneers cut from figured logs reveal an extraordinary wavy-like figure, and are beautiful and costly.
Tanguile.—Philippine Islands. A Philippine hardwood similar to red lauaan (see Lauaan) and like the latter at one time marketed as "Philippine mahogany."
Teakwood.—Region of the Gulf of Bengal. A hardwood of extreme durability, with white sapwood and a beautiful golden-yellow heartwood which on seasoning becomes dark brown, mottled with still browner streaks. The teak tree is native to India, Burma, and Thailand, and the wood is known to have been used in India for more than 2,000 years. It is one of the most enduring woods, and instances are recorded of teak beams which lasted more than 1,000 years.
Thuya.—Algeria, Africa. (Formerly and properly spelled "thuja.") This is the botanical name for the arbor vitae, or tree of life, of the cedar family. In Europe the thuya burl is considered to share with amboyna the distinction of being the finest of all woods. The veneer is of reddish brown color, with a characteristic figure remotely suggestive of the feather crotch, and speckled with small round "eyes." It is used in Europe chiefly for fine cigarette and jewel cases.
Tigerwood.—Africa, west coast. (Also known as African or Benin walnut.) An inexpensive but handsome veneer wood, ranging from golden-yellow to dull brown in color, with a wide and pronounced ribbon stripe. The crotches are large and good.
Tulipwood.—Brazil. An extremely hard wood of pinkish-red color, much used since the seventeenth century for marquetry.
Vermilion wood.—See Padouk.
Violet wood.—See Amaranth and Kingwood.
Walnut.—North temperate zone of America and Europe. American walnut is produced commercially from Wisconsin and Southern Ontario to Kansas, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. It is widely used for lumber and veneers.[33]