Dressing Table
Period1740 - 1770
MediumWalnut and hard pine
Dimensions29 × 36 × 22.75 in. (73.7 × 91.4 × 57.8 cm)
InscribedA printed card in a drawer reads "Queen Anne Walnut Low-Boy / American, circa 1730 / From the Edward Taylor House in Middletown, N.J. / Gift of the Trustees of the Association / in memory of William S. Holmes." An additional handwritten label in ink on white surgical tape glued to underside reads, "70 Court St., Freehold, N.J."
ClassificationsTables and Stands
Credit LineGift of the Board of Trustees in memory of William S. Holmes, 1948
Object number1995.531
DescriptionGenerous in its width, the dressing table features a wide overhanging top with molded edges above an applied molding affixed to the top edge of the table frame. Three drawers are arranged in two rows - one of full width above two smaller drawers. The hardware consists of original non-matching brass bails and large backplates. A sequence of curves and cuts in the design of the table's skirt lead into four chamfered cabriole legs ending in a simplified interpretation of either trifid or "sock" feet. Several of the corner blocks are missing.Curatorial RemarksThis dressing table is one of two in the Association's collection that descended in the Taylor family of Middletown, Monmouth County. Both are part of a local furniture subgroup in which the joiner lacked advanced carving skills. The feet on this example may be simplified interpretations of a trifid foot, or a take off of the so-called sock foot. For comparison, see accession numbers 20, 1991.611, and 2017.706. Drawer construction also follows local practice. The drawer sides are higher in profile than the drawer back, and are rounded on their upper edges. They are also dominant over the drawer back in that they continue to the rear surface of the drawer and the back fits between them. For other examples of this Middletown area cabinetmaking practice, see detail images for accession numbers 20, 1982.409, and 2017.706. For the other related dressing table from the Taylor family, see accession number 20. Its skirt has the same sequence of curves and cuts as this one, but on the present table the design has been flattened out to accommodate two full width rows of drawers above it. In rural areas, complete sets of brasses were not always available. The maker of this dressing table used bails with large backplates of two different patterns, plus an engraved escutcheon of yet a third design. All appear to be original to the table.NotesThe dressing table descended in the Taylor family of Middletown, Monmouth County, to Miss Rachel Conover Taylor (1869 - 1962), the last of the line to reside in the historic Dr. Edward Taylor House on Kings Highway in Middletown village. The mid-eighteenth century house, covered with distinctive rounded butt shingles and with a gambrel roof, had been in the Taylor family since it was built. The venerable landmark took its name from Miss Taylor's grandfather, Dr. Edward Taylor (1805 - 1885), a prominent local physician. In late 1946, "Rae" (as she was called) and a sister relocated to San Diego, California. The house and its contents were put in the hands of a guardian who arranged for their disposition. A public auction was held at the house on 2 October 1948. Among the items advertised for sale in the Red Bank Register on 23 September was a "Low-boy (Walnut)." This item was purchased that day by the Association. At its next Board of Trustees meeting held on 8 October, "Mrs. [Andrew Varick] Stout reported a low-boy had been purchased for $550 at the Taylor sale as a gift of the Board of Trustees in memory of Mr. William S. Holmes." The term low-boy refers to what we call a dressing table today. Holmes (1876 - 1948), a former antiques dealer and the first mayor of Freehold Borough, had been very instrumental in the construction of the Association's museum and library in Freehold in 1931. He served as President of the organization from 1935 to 1944, and then as Director from 1944 to 1948. Holmes had died on 4 April.
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