Design for Sideboard with Six Legs and Four Central Drawers

About this artwork

Research in Progress

Art Historical Context

Behold the *Design for Sideboard with Legs and Four Central Drawers*, a captivating blueprint from A.N. Davenport Co., between 1900 and1905. This furniture design hails from the height of America's Gilded Age transition into the new century, when ornate yet functional pieces like sideboards graced elegant dining rooms. Sideboards served as stylish storage for silverware, linens, and china, blending utility with display in middle- and upper-class homes. A.N. Davenport Co., a prominent Massachusetts-based manufacturer, was renowned for producing high-quality, stamped furniture that reflected the era's revival styles. The innovative six-legged structure and four central drawers suggest a bold, symmetrical form—practical for stability while adding visual flair. As a design drawing rather than a finished piece, it offers a rare glimpse into the creative process of early 20th-century American furniture making. Generously gifted to the Smithsonian American Art Museum by The Lake St. Louis Historical Society, this work is part of ongoing research, inviting us to ponder its role in everyday American life. A testament to industrial artistry, it captures a time when furniture design married craftsmanship with emerging mass production.