Design for Wall Brackets, Plate 42 in One Hundred and Fifty New Designs
1756â57
Classification
woodwork
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of Agnes Miles Carpenter
Accession Number
1962-191-18
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Thomas Johnson’s “Design for Wall Brackets,” Plate 42 from his 1756–57 publication *One Hundred and Fifty New Designs*, offers a glimpse into mid-eighteenth-century English decorative arts. As a specialist in woodwork designs, Johnson created these patterns to guide craftsmen in producing elegant brackets that would support candles, vases, or small sculptures on interior walls. The plate belongs to a larger volume that circulated among artisans and patrons, helping spread inventive ideas for domestic ornament during a period when British homes were embracing more elaborate interiors. Although...