In the 18th century, the ‘big three’ furniture makers are undoubtedly Thomas Chippendale, Thomas Sheraton and George Hepplewhite.
Thomas Chippendale is probably the most famous of all. He was a London-based cabinetmaker and furniture designer. Styles ranged from English with deep carvings, elaborate Anglo-Saxon Rococo, Chinese style with latticework and lacquerwork, and Gothic with pointed arches, quatrefoils, and fretwork legs. In later years he adopted the neoclassical style. His father was a carpenter and probably the person who started Thomas in the trade.
He was the first cabinetmaker to publish a book of his designs, which was called The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker’s Director, published in 1754. This influenced many other cabinetmakers and illustrated almost every type of mid-18th century domestic furniture.
Chippendale was an interior designer and cabinetmaker. He advised on furniture and the overall look a room should have. His work was coveted by the rich and famous and he was frequently commissioned by the aristocracy.
He died of tuberculosis in 1779, but has been commemorated by a full-size statue in the V&A Museum and a memorial plaque can be found in Otley, Yorkshire (his likely birthplace) outside the former Prince Henry Grammar School. His son of the same name was brought into the family business.
Thomas Sheraton also worked in London from 1790 as a professional consultant and teacher of architecture and design.
His designs were based on classical architecture and can be classified as neoclassical. They were often made of inlaid satinwood. Although he was a designer, there is no evidence that he actually created the pieces himself. Actually, only one piece can be attributed to him: a glass-fronted bookcase bearing the TS stamp inside a drawer.
Sheraton also published an influential work, “The Cabinetmaker and Upholsterer’s Book of Drawings,” which became available to the public in 1791, which greatly influenced English and American design. He also published “The Cabinet Dictionary” in 1803, explaining furniture and upholstery manufacturing techniques. The last book by him was Volume 1 of “Cabinet Maker, Upholsterer and General Encyclopedia of Artists” in 1805. He died in 1806.
George Hepplewhite is the last of the ‘big three’. He also worked in London, but as a man, very little is known about him.
His name is known for a lean and elegant style of furniture and, in particular, for a large shield shape on the chair backs. No pieces made by him or his signature are believed to exist now.
He died in 1786 and in 1788, his widow Alice published “The Cabinet Makers and Upholsterers Guide”, featuring around 300 of his designs. Some claim that George Hepplewhite is really just a pseudonym for Alice because evidence of the man is so hard to find.
Hepplewhite’s designs only found fame after the date of his death.
Chippendale and his contemporaries were excellent furniture designers and influenced cabinetmakers in the 19th and 20th centuries. His designs and publications are so important that they will continue to influence people as furniture design evolves through the centuries.