Pictorial Dictionary of British 19th Century Furniture Design; An Antique Collectors' Club Research Project

The nineteenth century produced dozens of independent designers, particularly towards the end of the period. As the furniture trade developed, so manufacturers and retailing split. Catalogues began to be used in retail shops as they are today. Competition between retailers and the use of the new design books resulted in a large number of designs, not only new ones but also a constant looking backwards to earlier centuries for inspiration. This change in the structure of the industry made full…