Abstract
Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century London furniture-makers offered a much wider variety of services than furniture-makers and interior decorators do nowadays. They were not limited to house decoration, cleaning, alteration, and repairing, but also included house-letting, advertising, making inventories, arranging removals, caretaking, and even arranging funerals. This article examines the relationships between furniture-makers and customers through these services, using Gillow's London showroom account book (1844-6), the letter book of Miles and Edwards (1836-44), and letters and ledgers of other London makers. The services suggest that furniture-makers maintained a relationship with their customers that went significantly beyond the provision of ready-made goods. Indeed, they indicate furniture-makers' active involvement in the private lives of their customers, and customers' reliance on the furniture-makers, who responded to changes and needs in the house.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 119-134 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | London Journal |
Volume | 33 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2008 Jul 1 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Urban Studies