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 |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 119-134 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | London Journal |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2008 Jul |
| Externally published | Yes |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Urban Studies
Cite this
Life, death and furniture-makers : Services for London houses, c. 1810-1850. / Shiｍbo, Akiko.
In: London Journal, Vol. 33, No. 2, 07.2008, p. 119-134.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Life, death and furniture-makers
T2 - Services for London houses, c. 1810-1850
AU - Shiｍbo, Akiko
PY - 2008/7
Y1 - 2008/7
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
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U2 - 10.1179/174963208X307325
DO - 10.1179/174963208X307325
M3 - Article
VL - 33
SP - 119
EP - 134
JO - London Journal
JF - London Journal
SN - 0305-8034
IS - 2
ER -