Description:
Chippendale secretary or desk-and-bookcase, which has a companion piece, a chest-on-chest (1979) with a label on the inside door reading: "This case of Drawers was bought by my parents (Dorothy Champion and Julius Deming) in Boston immediately after their marriage which took place at Colchester, August 7, 1781/ Oct. 23, 1883 Lucretia Deming." Born in North Lyme, Julius Deming (1755-1838) moved to Litchfield after his 1781 marriage to his first cousin, Dorothy Champion (1759-1830). They had eight children, the youngest being Lucretia Deming (1804-1887). Lucretia never married, and lived in Litchfield in the summer and New York City in the winter with her unmarried sister Mary (1798-1847) and brother Charles (1789-1852). They were often visited by other family members, including Mr. and Mrs. Julius Deming Perkins. During the Revolutionary War, Juilius Deming served under Dorothy's father, Col. Henry Champion, the principal assistant commissary general for the Eastern Division of the Continental Army. Deming, who attained the rank of captain of cavalry, was with the convoy that crossed the Hudson River to deliver supplies to Washington's army at Valley Forge. After the war, Deming established himself in trade by obtaining goods directly from England — an unusual practice at a time when most Connecticut merchants got their wares from New York and Boston. Deming's merchandise arrived in New Haven Harbor and was brought by wagon to Litchfield. From there, it were sold in shops owned by Deming and his partner, Col. Benjamin Tallmadge in Litchfield and other towns. Deming also held several elected and appointed offices; his Litchfield house started in 1790 is still standing. The Litchfield Historical Society has extensive material on the Deming family. There is a 1955 letter in the data field from Houghton Bulkeley: "This is the story as it was told to me about these two pieces: They were left by a Mrs. Rockhill, who was a descendent of Julius Deming, to Mrs. Crutch of Litchfield. Mrs. Crutch had been her nurse through a long illness. Mrs. Crutch sold them to Mr. Thoms of Waterbury, a dealer. Henry Swanson, dealer and cabinet maker of Litchfield took these pictures as they were about to be loaded onto a truck. He was very sad as he had hoped to get them." According the DAR records, Mrs. Edith Perkins Rockhill was the daughter of Julius Deming Perkins and Margatta Warner Dotterer Perkins; the grandaughter of Charles Perkins and Clarissa Deming Perkins; great-grandaughter of Julius Deming and Doroty Champion Perkins; and great-great grandaughter of Henry Champion and Deborah Brainard Champion. The Kugelman's assign the secretary and chest-on-chest to the Lord group of Colchester furniture, named for a high chest owned by Epaphras Lord Jr. (1743-1819) and Patience Lord (1746-1836). Shared characteristics include a steep bonnet, large four-petal rosettes, dissimilar shells on upper and lower cases of tall case pieces, different front and rear feet, and carving on the front surface of the knees. The spur on ogee feet is of medium depth as in coastal Massachusetts work, rather than curled or scrolled as in the other Colchester groups. Under the skin the two case pieces are essentially identical with the same secondary woods and construction details. They differ in that the mahogany desk-and-bookcase has a carved ornament applied to the center plinth; the cherry chest-on-chest has none. The pilaster capital and base ornaments are dissimilar, as are the front and back legs and feet. The base of the chest-on-chest is constructed like a dressing table with short cabriole legs and a carved shaped apron.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+1959 |
