A General System of Useful and Ornamental Furniture... 1759 - 1763

This is a page from "A General System of Useful and Ornamental Furniture...", made by Ince and Mayhew in the late 18th century. It's an engraving, so the design was etched into a metal plate, inked, and then printed onto paper. Engravings like this were crucial to the furniture trade at the time. They weren't just art objects; they were pattern books, meant to be used by cabinetmakers and clients alike. The designs show the fashionable taste of the period, all flowing lines and delicate ornament. Think about the labor that went into producing furniture like this: the skilled hands of the carvers, the polishers, the upholsterers. But consider also the labor of the designers, who had to translate these complex forms into a language that craftsmen could understand. This book wasn't just about aesthetics, it was about commerce, and the division of labor that underpinned the 18th-century economy. It reminds us that even the most ornamental objects are rooted in the everyday realities of work and production.