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What is Mormon Pine Furniture?
"Mormon Pine Furniture"
refers to furniture made in the western territories by members
of the LDS church (the Mormons) between 1847-1900. Unlike Shaker
furniture which is characterized by a distinctive style developed
around religious ideologies, Mormon Pine Furniture displays an
eclectic mix of styles of the time. It's development was influenced
by necessity, local materials, and western colonization as directed
by Brigham Young.
Skilled Pioneer Craftsmen
Colonization of the western territory,
or Deseret, as it was called by the Mormons, was well-organized
under Brigham Young's leadership. New members of the growing
church were encouraged to come west. As they did, individuals
with a variety of essential skills were systematically asked
to settle new communities. In this way, each area had the
necessary nucleus of crafts people, mid-wives, farmers, etc.
to be self supporting in all aspects of commerce, as well as
private and church life. And virtually every major community
had an identifiable cabinet maker.
Though a range of skill levels is
evident in the furniture produced by these communities, it is
not crude make-shift frontier furniture. Most pioneer cabinetmakers
were very skilled, coming from Great Britain, Scandinavia, and
the eastern U.S. where they had been trained in the apprentice
tradition. Young himself was a cabinet maker who appreciated
and encouraged good design and fine craftsmanship. All
of this is evident in the furniture, which is characterized by
sophisticated, well-crafted joinery, and stylistic forms inspired
by high-style furniture from Europe and the East . Individual
craftsmen developed recognizable styles. They include Henry
Dinwoody, William L. N. Allen, Edmund Fuller Bird and many others.
The Use of Local Materials
Two unifying elements in Mormon
furniture are the construction materials and the use of faux
finishes. All the case pieces were made from local conifer.
Douglas fir, spruce and ponderosa pine were respectively identified
as "red pine", "white pine" and "yellow
pine". The use of pine influenced the resulting style.
The lines and forms of hardwood furniture from the east became
fuller and bolder to accommodate the structural needs of the
softer wood. The Europeans were used to working with similar
soft woods, so working in pine was natural, as was the application
of faux finishes.
Faux Finishes
The most distinctive physical feature
of this furniture is in the finish not the style. Some
furniture craftsmen were also skilled grainers, but there were
also a good number of competent decorative painters. At
least 90% of this furniture was grain painted. It was the
universal finish for that time and region. Many different species
were copied with oak, walnut and mahogany being common.
Pieces often had an area painted to simulate a burl or crotch
figure as well.
Scandinavian Influence in Sanpete
In the 1850s, when Sanpete County
was settled, 90% of the craftsmmen, such as Lindsey Anderson
Brady, a Kentuckian who settled in Fairview, were Americans.
But by 1870 there were 27 Scandinavian carpenters and cabinetmakers
working in Sanpete with only 5 Englishmen and 7 Americans.
The visual taste of the Scandinavian craftsmen and population
gave a unique flavor to the overall Mormon furniture style of
the period.
The End of an Era
In 1875 the railroad was completed,
with east and west rails meeting in the middle of Mormon territory.
The pioneers who had made it themselves or done without for so
long now flocked to buy commercial goods which flooded in from
the East. This brought on a serious decline in the production
of local furniture even in remote areas. The Mormons' taste
for fine craftsmanship and style which helped them create a unique
heritage in pine furniture quickly led them to favor fashionable
hardwood imports. Craftsmen were forced into other occupations,
like Anders Swensen of Mt. Pleasant who wrote in 1877:
"Furniture is imported from
the East and from California, and windows and doors together
with moldings for homes are all brought in here, so it looks
like I have to rely most on remaining a farmer, tilling the earth."
Cooperative workshops such as the
Brigham City Cooperative Mercantile and Manufacturing Company,
and the Orderville United Order managed to operate successfully
for awhile longer. But by the 1880s many crafstmen had
made the transition from cabinetmakers to furniture-store owners.
The era of "Mormon Pine" was effectively over by the
turn of the century. |
See more
examples of Mormon pine furniture at these locations:
Mormon pine furniture pieces are
now highly sought after by museums and individual collecters.
You can see good examples of original at these locations:
Cove Fort
Great photos on this site, including many showing original pieces
of Mormon pine furniture, as well as reproductions crafted at
Peel Furniture Works. Worth a look!
The following sites provide information
about visiting these locations, but do not have photos:
The LDS Church Museum
This
is the Place Heritage Park
Fairview Museum
For more information about
Mormon Pine Furniture, check out "The Legacy of Mormon
Furniture" by Marilyn Conover Barker, photographs by
Scott Peterson; Gibbs-Smith, Salt Lake City, publisher.
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