Sideboard

Object/Artifact

-

Vermont Historical Society

Name/Title

Sideboard

Entry/Object ID

2001.21.1

Description

Cherry sideboard. The four corners are reeded columns, and the serpentine front is decorated with intricately banded fruitwood inlays and beaded moldings. The drawer and cabinet pulls are original brass. There are two bottle drawers flanking a central bar cabinet over two wide drawers. The name "Albert Onion" is writted inside the top front copuboard section.

Context

Family history states this half-sideboard was made by Albert Onion, of Chester, Vermont in 1840. Though inscribed with his name, the piece dates from earlier in the century, probably constructed around 1815 at the latest. A vibrant cabinetmaking industry existed in the early years of the 19th century in Chester and the nearby town of Windsor, Vermont. The half sideboard form was popular in northern Windsor county. Cabinetmakers Sampson Warner, George Stedman, and Royal Gould all worked in Chester. It's thought that Stedman and perhaps Gould apprenticed to Warner. Stedman and Gould family members ran a mercantile business in Chester in close proximity to a similar business owned by the Onion family. The string inlay along the top and the complex shape of the front certainly relate to furniture made by both Gould and Stedman. Stedman ultimately moved to Norwich and Gould to Rutland. The Onion family, including Alfred, also moved to the Rutland area and may indicate a connection between the Goulds and the Onions. This piece may have been purchased by the prosperous Onion family in the 1810s or Albert acquired it around the 1840 date. Albert partnered in mercantile businesses from the late 1820s to 1840 when he was listed in the census as owning a tanning factory.

Acquisition

Accession

2001.21

Source or Donor

Onion, Margaret Kent, Onion, William A.

Acquisition Method

Gift

Made/Created

Date made

circa 1815

Place

County

Windsor County

State/Province

Vermont

Country

United States of America

Continent

North America

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Sideboard

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Storage & Display Furniture

Nomenclature Class

Furniture

Nomenclature Category

Category 02: Furnishings

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Overall

Height

40-3/4 in

Width

45-3/4 in

Depth

20-7/8 in

Material

Wood, Brass

Relationships

Related Publications

Publication

The Best the Country Affords