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But not every furniture misnomer is from America. A notorious philanderer has his name attached to a form of dressing table. In 18th century France men were as much attuned to their wigs and make up as were the women and a special piece of furniture evolved just for that purpose. Initially the form was called a "poudreuse" meaning "powder" more or less in French. In the slang version it meant "duster of the man" in reference to the generous use of powder both in the wig and on the face. With its many compartments and drawers the poudreuse was a very rare example of precious mirror glass actually being attached to a piece of furniture before the beginning of the 19th century. The popularity of the furniture pre dated its common namesake by several decades but eventually the name of the English dandy George Bryan (Beau) Brummel (1778-1840) became associated with the form and is the most common name attached to the fancy dressing table today. Then of course there is the famous drop leaf table with the short sides and a drawer, which according to Thomas Chippendale, is the only thing that distinguishes a Pembroke table from a breakfast table. I have found over the years at least nine separate accounts and attributions for the name given to the table. One gives credit to Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke (1561-1621) who allegedly ordered the original design. That's about 150 years earlier than most other attributions. Another story gives credit to Henry Herbert, the 9th Earl of Pembroke (1693-1751) who was an amateur architect and supposedly designed the table himself. Most commonly the table is ascribed to Chippendale around the middle of the 18th century who named it for either Lord or Lady Pembroke who ordered the design. Christie's states unequivocally that the table is named after the Earl of Pembroke but gives no dates while Thomas Sheraton, who was closer to the source, said in his design book that the table was ordered by the Countess of the period. Whatever. At least we know the family from which it derived its name even if we don't know exactly which member ordered it or exactly from whom, when. But at least that is some improvement. Knowing the history behind the name of a piece of furniture is like getting more for your money when you buy a piece. It enhances the interest of the piece, a little value added just for the research.
Visit Fred's website at www.furnituredetective.com. His book "HOW TO BE A FURNITURE DETECTIVE" is available for $18.95 plus $3.00 S&H (U.S.). Send check or money order for $21.95 to Fred Taylor, PO Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423. Fred and Gail Taylor's DVD "IDENTIFICATION OF OLDER & ANTIQUE FURNITURE", $17.00 + $3.00 S&H (U.S.) and a bound compilation of the first 60 columns of "COMMON SENSE ANTIQUES by Fred Taylor" ($25.00 + $3.00 S&H (U.S.) are also available at the same address. For more information call (800)387-6377, fax (352)563-2916, or e-mail info@furnituredetective.com.
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