Art Institute of Chicago

High Chest of Drawers

Attributed to John Goddard (American, 1723–1785)

Date

1755–85

Medium

Mahogany with chestnut and white pine

Culture

Newport

Department

Arts of the Americas

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Along with Philadelphia and Boston, Newport, Rhode Island, was one of the three leading furniture-making centers in colonial America. Newport benefited from its location on coastal trade routes between England and the West Indies, and its merchants were among the wealthiest and most influential figures in the colonies. The finest Newport furniture came from the Goddard and Townsend shops, whose most notable pieces were completed before the Revolution. This high chest is attributed to John Goddard. Goddard's marriage to the daughter of Job Townsend joined the two families, beginning a virtual furniture-making dynasty that remained active into the following century.

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