Crafting dreams: An Irish cabinet maker in Early America
Crafting dreams: An Irish cabinet maker in Early America, c.1798-1818
The impact British and Irish furniture makers made on the landscape of early American craftsmanship is unmistakable. Though the names of renowned makers who immigrated from Britain and Ireland are well documented, their artisan compatriots - mostly lost in the annals of history - contributed equally to this legacy.
It was commonplace in manufacturing communities across urban environments for tradespeople to work within networks of contemporaries, developing personal and professional relationships that contributed collaboratively to furniture-making skills, designs and styles. This practice extended to towns and cities in Early America. So, how did migrant craftspeople establish their lives in their adopted homeland and set up workshops and retail spaces? How did they forge business connections, often with fellow immigrants to sustain their trade? And how did they integrate into established manufacturing and retailing communities that welcomed or, in some cases, may have resisted them? By exploring networks, I aim to uncover interconnected stories of artisans and the collaborative exchanges that fueled the American furniture trade at the period.
Here is an example of a hitherto unknown immigrant cabinet maker on the east coast of America at the turn of the nineteenth century, Charles Christian. He was born in Dublin in the 1760s and immigrated to the United States from Ireland at the end of the eighteenth century.1 Piecemeal evidence survives providing sporadic snapshots of his life through series of newspaper advertisements, various legal documents and trade directories. These records show that Christian arrived in New York City in 1798, aged twenty-three, became a naturalised citizen on April 28, 1802, and setup his first business premises there at 61 New Street.2 These limited details leave unanswered questions about how as an immigrant he navigated his way into the New York City furniture trade and related network communities. To address these gaps, I began a investigation, cross-referencing archival sources, including fragmentary available records. Will and property documents soon uncovered previously unknown information about his origins revealing that he emigrated from Dublin with a certain level of wealth, evidenced in a property stake in Boris-in-Ossory, Queens County (now County Laois).3
A vital nugget of information about how he became established was through one of his New York journeymen, Elisha Blossom, jnr. Through Blossom I learned that Christian had not moved to New York from England, as current records indicated, but rather moved from Philadelphia to New York, meaning his original emigration date to the United States was before 1796. In Philadelphia he became the President of the Federal Society of Philadelphia Cabinet and Chairmakers.4
Christian was in New York in 1798 and established his business at 61 New Street.5 Two years later, he moved to 73 Broad Street, where he advertised: 'Charles Christian, Cabinet Maker, Late Foreman to the Furniture Ware Room, of the Society of Cabinet Makers, Philadelphia. . . has removed to Broad street. . . in consequence of several years practice in the first shops of Europe and America, he may venture to solicit a portion of the public patronage. . . N. B. A few good workmen wanted . . . An apprentice wanted'.6
In 1798 he also entered a partnership with Samuel Paxton who was a fellow New York dealer. At this date they operated their business at 5 Burling-slip 'for the reception and sale of Furniture at auction or on commission'.7 On the 29th of 1802 he became a naturalised US citizen and the following year (1803) was appointed as a New York City auctioneer and partnered with Samuel Paxton, to establish the firm, Christian & Paxton.8
The partnership facilitated their commercial success through auctions and furniture imports from Philadelphia and London and solidified their standing within the local furniture community. However, in 1807 his position as an auctioneer was rescinded due to a scandal that developed over his political connections to James Cheetham, a trained hat maker, editor of American Citizen and General Advertiser, and fellow supporter of the Clintonian Federation (George Clinton's political ideology that opposed centralised, federal government policies). This resulted in the dissolution of Christian & Paxton.9
By 1811 he had apparently restored his reputation because he was appointed a New York City Police Justice.10
Christian re-established his furniture business at 35 Wall Street in 1813. In June of that year he was appointed the Secretary of the Manufacturers and Mechanics of the City of New York.11 He also hired Elisha Blossom jnr as a journeyman in 1813, recorded for making seven pieces of furniture, possibly at 35 Wall Street.12
One of Christian's warehouses at 35 Wall Street was burgled in September 1815. A notice published in The Evening Post describes an 'elegant new mahogany portable desk' that was taken.
An advert in The Evening Post (7 May, 1816) shows that he had a 'large assortment of rich and well-seasoned mahogany and other materials'.
Commissions detail some of his clientele, for example, one to supply a table for the City of New York, which remains in situ in the Governor’s room today. Christian also received commissions outside of New York City. Like other New York tradesmen, such as Duncan Phyfe and the design firm, Deming and Bulkley, 13 Christian positioned himself in the southern market through newspaper advertisements, one when announcing he had 'principally adapted his business for Southern demand', was offering his work at five percent below New York prices, and urging the public to contact him by letter.
By 1817 Christian was living in the Hudson Square area, later known as St. John’s Park. This neighbourhood, distinguished by its English-style community, was home to affluent merchants and professionals whose fortunes flourished in the early-nineteenth century, reflecting Christian’s status and potential connections within the merchant community.14 His workshop at 58 Fulton Street, was also well-positioned near to well-established furniture makers, like Duncan Phyfe’s at 168–172 Fulton Street.15
Coupled with Christian’s appointment as secretary of the Manufacturers and Mechanics of the City of New York, he was placed in proximity among leading contemporaries in the city’s furniture-making community.
Christian announced he was 'withdrawing from the Cabinet business' in May 1818. However, he apparently reconsidered because he continued to trade.
On the 31st of January 1820 (when he must of been about fifty years of age) he wed Mary White at St. John's Church on Hudson Square.16 They did not have children. The couple had less than ten years together because Christian became ill. On the 4 May 1829 he placed a notice in The Evening Post to announce a final auction of his 'elegant and genuine cabinet furniture'.
Christian recorded his will on the 20th of May leaving his entire estate to his wife, including her choice of household furniture, the proceeds from the sale of the remaining household contents and businesses, and his property in Ireland, including the rental income it derived. He expressed his wish that Mary sell their New York City home and move to 'the interior of the state to such a place as my said executors shall provide or recommend to her'. He passed away on 12 August 1829 and his will was probated on the 21st.17
The case study of Charles Christian is but one example of the journey an apparently well-heeled and shrewd immigrant tradesman took to navigate his life in the 'New World'; how he worked within manufacturing networks and communities that were often aligned by shared histories and opportunities, bound together through marriages and families, and religious and social organisations, resulting in shared workshops, business partnerships, and cultural ties that allowed him to prosper. Surviving fragmentary documentation and other alternative archival sources tell the story of previously forgotten furniture makers like Charles Christian, shedding light on their networks and broader influence. These sources enable us to trace the intricate connections that immigrant craftspeople formed within and beyond their communities, demonstrating how their skills, partnerships, and adaptability collectively influenced the evolution of American furniture design.
References:
- NY wills and probate record, Will date recorded 20 May 1829, Probate date: 21 August 1829
- Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) ID 6253.
- Aurora General Advertiser notice to the public by Christian as President of the Federal Society of Philadelphia Cabinet and Chairmakers describing his and various craftsmen’s financial plight due to cost of living and employer backlash due to their increasing rates
- New York City Directory (1798).
- Record of Wills, 1665-1916; Index to Wills, 1662-1923 (New York County), New York Surrogate's Court (New York County), Probate Place: New York, New York, Will for Charles Christian and Elizabeth Christian, accessed June 18, 2023, Ancestry.com.
- Peter M. Kenny, “From New Bedford to New York to Rio and Back: The Life and Times of Elisha Blossom, Jr., Artisan of the New Republic,” American Furniture (Chipstone Foundation, 2003), accessed November 10, 2024.
- The Evening Post (New York, NY), November 02, 1803, 3, accessed May 12, 2023.
- National Archives Charles Christian Naturalisation Card 1802 Volume 3 Record no 236.
- ‘Letter to the editor’ in The Evening Post (28 March, 1807), detailing Christian’s removal as Auctioneer and subsequent fallout with partner Paxton written by Samuel Paxton ) **Note: This political affiliation was written about throughout NY between the years of 1803-1807 and in areas of the southern states, including Richmond Va. Click here more information on Cheetham.
- The Evening Post (25 January 1812). This article named Christian as a police justice and the New York City Directory (1812) listed him as ‘Charles Christian, Police Justice’. This judicial appointment meant Christian had authority in local matters related to law enforcement and public order, including minor criminal cases, maintaining order in the community, and serving as magistrates in preliminary hearings.
- The Evening Post (31 Dec 1813). Manufactures meeting notice naming Christian as the new secretary.
- Entry from Blossom daybook recording work done on a Pembroke table for Christian and a payment of $5.
- Maurie D. McInnis and Robert A. Leath, “Beautiful Specimens, Elegant Patterns: New York Furniture for the Charleston Market, 1810–1840,” American Furniture (Chipstone Foundation, 1996), accessed 10 November, 2024
- Betsy Bradley et al., Tribeca North Historic District Designation Report, New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, December 1992, 33, Wayback Machine, accessed November 10, 2024.
- The Evening Post, 20 February 1820.
- “Superior Furniture Sale, By S. Paxton & Co.,” The Evening Post (New York, NY), 8 May, 1817, accessed 28 July, 2023.
- Record of Wills, 1665-1916; Charles Christian, 21 August 1829, Vol 063, 1828-1835, pp. 238-39.
Title image: Map of New York. Surveyed in 1782 and drawn 1785 by John Hills. New York Public Library.
About the author
Bridget Garza Griffin
Bridget Garza Griffin is an art historian and independent researcher who specialises in decorative arts and the collecting histories in the long eighteenth century. She currently serves as Executive Assistant at The Attingham Trust and as a Research Assistant on the British and Irish Furniture Makers Online (BIFMO) project, under the supervision of Dr Laurie Lindey. Her work on the Migration and Craftsmanship project aims to trace the movements and impacts of British and Irish furniture makers in early American port cities throughout the long eighteenth century.
Bridget is also a freelance lecturer, most recently guest lecturing for Colgate University’s course Leave to Remain: African Caribbean Lives in the British Imaginary. She has contributed to the Furniture History Society’s Newsletter and was a featured speaker at The Furniture History Society and Metropolitan Museum of Art's Early Career Research Symposium Furniture & Interiors from 1650 to 1950, where she delivered her paper Crafting Connections: Mapping the Lives and Trade Networks of British and Irish Immigrant Furniture Makers in North-Eastern Port Cities of Early America. Bridget also serves as a membership officer for The Society for the History of Collecting.
Bridget holds an MA in French and British Decorative Arts and Interiors from the University of Buckingham in partnership with the Wallace Collection. Her MA dissertation, Discovering Madam C.J. Walker: A First Look at African-American Women Collectors, explores the lives and contributions of African-American women in the collecting world and highlights Madam C.J. Walker’s role as a pioneering figure. In 2023, Bridget was part of a collaborative team that co-authored the exhibition catalogue Strawberry Hill’s Treasures from Faraway: Medieval and Renaissance Objects from The Schroder Collection.
Her research interests include the luxury commodities, materials, and craftsmanship associated with the furniture trade of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, with particular focus on the transatlantic connections between the European, American and West Indies markets. Bridget is especially interested in the exploitative relationship between the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, material and commodity usage, and the socio-economic implications of institutionalised slavery on the production and design of furniture.
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