Secretary-bookcase
Thomas Seymour
(American (born in England), 1771–1848)
John Seymour
(American (born in England), 1738–1818)
1806–10
Object PlaceBoston, Massachusetts, USA
Medium/TechniqueMahogany, bird's-eye maple, eastern white pine, ash, and brass
Dimensions216.22 x 93.98 x 51.75 cm (85 1/8 x 37 x 20 3/8 in.)
Credit LineThe M. and M. Karolik Collection of Eighteenth-Century American Arts
Accession number39.157
On View
On viewClassificationsFurniture
Collections
The Seymour preference for contrasting passages of light and dark woods is expressed here to great effect through the use of curly maple and mahogany veneers. According to family history, this secretary-bookcase descended from John Amory, Jr., whose portrait by Gilbert Stuart is on view nearby. Thomas Seymour rented space from Amory for his Boston Furniture Warehouse, and it is likely that he made several pieces for his landlord.
Inscriptions"Cambridgeport Boston" in pencil on the right letter-drawer side
"X1" and "X2" are in pencil on the top surfaces of the drawers sidesProvenanceInherited by Mrs. Karolik from her great-grandfather, John Amory, Jr., of Boston.
about 1810
about 1790–1810
about 1807–10