Clothespress

The clothespress-used for storing linens and other textiles in many drawers, including some hidden by the doors of the upper case-was a relatively rare form in American furniture. This is one of a small group made in Boston; each features a closed, deeply curved pediment, derived from Anglo-Dutch furniture. The clothespress was made for Boston merchant Gilbert DeBlois, probably near the time of his marriage to Ann Coffin, in 1749. DeBlois (whose portrait hangs nearby) was a Loyalist who fled to England during the Revolution, leaving his family and property behind. His wife managed to retain or reacquire family possessions, and the clothespress remained in the family until it was acquired by the Museum, in 1987.

This clothespress once stored linens and other textiles in its eleven drawers, many of which are concealed behind the doors of the upper case. Despite its attractive design and high degree of utility, the form, which was introduced in England in the second quarter of the eighteenth century, did not gain a large following in Boston. This Boston-made example is therefore extremely rare. Several factors, including the continued popularity of other storage forms and the dramatic decrease in English-trained craftsmen in the city after the 1720s, may have contributed to its scarcity.Although this clothespress is much taller than English versions, its design incorporates elements of the mature Georgian style, a heavy and robust version of the late Baroque common in Britain, but generally not seen in colonial American furniture. The Georgian elements of this piece include the thick doors of the upper case, the concealed clothes-folding board or "slider" at the waist, and the exaggerated curves of the Anglo-Dutch-style closed ogee pediment. The use of thin stock for the drawers and the overall drawer construction also followed current British practice, but the Boston-based craftsman of this piece used American woods, including chestnut and eastern white pine, for the drawers instead of oak, the typical English choice.This clothespress was made for wealthy Boston merchant Gilbert DeBlois, probably around the time of his marriage to Ann Coffin in 1749. DeBlois was a Loyalist who fled to England during the Revolution, leaving his family and property behind. Ann DeBlois managed to retain the family possessions, or perhaps reacquire them after they were confiscated during the war. The clothespress remained in the family until it came to the Museum in 1987.This text was adapted from Ward, et al., MFA Highlights: American Decorative Arts & Sculpture (Boston, 2006) available at www.mfashop.com/mfa-publications.html.