Eastlake furniture was made in the Victorian era
Q: This is a photo of an antique settee that I have. It has casters on all four legs. The frame is in very good shape, but needs to be reupholstered. I think the wood is walnut.
What can you tell me about my settee?
A: You have an Eastlake period settee. Most settees had two matching side chairs. The Eastlake period of design lasted from 1870 to 1890 and was one of the many Victorian era substyles. It was named for English designer and reformer Charles Eastlake. His views were a reaction to the heavy, dark furniture of the mid-19th century. Eastlake railed against all the extravagant, ornate, curved lines of earlier rococo and renaissance revival Victorian furniture. His book, Hints on
Household Taste became popular in the United States. It wasn’t long before American factories began making furniture with rectilinear lines, incised carving and stylized decorations. The turned legs with castors, canted back legs, padded arms, incised carving, back cushions framed with straight uprights between a decorative center and incised carved top rails with shallow floral carving are typical of Eastlake factory made furniture. Walnut was usually the manufacturer choice of wood. Nonetheless, a variety of woods were used.
Your circa-1870 settee would probable fetch $400 in an antiques shop. Address your questions to Anne McCollam, P. O. Box 247, Notre Dame, IN 46556.