Marc Allum opens the door on the evolution of the wardrobe
Into the fold
Historically, people generally had far fewer items of clothing than we do today – depending on their social standing – so did not require as much hanging space. Clothing was a more precious commodity and was stored differently. Rather like the early chests, linen presses were a popular form of storage in the 18th and 19th centuries. Comprised of two-door cabinets over a chest of drawers, the interior was fitted with several large pull-out wooden trays for folded clothes and linens.
Such pieces can be remarkably cheap at auction and examples from the early 19th century, which are often very plain, can be purchased for just a few hundred pounds. Part of their problem is that they are impractical for modern use; many had the trays removed and were converted into wardrobes in the 19th and 20th centuries, but they are very short and only suitable for hanging smaller items.
Neat and compact
It was during the early 19th century and the Victorian period that the wardrobe, as we know it, came into its own as a singularly identifiable entity. The form that it took is often referred to as a ‘compactum’ wardrobe: with a variety of compartments for accommodating various different aspects of one’s clothing. Regency compactums are my favourite because they often have an architectural quality that is simply stated but elegant. Typically, they will have a central set of drawers, topped with a cabinet or press, flanked by two hanging cupboards. These can be broken down for ease of transport into several sections and are often veneered in richly figured mahogany. They can be useful and imposing but the hanging space is often narrow and restricted and therefore not as accommodating as you might imagine. Expect to pay around £800 to £1,200 at auction for a reasonable example.
As the 19th century progressed, the burgeoning middle classes with their new, bigger commuter homes needed furniture to fill their houses in the leafy suburbs, and the bedroom suite became a staple purchase. Such demand was catered for by companies such as Maple & Co and James Shoolbred & Co, who sold them from grand London showrooms. The compactum wardrobe
therefore became an integral part of larger matching sets and would be available in double, triple and quadruple sections with the interiors divided into hanging, drawers, glass-fronted sections, deep shoe drawers, collar boxes and press drawers. In fact, the configurations were endless and such furniture would often reflect prevailing fashions of the time, such as French style, Gothic, Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts. It is common to find the separate components of such large 19th century bedroom suites for sale.
The compactum wardrobe remained a staple in this respect through the Victorian and Edwardian eras and into the pre-war period in the 1920s and ’30s, as an often smaller but stylish rendition of the prevailing Art Deco movement, usually in burr woods, such as maple, bleached walnut or birch. Large pieces are less fashionable these days and it is not unusual to see these late Victorian and Edwardian furniture leviathans selling at auction for just a couple of hundred pounds.
Fashion rails
Department stores, such as Liberty and Co and Heal’s, along with makers such as Shapland & Petter, also catered for very style-driven areas of the market. The hall wardrobe or ‘hallrobe’ was a trademark Liberty item and was often produced in oak, in wonderful tapering Arts and Crafts architectural form, with features such as painted panels, leaded glass, copper appliques and broad overhanging cornices. Liberty used a number of suppliers and quality can vary, but prices will always be much higher for their branded items. Do not expect any change from £1,500 for a single door ‘robe’.
As in all disciplines, many famous designers also made their mark on the humble wardrobe, often supplying such retailers. These include luminaries such as Augustus Welby Pugin, Charles Eastlake, William Burges, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, William Edward Godwin and Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson. Of course, these influences were quickly adopted by other manufacturers who sought to cash in on fashionable styles and quickly produced inferior look-a-like versions at more affordable price points. Take, too, the popular revival styles of the Edwardian period such as ‘Tudorbethan’, Hepplewhite and Chippendale, and wardrobes were made to suit literally every situation. Once highly popular with the American and Australian shipping markets, the ‘cheap’ end of this Edwardian output now sees mass-produced items selling at auction for very small amounts.
The post-war period saw a ‘Brave New World’ of fitted wardrobes and closets in smaller, contemporary properties. Yet there is still a market for the traditional wardrobe. Of course, flat pack is king, but it is not a million miles away from a 19th century armoire designed to be taken apart for easy transport, or a Regency compactum with its various components. Even with that perennial problem of awkward hanging space, I know which I prefer...