The
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
Henry
Francis du Pont
5105
Kennett Pike, Winterthur, Delaware 19735
Telephone:
302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883
OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION
Creator: Phyfe, Duncan, 1768-1854
Title: Papers
Dates: 1801-ca.1860
Call No.:
Acc. No.: [various
– see detailed description]
Quantity: 1 box
Location: 17 I 3
BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT
Duncan
Phyfe was a furniture maker in
From
the 1790s through 1847, Phyfe had a successful cabinetmaking business in
Until
1837, Phyfe conducted business under his own name, but in that year his sons,
William (1803-1875) and James Duncan (1814-1887), became partners, and the firm
was renamed Duncan Phyfe & Sons.
When William left the business in 1840, the name of the firm changed
once again to Duncan Phyfe & Son.
Phyfe retired in 1847 having accumulated a large fortune. He died on August 16, 1854.
Phyfe
was married to Rachel Louzada (circa 1781-1851); they had seven children who
lived past infancy, including a daughters Mary (1795-1870), Eliza (1803-1890;
married William Vail, Jr.), and Isabella (ca.1814-1841). In addition to the sons mentioned above, they
had Michael (1794-1836; he also worked with his father), and Edward (1808-1887). Mary married Sydney B. Whitlock (1794-1849, a
ship’s captain). In 1843, Phyfe bought a
house in Southbury, Connecticut, for this daughter and her family.
SCOPE AND CONTENT
The
collection consists of bills, receipts, a letter, and the inventory of Phyfe's
estate. The bills of sale provide broad,
general descriptions, usually recording the kind of the furniture that Phyfe
made, and sometimes the type of wood used. Along with a bill to Charles Bancker of
Philadelphia is a piece of paper on which two different styles of chairs are
drawn, with the prices for each. Bancker
was to choose the style he wanted to have made. (None of Phyfe’s account books are known to
have survived.) The inventory of the
contents of Duncan Phyfe’s house was done a month after his death. The goods are listed by room. The furniture was often made of mahogany or
rosewood, and some pieces had marble tops.
As well,
the collection includes a list of goods from the estate of Michael Phyfe which
were given to his widow Susan in 1836.
This lists a good deal of furniture, other household goods, and some
livestock. Also found is a group of
photographs, taken in the late 1850s or the early 1860s, of the Connecticut
house which Phyfe had given to his daughter Mary Whitlock. Included are two photos taken at the time of
the wedding of her son Duncan Phyfe Whitlock.
The Knox
family materials are not closely related to the rest of the Phyfe
collection. The story is that they came
with a Duncan Phyfe sofa acquired by an antiques dealer. He sold the sofa but retained the
letters. In two letters is mentioned the
fact that the Rev. John Knox of New York City had sent a sofa to his father,
who died before it arrived. The father
appeared to have lived in Adams County, Pennsylvania. Presumably, the sofa mentioned in the letters
was the Phyfe sofa acquired by the dealer.
ORGANIZATION
Documents
are arranged chronologically.
LANGUAGE OF MATERIALS
The
materials are in English.
RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS
Collection
is open to the public. Copyright
restrictions may apply.
PROVENANCE
Purchased
from various sources.
ACCESS POINTS
People:
Knox family.
Phyfe, Michael,
1794-1836.
Whitlock, Mary Phyfe,
1795-1870.
Topics:
Furniture - Drawings.
Furniture - Prices.
Furniture industry and trade -
Inventories of decedents' estates -
Inventories of decedents' estates -
New Jersey – Middlesex County.
Coffins - Prices.
Weddings - Photographs.
Bills of sale.
Receipts.
Estate records.
Furniture makers.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
COLLECTION
Location: 17 I 3
Box 1:
Folder 1: Photoreproduction of a receipted bill
from Duncan Phyfe to Mr. Rutherford,
[from research files of R.T.
Haines Halsey]
Folder
2: Photocopy of a receipted bill
from Duncan Phyfe to Mr. Morewood,
[Original
in Museum of the City of New York (57.28.1)]
Photocopy of a
photograph of a receipt from Duncan Phyfe to John Cruger, Feb. 14, 1803 in a
notebook kept by Cruger. For a tea
table. (from copy in DAPC)
[Location of original is
unknown.]
photocopy of a bill from Nichl. Carmes to the Corporation
of City [of New York], for repairs at Federal Hall, April-May 1803; includes a charge made to D. Phyfe for a desk, &c,
as well as charges to Mr. van Winkle for blinds; Miller & Baker for boards;
Richd. Furman for glazing; and Henry Clemment for nails. (acc. Ph 1106)
[original at Queens
College, Flushing, N.Y.]
Folder
3: Receipted bill from Duncan
Phyfe to George P. McCulloch,
On back: note from
McCulloch to Messrs. Low & Wallace requesting them to pay Phyfe, Oct. 8,
1806, with Phyfe’s acknowledgement that he had received payment. (acc. 54.37.33)
Folder
4: Photocopies of four bills from
Duncan Phyfe to Mr. Talbot, April 11 and May 20, 1807 and June 4 and 10,
1808. For 2 bedsteads, 2 pine tables, a
bureau, a pair of sofas[?], and another table.
There is also a charge for mending blinds. (acc. Ph1123.1-.2)
Originals in Marine
Historical Association, Mystic,
Folder
5: Photographs and photocopies of
a bill from Duncan Phyfe to William Bayard, Nov. 21, 1807. Forms include chairs, sofas, a sideboard,
dining tables, dressing table, card tables, tea tables, a basin stand,
etc. (acc. Ph183)
Ten side chairs and two
arm chairs in the Phyfe Room here at Winterthur are thought to be mentioned in
this bill.
(This is the same as
65x595 which is still in the museum's collection, their acc. 1961.1436).
Folder
6: Two bills from Duncan Phyfe to
Thomas Masters, South Street, dated August and Dec. 7, 1810, covering work
June-October 1810. Forms include a
wardrobe, bureaus, field and “trunnel” [trundle] bedsteads, basin stands, pine table,
toilet table, a writing desk, a bookcase, and a child's coffin. As well, a counting house desk was mended,
bedsteads were put up, and casters were put on a bedstead. (acc. 61x052.1-.2)
Paper is watermarked.
Folder
7: Photostatic copies of the
title page and fly leaf of Phyfe’s copy of Revised
Prices for Manufacturing Cabinet and Chair Work, New York, 1810. (acc.
Ph928.1-.2)
[original held by
Winterthur; see NK2406 N53a, in Rare Books]
Folder
8: Bill from Duncan Phyfe to Mrs.
Elizabeth Heyliger, Jan. 1811 for a dining table and packing. With note from William Rogers to Markoe[?]
& Martin to pay the bill on behalf of Lady Elizabeth Heyliger of St. Croix.
(acc. 69x62.3)
Folder
9: Letter: Duncan Phyfe to N.
Bancker of
[Letter has been
laminated.]
Folder
10: Bill from Duncan Phyfe to
Charles N. Bancker, Jan. 4 and Aug. 21, 1816; postmarked Dec. 8. Forms include chairs, sofa, pier and card
tables, and foot stools. (acc. 56x6.3)
Pencil
drawings of two different styles of Phyfe chairs, giving the price of each with
cane bottoms or stuffed bottoms and the price of a loose cushion if the cane
seat were chosen. The prices correspond
with those of the chairs on the above bill. (acc. 56x6.4)
Folder
11: Bills from Duncan Phyfe to
George Newbold, 1823-1826. Items listed
include dining table, dressing table, bidet, sofa, butler tray and stand, knife
box, tea table, basin stands, bookcases, bookshelves, and pillows. Charges for repairing furniture are also
noted. (acc. 73x1, 73x2, 73x3)
Folder
12: printed copy of a receipted bill,
from Phyfe to Mr. Stanford, for a coffin and silver plate, Sept. 27, 1824. [Page from catalog; description in the catalog
mistakes Mr. Stanford’s name as that of a town.]
Photocopy
of a bill from Duncan Phyfe to the estate of Thomas Worthington, by hands of
Edward King, June 23, 1827 for a coffin. (acc. Ph 413)
[Original in Ohio
Historical Society]
Photograph
of a receipt from Duncan Phyfe to Luman Reed, March 21, 1833 for $910.00. [from
DAPC]
Location
of original unknown.
Folder
13: Duncan Phyfe estate
Inventory
of the personal estate of Duncan Phyfe, died Aug. 16, 1854. Taken on Sept. 14, 1854, by appraisers John
A. Livingston and S.[?] Burkhalter.
Lists "Household furniture at dwelling
house, number 193 Fulton Street, N.Y.," providing a room by room inventory
of the contents of his house and shop. A
list of stocks, bonds, notes, and cash is also present. (acc. 54.37.34)
Folder
14: Michael Phyfe estate
list
of articles from estate of Michael Phyfe which Duncan Phyfe ordered to be given
to Susan Phyfe, the widow, April 23, 1836.
Includes chairs, bureaus, looking glasses, sofa, tables, side board,
window blinds, pictures, carpets, umbrella, birds in a cage, milk pans, objects
on mantles, books, clocks, a map, bedsteads, beds and bedding, wash stand,
clothes cupboard, brass kettles, private settee, guns, ashes, some livestock,
some produce, a wagon, etc., etc. (acc. 14x5.1)
Folder
15: Michael Phyfe estate
photocopies
of papers dealing with the estate of Michael Phyfe, 1836, copied from records
of Middlesex County (New Jersey) Surrogate’s Office (acc. 14x5.2
Folder
16: Mary Phyfe Whitlock photos:
Photos
of the house in Southbury, Conn., given by Phyfe to his daughter Mary Phyfe
Whitlock in 1853. Two of the photos show
a wedding party (the groom is identified as being Duncan P. Whitlock) inside
the house; two other photos show people outside the house; one photo shows the
exterior of the house. A photographic
postcard shows a view of Southbury. An
envelope includes a list of the children of Mary and Sidney Whitlock. The photos were probably taken in the late
1850s. (acc. 99x12.1-.7)
Folder
17: Knox family materials
These materials came
from Joe Kindig Antiques. The memory of
the employees there is that these materials came with a Duncan Phyfe sofa which
the firm acquired at one time. The sofa
was sold, but the letters and photo were retained by the firm.
Letters, Samuel Knox,
Adams County, [Pennsylvania,] to brother the Revd. John Knox, New York. Dec.
24, 1821 and Feb. 18, 1822. In the first
letter, Samuel informed John of the death of their father and of the father’s
declining health before he died. Samuel
had received John’s letter about sending a sofa [apparently the Duncan Phyfe
sofa acquired by Joe Kindig] via Baltimore that was for their father. In the second letter, Samuel sent family news
and related that he had brought the sofa home.
Two of the rollers on the feet fell off in transit. (acc. 14x5.3-.4)
[a Dr. Samuel Knox died
in Adams County, Penn., on Dec. 22, 1821.]
Note dated August 16,
1902. Margaret A. Knox gives a sofa to
her granddaughter Margaret G. R. Horner.
Her grandfather John Knox wanted Margaret to have it. Note is attached to a piece of linen. (acc. 14x5.5)
Carte-de-visite photo of
John Knox, taken by Bogardus, New York City. (acc. 14x5.6)
65x086 Administrative accounts for the
estate of John Bruce,
54.37.40 Inventory of the estate of John B.
Dash (tin and coppersmith), 1804. Duncan
Phyfe is listed as a debtor.
54.83.47 Accounts kept by Ann Brooks,
administrator of the estate of James Brooks, New York, 1820, includes a
reference to paying Duncan Phyfe for a coffin and plate.
Contains
notes on Duncan Phyfe.
Contains
more of
Col.
565: Brewerton family papers
63x061 Account, the estate of George
Brewerton with William and Geo. R.A. Ricketts, includes an entry for amount
paid to Phyfe for a headboard for a bedstead.
75x253 List of debts owed by the estate of
Catherine Brewerton,
Auction catalog for sale of
furniture from Phyfe's warerooms dated April 1847 is in the Rare Book
Collection (NK2439 P57).
An autographed copy of The New York Revised Prices for Manufactured
Cabinet and Chair Work, 1810, is in the Rare Book Collection (NK2406 N53a)
Photographs
of furniture made by or attributed to Duncan Phyfe are in the Decorative Arts
Photographic Collection (DAPC), along with photos of a portrait of Phyfe and a
painting of his shop.
The museum collection contains
furniture from the workshop of Duncan Phyfe.
Bill from Duncan Phyfe to the
Corporation of the City of
Accounts of Mrs. William
Constable Sr.,
Notebook of Victor du Pont, bills
payable, Dec. 1805.
Bills from Duncan Phyfe to
William Bayard,
Receipts from Duncan Phyfe to
Francis Sexton, 1810-1819. Francis
Sexton Receipt book, New-York Historical Society.
Receipt from Duncan Phyfe to
Oliver Wolcott,
Bill from Duncan Phyfe to
Receipt from Duncan Phyfe to
Nicholas Low,
Bill from Duncan Phyfe to James
L. Brinckerhoff,
List of debts owed by William
Constable, Jr., 1819. Constable-Pierpont
Papers,
Bill from Duncan Phyfe to John
Jordan Morgan, May 26, 1823.
Bill from Duncan Phyfe to Mr.
Turnbull,
Receipt from Duncan Phyfe to B.
Clark,
Bill from Duncan Phyfe to Mr.
Hasbrouck,