The Winterthur Library

 The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

 

 

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

 

Creator:          George Michael, 1919-                                   

Title:               Papers

Dates:             1970-2000

Call No.:         Col. 696

Acc. No.:         03x85

Quantity:        12 boxes

Location:        19 L 1-2

 

 

 

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

 

George Michael is an antiques dealer, editor of National Antiques Review and of Antiques Gazette, as well as being host of the PBS program “Antiques with George Michael.”  Michael also wrote Antiquing with George Michael, The Treasury of New England Antiques, and Treasury of Federal Furniture.  His particular field of expertise is in the furniture form known as drop panel furniture.  He tracked down pieces in museum and private collections, discovered where the furniture was made, identified several makers, and wrote several articles on the subject.

 

 

SCOPE AND CONTENT

 

A collection of notes, letters, photographs, slides, clippings, auction catalogs, and other material, chiefly pertaining to drop panel furniture.  This furniture form was made during the Federal period, in particular between 1810 and 1820, and features a rectangular or square panel which drops beneath the bottom drawer of the chest, desk, or secretary.  The collection includes some correspondence with owners of these pieces of furniture; dimensions, slides and photographs of the pieces; advertisements and auction catalogs which depicted drop panel furniture; and copies of Mr. Michael’s articles.

 

 

ORGANIZATION

           

The papers are arranged alphabetically by names of the owners.  Boxes 7 and 8 include Michael’s articles, advertisements, and auction catalogs.  Boxes 9-12 contain slides.

 

 

PROVENANCE

           

Gift of George Michael, Merrimack, New Hampshire.

 

 

ACCESS POINTS

 

Topics:

            Furniture – Federal period.

            Furniture – United States – 19th century.

 

            Auction catalogs.

            Slides.

            Photographs.

 

 

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

 

Location: 19 L 1-2

 

Box 1:

 

Folder 1:          Ahlberg, Edwin            

 

Folder 2:          American Museum in Britain (photo)

 

Folder 3:          Arpin, Claude A.

 

Folder 4:          Art Institute, Chicago   

 

Folder 5:          Auctions

 

Folder 6:          Austin, Mrs. W.M.

 

Folder 7:          Avery, Elvira   

 

Folder 8:          Baker, William T.

 

Folder 9:          Baridoff Gallery (slide)             

 

Folder 10:        Batchelder, James H.

 

Folder 11:        Bayou Bend Collection

 

Folder 12:        Bean, Kenrick 

 

Folder 13:        Beck, Franklin

 

Folder 14:        Belogh

 

Folder 15:        Bennington Museum (Vermont)

 

Folder 16:        Bethune, Jack and Gloria         

 

Folder 17:        Bourgeault Auction

 

Folder 18:        Bourgeault, 1990

 

Folder 19:        Canaan, 3/1993 (slides)           

 

Folder 20:        Carr, Edwin(?)

 

Folder 21:        Carty, Marie

 

Folder 22:        Channon, Eric G.         

 

Folder 23:        Charlton, Jesse

 

Folder 24:        Chrisite’s, 1/1990

 

Folder 25:        Clarke House, Wolfeboro                                

 

Folder 26:        Clifford, Arline

 

Folder 27:        Cobb Auction

 

Folder 28:        Colby, [?]                    

 

Folder 29:        Colpitts, Cynthia – Carriage Trade Antiques

 

Folder 30:        Correspondence

 

Folder 31:        Cristal, Mrs. Philip

 

 

Box 2:

 

Folders 1-3:     Currier Gallery of Art                           

 

Folder 4:          Devereaux, Paul A.

 

Folder 5:          Driscoll, Robert

 

Folder 6:          Drop panel cabinetmakers

 

Folder 7:          Drop panel chests        

 

Folder 8:          Drop panel furniture owners

 

Folders 9-10:   Drop panel furniture to see

 

Folders 11-12: Emerson-Wilcox House (York, Maine)

 

Folder 13:        English, Ruth B. James (Mrs. Benjamin W.)

 

Folder 14:        Furbush, Mary (Mrs. Spencer S.)

 

 

Box 3:

 

Folder 1:          Gaines, A. & A.

 

Folder 2:          Garth’s Auctions (Ohio)           

 

Folder 3:          Hammitt’s Antiques

 

Folder 4:          Hammond, Roland       

 

Folder 5:          Harvilla, Thomas (Binghamton, NY)

 

Folder 6:          Hefferman, John P.

 

Folder 7:          Henry Ford Museum

 

Folder 8:          Hereford, Harriet

 

Folder 9:          Hosford, Harold

 

Folder 10:        Israel Sack, Inc.

 

Folder 11:        John Paul Jones House (Portsmouth, NH)

 

Folders 12-13: Jorgenson, Robert N.  

 

Folder 14:        Kelly, Ann       

 

Folder 15:        Kimble, Karel

 

Folder 16:        Kopcych, Joe (photos)

 

Folder 17:        Leone, Paul S.

 

Folder 18:        Louisiana State University

 

Folder 19:        Ludwig, Cameron

 

Folder 20:        Lyons, Richard

 

Folder 21:        Martens, Nadine (Mrs. Jack R.)

 

Folder 22:        Martin, Mary F.

 

Folder 23:        Mawdsley, Paul H.      

 

Folder 24:        May, Rundlett-May House, Portsmouth, NH

 

Folder 25:        McClafferty, Jane

 

Folder 26:        McElwee, Dorothy

 

Folder 27:        McInnis auction, January 1987

 

Folder 28:        McInnis auction, July 1989

 

Folder 29:        Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

 

Box 4:

 

Folder 1:          Michael, George

 

Folder 2:          Milne, Mrs. Kenneth D.

 

Folder 3:          Morse, Mrs. Harold

 

Folder 4:          Museum of Fine Arts, Boston  

 

Folder 5:          Naeve, Milo

 

Folder 6:          New Hampshire Historical Society

 

Folder 7:          Norton, Evelyn

 

Folders 8-9:     Parke Benet

 

Folder 10:        Parson, Charles

 

Folder 11:        Peavey, John F.

 

Folder 12:        Pennock, Mrs. Paul

 

Folder 13:        Perschbacher, J.H.

 

Folder 14:        Philadelphia Museum of Art

 

Folder 15:        Pingree House (Salem, Mass.)

 

Folder 16:        Price, Thomas W.

 

Folder 17:        Read Antiques

 

Folder 18:        Reid, Donna

 

Folder 19:        Related pieces 

 

Folder 20:        Research

 

Folder 21:        Rogers, Mrs. Alva       

 

Folder 22:        Roscoe, F.

 

 

Box 5:

 

Folder 1:          Sackett, Edward and Rachel

 

Folder 2:          Sanders & Mock, auctioneers

 

Folder 3:          Schutte, Tess

 

Folder 4:          Schwenke, Thomas G.

 

Folder 5:          Shreve Crump & Low

 

Folder 6:          Skinner, Inc.

 

Folder 7:          Skinner, Robert           

 

Folder 8:          Smith & Abbe

 

Folder 9:          Smith, William

 

Folder 10:        Spalding, William

 

Folder 11:        Spiecker, Debbie

 

Folder 12:        Sprague Auction

 

Folder 13:        Stevens-Coolidge House (North Andover, Mass.)       

 

Folder 14:        Stewart, Elizabeth G.

 

Folders 15-16: Stinson, Carl

 

Folder 17:        Stockwell, David

 

Folder 18:        Straw, [?]

 

Folder 19:        Strawberry Banke                   

 

Folder 20:        Strawberry Banke: Gov. Goodwin House

 

Folders 21-24: Upton, Richard

 

Folder 25:        Vermont (slide)            

 

Folder 26:        Waeger, Marie Clark

 

Folder 27:        Wahler, Carole

 

Folder 28:        Weeks, W. Richard                 

 

Folder 29:        Wendell, [?]    

 

Folder 30:        William A. Smith, Ltd., auctions

 

Folder 31:        Williams, Thomas D.                

 

Folder 32:        Willis, Martin, auctions

 

Folder 33:        Winterthur Museum

 

Folder 34:        Witherell, Helen and Sanford

 

Folder 35:        Withington, [?]

 

Folder 36:        York Institute (Saco, Maine)

 

Folder 37:        Zoler, Jon

 

 

Box  6:

 

Folder 1:          Drop panel furniture: articles by George Michael

 

Folder 2:          Drop panel furniture: auctions and ads, 1974-2002

 

Folder 3:          Drop panel furniture: advertisements and miscellaneous

 

 

Box 7: Auction catalogs

 

Folder 1:          Drop panel furniture, no date, 1970-1993

 

Folder 2:          Drop panel furniture, 1994-1995

 

 

Box 8: auction catalogs

 

Folder 1:          Drop panel furniture, 1996-1997

 

Folder 2:          Drop panel furniture, 1998-2000

 

 

           

Box 9: slides

 

Bin 1:               Avery

 

Bin 2:               Avery 2

 

Bin 3:               Baker, Batchelder, Bean, Bayou Bend

 

Bin 4:               Bean, Beck, Bennington, Boston, Carty

 

Bin 5:               Carr, Carty, Chicago

 

Bin 6:               Chicago, Clark, Clarke House, Clifford

 

Bin 7:               Colby, Cooledge

 

Bin 8:               Cristal, Currier

 

 

Box 10: slides

 

Bin 1:               Currier, Historic Deerfield, Denmark

 

Bin 2:               L. Dodson, Drop Panel

 

Bin 3:               Drop panel

 

Bin 4:               Drop panel

 

Bin 5:               Drop panel

 

Bin 6:               Drop panel, H. Ford, Furbush

 

Bin 7:               Grenada, Hammett, Hammond

 

Bin 8:               Hefferman, Hosford

 

 

Box 11: slides

 

Bin 1:               Jones, Jorgenson

 

Bin 2:               C. Ludwig, Martin, May

 

Bin 3:               McElwee, Michael

 

Bin 4:               Michael, Morse, New Hampshire Historical Society

 

Bin 5:               Norton, PB [i.e. Parke Benet?]

 

Bin 6:               Parke Benet, Appleton, PB, Parsons, Peavy

 

Bin 7:               Pennock, Pingree, Portland, Montreal

 

Bin 8:               Shreve Crump & Low, Skinner

 

 

Box 12: slides

 

Bin 1:               Smith Auction, Stevens-Coolidge, Stewart

 

Bin 2:               Stinson

 

Bin 3:               Strawberry Banke, Stockwell, TV show

 

Bin 4:               Upton, Wallace Collection, Walpole

 

Bin 5:               Elisha Warner, Weeks, Wendell, Wilcox

 

Bin 6:               Wilcox, Wilcox table, Winterthur, Wolfeboro (Rogers)

 

Bin 7:               York Institute Museum