Born in Manchester, Massachusetts, in 1817, Cyrus Dodge, the grandson of the cabinetmaker Moses Dodge (1737-1776), entered the furniture industry as an apprentice to John Perry Allen in 1830. After completing journey work, he went into business for himself in 1841, when he bought a shop from Samuel Stone. Cyrus hired eleven chairmakers and two upholsters and established C. Dodge Furniture Co. in Manchester. In 1847, he built a large mill, which at full productivity employed thirty-five workers. In the early years, Dodge specialized in the manufacture of mahogany parlor chairs in the Victorian style. As time went on his product line expanded and the firm became deeply involved in the production of colonial revival pieces. Dodge's wares were available by mail order to individual customers and in the showrooms of retailers, primarily in Boston, Massachusetts.

In 1846, Cyrus Dodge married Julia Elizabeth Coes; they had three sons who survived to adulthood: Cyrus Melville, John Marshall, and Charles Coes. Charles Coes began to take control of the furniture firm in the 1870s. Charles Coes never married and in 1922, he convinced his nephew, Charles Ernest, to join the firm. In 1926, Charles Ernest assumed responsibility for its operations. C. Dodge Furniture Co. remained in existence under his leadership until the mid-1960s.

The collection consists of 283 photographs and 84 drawings of furniture manufactured by Dodge; 22 account books, memoranda books, and other financial records of the firm's activities; 8 boxes of templates and full size patterns for making and repairing furniture; 21 photographs of the Dodge workshop and workmen (ca. 1900-1949); and miscellaneous advertisements produced for the firm. The items document the range of furniture produced by the company as well as the activities associated with making and selling its furniture.

The collection is arranged in the following series: photographs, drawings and patterns, printed material, account books, and furniture templates.

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Copyright restrictions may apply

Purchased from Burklins Books. Templates transferred from Winterthur Museum.

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION Repository code: DeWint File name: col258.xml Abstract: The C. Dodge Furniture Company was founded in Manchester, Massachusetts in 1841 and in operation until the mid 1960s. The firm became deeply involved in the production of colonial revival pieces. Included in the collection are photographs, drawings and designs for furniture, account books, and templates and full size patterns for making and repairing furniture. Extent: 5 linear feet Date range: 1841-1965, bulk 1900-1960 Related materials: Language: English Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera Winterthur, DE 19732 (302) 888-4853 C. Dodge Furniture Company Records Col. 258 Creator: C. Dodge Furniture Company. Title: Records Dates: 1841-1965, bulk 1900-1960. Call No.: Col. 258 Acc. No.: 67×128, 67×129, 67×130 Quantity: 13 boxes, 7 volumes Location: 15 L 1-2 and oversize boxes

Roessel, Elizabeth Harding. “ `The Way We've Always Made It': The C. Dodge Furniture Company and the Cabinetmaking Industry of Manchester, Ma.” (thesis), University of Delaware, 1987.

Photographs of Dodge made furniture are also found in the Decorative Arts Photograph Collection, Winterthur Library.