From coffins and chairs to clock cases and chests of drawers, 19th-century cabinetmakers in rural New England produced a wide variety of objects, both everyday and exceptional, using a range of techniques and tools. This summer at Old Sturbridge Village, “Planed, Grained, and Dovetailed: Cabinetmaking in Rural New England,” a new exhibition, highlights rarely-seen objects and primary source materials from the village's collections. Centered on three main themes - form, process, and people - the exhibition examines the tools, products, and livelihoods of rural cabinetmakers in the early 19th century. Visitors will gain a deeper insight into how these objects were designed, fashioned, and used in the period, and how they inform our understanding of modern-day craftsmanship.
The exhibition illustrates the wide range of objects shaped by the hands of rural cabinetmakers, including clock cases, sofas, sideboards, and coffins. Delicate inlay, figured veneers, intricate carvings, and grain-painted surfaces represent the diversity of decorative processes practiced by a New England cabinetmaker to adorn his work. Interpretive labels and graphics will reveal the material story behind the objects - a receipt for a coffin, an account book from a local cabinetmaker, a recipe for green paint.
"The exhibit touches on woodworking, craftsmanship, the stories of individual creaftsmen and the objects they created," said Caitlin Emery Avenia, curatorial director at Old Sturbridge Village. "It's a wonderful opportunity to highlight not only the finished products, but also the process of production and all of the components that went into making a piece of furniture."
Although a permanent display on cabinetmaking has been discussed in the past, it was last year's acquisition of a portrait of Tilly Mead (1794-1849), a cabinetmaker from Hardwick, Mass., that provided the final impetus, noted Avenia. In lieu of a body of furniture, Mead left a trail of land transactions, patterns and graphic materials, some papers, architectural resources, and significant social connections. This evidence supports vivid conclusions about Mead's personality and his aspirations in the thriving but competitive field of fancy painted furniture, but offer only hints of his actual products. Mead's lively but meager career represents one cabinetmaker's response to the fluid but unstable state of the trade in mid-19th century New England.
The exhibit compares Mead's history with that of Samuel Wing (1774-1854), a cabinetmaker from Sandwich, Mass., to provide a deeper understanding of the craft and business as it existed in the 19th century. Unlike Mead, Wing left a body of furniture and documentary material, as well as the contents of his shop, including tools and patterns.
To promote techniques of pre-industrial craftsmanship featured in the exhibition, Old Sturbridge Village will host woodworking demonstrations by experienced craftsman trained in historic methods for seven weekends this fall, from Labor Day to Columbus Day. During this time, Old Sturbridge Village will host Maker's Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 23 and 24, highlighting pre-industrial craft methods, including cabinetmaking. Skills to be demonstrated may include: prepping wood, turning on a lathe, creating dovetail and mortise and tenon joints, and finishing processes such as carving, veneer, inlay, and grain painting.
Old Sturbridge Village is grateful to The Felicia Fund, The Americana Foundation, and Pat and Jim Goode for their generous support of “Planed, Grained, and Dovetailed.”

About Old Sturbridge Village
Old Sturbridge Village, the largest living history museum in the Northeast, depicts a rural New England town of the 1830s. Each year, more than 250,000 visitors interact with costumed historians, experience up-close demonstrations of early American trades, and meet heritage breed farm animals. Situated on 200 scenic acres, the village is a collection of more than 40 historic buildings - including homes, meetinghouses, trade shops, working farms and three water-powered mills - restaurants, shops and the Old Sturbridge Inn and Reeder Family Lodges.
Located just off the Massachusetts Turnpike and Routes I-84 and 20 in Sturbridge, Mass., Old Sturbridge Village is open year-round, but days and hours vary seasonally.
For details, visit www.osv.org.