Wallace Nutting Signed Stand or Side Table, carved spindle legs, 24" round top, 21" tall...............Most people have heard about Wallace Nutting's Hand-Colored Photographs...and many people are aware of the nearly 20 Books that he authored...but relatively few know anything about Wallace Nutting's Bench-Made Reproduction Furniture...or his Reproduction Ironwork.In his quest for authentic antique furniture to be used as props for his Colonial Interior scenes, Wallace Nutting quickly became an expert in Early American Antiques. He photographed more than 5000 different pieces of most early furniture styles and forms for use his books on antique furniture. And in this search to locate the good-better-best examples of each particular form, Wallace Nutting developed a sense of what was common and readily available, and what was rare and difficult to locate, even for the wealthiest individuals. Armed with this knowledge, Wallace Nutting decided to reproduce some of the finest forms of early American Antiques himself.Beginning first with Windsor Chairs in 1917, Nutting went on to copy more than 1000 different pieces from the Pilgrim, Chippendale, Hepplewhite, Queen Anne, Sheraton, and other early styles, stopping with the Empire period. Although other people were reproducing furniture at this time, Nutting sought to produce the very best. He spent a great amount of time, energy, and money trying to make his reproductions resemble the original as closely as possible, using the finest of woods, hiring talented craftsmen, and utilizing the earliest construction techniques wherever possible.Nutting wanted his good name associated with his fine furniture and clearly identified each piece accordingly. The earliest pieces were clearly marked with a Paper Label. When Nutting learned that certain unscrupulous individuals were removing his Paper Labels, artificially aging the piece, and selling it as original, Nutting decide to literally brand each piece of furniture with his name. Both Script Branded Signatures and Block Branded Signatures may be found.Unlike Nutting's Picture Market, which targeted lower and middle class households, Nutting's bench-made reproduction Furniture targeted higher income households...those that could probably afford the original antique, but who were unable to locate it. In the 1930's, during the height of the Great Depression, most Nutting Windsor Chairs were selling for more than $50 each ($200+ per set of 4), and his most expensive case piece was selling for $1800...a price more expensive than many houses at the time.Today Wallace Nutting Furniture is more highly sought after than ever before. Prices seem to be rising and the current Auction record for a piece of Wallace Nutting Furniture was set in 2002 when a #733 Goddard Secretary Desk sold for nearly $37,000. Info from....Michael Ivankovich Antiques & Auction Co., Inc.P.O. Box 1536 * Doylestown, PA 18901

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