How to Identify Antique Federal Furniture

The Federal-style furniture became popular after the Revolutionary War.

Antique furniture typically dates back more than a century. Not all antique furniture, however, is the same. Antique furniture varies by styles, time periods and wood used. For example, late Colonial style differs from the Federal style because designers used Queen Anne and English Georgian as inspiration. When buying, collecting or selling antique furniture, you want to know if it’s from a different time period, a reproduction or an original. Instead of relying on professional antique dealers, you can identify antique Federal-style furniture -- such as highboys, tables and cabinets -- yourself.

Instructions

1. Conduct research on Federal-style furniture. Go to the library or museum or buy books to study the Federal time period. For example, you want to know that the Federal period ranged from 1780 to 1820. Study pictures of the furniture made during the Federal period. Also, conduct research on furniture designers popular during that time; e.g., Charles Honore Lannuier, John Dolan and George Woodruff.

2. Memorize Federal-style design features. Survey the entire furniture piece to pick out Federal-style details. Federal antiques were made with mahogany or cherry wood or walnut stained a deep red. Notice the intricate workmanship details -- the types of wood used, the contrast between light and dark wood and the decorations. For example, look for string or painted inlays, eagles or stars on furniture pieces like cabinets or beds.

3. Survey the furniture to distinguish it from replicas, reproductions or fakes. Inspect the hardware, tool marks and joints. For example, the antique furniture has hand-cut joints like dovetail joints. Thus, you should see cruder and wider dovetails than you’d see on furniture made during the mid-19th century. Also, reproduced or replica furniture may be made with plywood.

4. Eliminate other antique furniture made around the same time. If you see furniture made of fruit woods, walnut, pine or maple with Germanic styles, you can’t identify the furniture as Federal style. Instead, it’s probably Pennsylvania Dutch. Furniture made with maple or pine with no decoration is generally Shaker furniture.

Tips & Warnings

• You can pick out Federal-style antique furniture made by designer Duncan Phyfe, who specialized in the Sheraton style of the Federal period incorporating concave legs and backs and classical motifs on mahogany furniture.

• You should be aware of the difference in style of the Federal period. Early Federal antique furniture has more English influences than later furniture.

References

• Furniture Styles: Federal Style Furniture
• Antique Furniture Blog: Who Else Wants to Identify Antique Furniture Styles?; May 25, 2009;
• PRLog: Spotting Real Antiques, Fake Antiques and Reproductions