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Discover Mid-America — June 2005

Generic names of real people

In our modern culture, which embraces a slipshod approach to the English language, we have a habit of taking proper names and turning them into generic, non-capitalized descriptive words for an entire class of objects or products. An example is “Kleenex.” That proprietary brand name of facial tissue belongs to the corporation Kimberly-Clark (both of whom at one time were real people). But in a pinch when you need a product like this do you question whether it is Kleenex brand or do you just need a kleenex - with a small “k?” Also most of us who have a few smiles around our eyes are just as likely to say we need some "clorox" with a small "c" when we mean household bleach — never mind the proper brand name on the label.

A 19th century poudreuse, a k a "Beau Brummel", opened to show storage for dressing items and the attached, lift-up mirror. (photo courtesy Fred Taylor)

The same loose-language approach has developed in the language of antique furniture. We have come to use proper names to describe a class or type of furniture and the use of these names have become so commonplace that sometimes the real people behind the generic names have been forgotten. But I'm not talking about generally descriptive names that denote a large class or style of furniture like "Georgian" or even “George III.” "Louis XV" and "Victorian" labels fall in that same category. Even Chippendale and Eastlake fit here but all these terms relate to a particular period or stylistic element.

I am referring to that select group of people for whom a very specific form of furniture has been named and the appellation has become so useful as to be generic. When you use the term no further explanation is necessary. Here are some examples of some generic uses of the names of real people.

DAVENPORT - This term generally is used to describe a small-scale desk with a cantilevered writing surface, which is usually unsupported by legs. This type of desk normally has drawers that pull out from the side rather than the front, making the best use of the small cabinet. Davenport desks were extremely popular in the 19th century.

The original Davenport was designed by Capt. John Davenport of London and an order was placed with Gillows in the late 1790s for its manufacture. Capt. Davenport used the compact desk in his quarters on his sailing ship. The term “davenport” was later used in America to describe several things of a small scale including a small couch and a thin sofa table.

BREUER CHAIR (not Brewer) - This is the ubiquitous bent chrome chair with separate seat and back, usually caned in modern pressed cane or "Viennese weaving" as Marcel Breuer, the designer, called it.

Breuer was born in Hungary in 1902 and became an important part of the German Bauhaus School of Design in the 1920s where he helped shift the focus from “Arts & Crafts” to “Arts & Technology.” After stops in Paris and London, Breuer came to America in 1937 where his architectural skill was in the forefront for many years. The most reproduced of his works is the bent chrome chair, design #B32 but his most famous chair is the "Wassily" chair, #B3.

BEAU BRUMMEL - This a common name given to a form of dressing table made popular in late 18th century France when men paid as much or more attention to their dress and make up as women did. The form was actually known as a "poudreuse" meaning "powder" in French or "duster of the man" in French slang, referring to the generous use of face powder in makeup. It was a very rare example of the combination of an attached mirror and wooden case in the 18th century.

Fixed mirrors were not usually a part of the dressing table until the early 19th century. The popularization of the poudreuse predated the heyday of the celebrated English dandy, George Bryan Brummel, 1778-1840, by several decades but his name became associated with the form merely because of his notoriety.

PEMBROKE TABLE - The true origin of this form of drop leaf table is rather vague but most people conveniently attribute it to the Countess of Pembroke who reportedly ordered the first one in the 1750s or 1760s. Who actually designed it is up for further discussion but Thomas Sheraton was so impressed he called it the universal table, and Chippendale introduced one of the first designs with a drawer in 1766. It has been continuously produced for over 250 years and no matter what the style it is always called a "Pembroke".

SUTHERLAND TABLE - This last example is a variation of the Pembroke table. It has a flat middle section so narrow as to be unusable as a table until one or both of its deep drop leaves are opened. It was introduced in 1850, almost exactly100 years after the Pembroke form came to light and interestingly enough this form of table was named after Harriet Sutherland, who just coincidentally happened to be the Duchess of Pembroke at the time.

Fred Taylor's new book "HOW TO BE A FURNITURE DETECTIVE" is now available for $18.95 plus $2 for S & H. Send check or money order for $20.95 to Fred Taylor, PO Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423.

Fred and Gail Taylor's video, “IDENTIFICATION OF OLDER & ANTIQUE FURNITURE,” ($29.95 includes S & H) is also available at the same address. For more information call (800) 387-6377, fax (352) 563-2916, or e-mail fmtaylor@aol.com.

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