home without one, unless something better could be afforded.
The distinguishing characteristic of the Hepplewhite and Sheraton sideboards have been well pointed out as consisting of a difference in style of the corners employed, and the treatment of the legs of the piece. Hepplewhite produced the serpentine effect by making his corners concave. Sheraton used the convex. Hepplewhite tapered the legs of his sideboard. Sheraton reeded his, but also used the square, tapered leg. Thomas Jefferson has left a record of an "elegant sideboard with pedestals" in his private dining room at Washington, used along with the black and gold chairs, the girandole mirror and screens that helped to make up the furniture of the room, which is of interest in this connection, with Sheraton-style sideboards distinguished by the round ends and straight or concave centers.
His designs were for utility, and one of his boards carried a grate at one end for holding coals to keep the dishes warm. His turned or reeded legs were typical of the Sheraton style as interpreted by Southern workmen. Both periods, in fact, were reflected in their work, and straight and bow-front inlaid sideboards are found made as late as 1810. At this time the columns showing the Empire influence appeared at the front of sideboards, which grew steadily heavier during this period.
PLATES
PLATE I. Queen Anne Side or Sideboard Table—Walnut. (Virginia—c. 1730-1750). This type, about five feet long and from six to twelve inches taller than the average table, is the forerunner of the sideboard, and is often mentioned in inventories as a sideboard. The cabriole leg and pad foot, as shown, are typical of the period. Side and sideboard tables are found with the skirt cut in scrolls by wav of ornamentation, and marble tops as much as six feet in length adorned them. Some had drawers in the front. (Property of Ross E. Millhiser).
PLATE II. Chippendale Side or Sideboard Table—Walnut. (North Carolina—c. 1760-1770). This type, in design, is almost an exact copy of one of the Chippendale plates, showing the square leg with thumb-print grooving and cut-out corner brackets. Due to its large size, it could be used as a sideboard. Tables of this type are found embellished with carving. (Property of J. F. Geisinger).
PLATE III. Hepplewhite Serpentine Front Sideboard—Walnut. (North Carolina—c. 1790). This sideboard, showing a serpentine front, is in a style which is invariably accompanied by a wine drawer at one end. The drawer fronts show a veneer of curly walnut inlaid with tulipwood and cross-banded with mahogany. The piece reflects the work of a skilled Southern craftsman. (Property of Mrs. M. A. Robbins).
PLATE IV. Hepplewhite Serpentine Sideboard—Mahogany. (North Carolina—c. 1790). Connoisseurs consider this to be the finest type sideboard. It is of superlative workmanship, of choice
