In March 2003 the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) will publish the much-anticipated, three-volume set entitled The Furniture of Charleston, 1680-1820, written by respected decorative arts scholars Bradford L. Rauschenberg and the late John Bivins, Jr. The combined knowledge and talent for analysis of southern furniture that the authors bring to The Furniture of Charleston, 1680-1820, as well as the nearly 1,500 photographs reproduced in the books, make this title an essential resource for anyone with an interest in American decorative arts.

The first major study of Charleston, South Carolina, furniture in fifty years, The Furniture of Charleston is the result of twenty-five years of painstaking field and archival research, photography, and writing. With over 250 full-color photographs by acclaimed decorative arts photographer Gavin Ashworth, the text and images closely interact to provide clear and detailed description and explanation of furniture styles and construction unique to Lowcountry furniture. The combined 1400-plus pages of the three volumes creates the most comprehensive study yet gathered of the golden years of Charleston and its furniture trade.

Volume I: Colonial Furniture and Volume II: Neoclassical Furniture discuss and illustrate over 450 pieces of furniture. Case furniture, tables, and seating furniture and bedsteads are discussed in meticulous detail with comprehensive notes on dimension, materials, condition, construction, markings/inscriptions, and provenance. Comparative analysis and text that bridges forms and time is made possible by easy-to-use cross-referencing devices such as figure prefixes and chapter organization. An index of the furniture chapters and a concordance are presented at the end of each volume.

Volume III: The Cabinetmakers alphabetically presents the lives of over 675 cabinetmakers and supporting craftsmen identified to have been active in Charleston from 1680-1820. Each biography is the result of exhaustive exploration of primary sources. Extensive in-text citations along with a reference list and bibliography combine to create a scholarly, yet user-friendly reference tool.

Noted archaeologist, photographer, researcher, and an authority on wood anatomy, Bradford L. Rauschenberg is a Senior Fellow Emeritus at MESDA and Old Salem. He, along with Frank Horton, established the MESDA field research program and the early development of MESDA through the acquisition of objects, development of exhibitions, and lecturing throughout the United States and Great Britain. In addition to The Furniture of Charleston, 1680-1820, Rauschenberg’s books include The History of the Wachovia Historical Society: 1848-1995 and British Regional Carving (1600-1640) and Furniture (1600-1800). He has written 29 articles on decorative arts. He holds a Master of Arts in History from Wake Forest University.

John Bivins, Jr. was an award-winning author, lecturer, and architectural historian and a talented gun maker and carver who specialized in eighteenth-century interiors. His mastery of wood is evident in the architectural carving in MESDA’s Charleston parlor and bedroom, which John completed and installed in 1984. He served as director of restoration and curator for Old Salem from 1968 to 1975 and then as director of publications for MESDA from 1980 to 1990. He is author of The Furniture of Coastal North Carolina, The Moravian Potters in North Carolina, Moravian Decorative Arts in North Carolina, The Regional Arts of the Early South, Long Rifles in North Carolina, The Art of the Firelock Rifle, and numerous articles on the decorative arts. John was near completion of the manuscript for The Furniture of Charleston, 1680-1820 when he died in August 2001.

The three volumes are handsomely printed and bound, and are presented in an attractive slipcase to protect the books and aid in their usage. The set will retail for $325.00 and is distributed by MESDA. For more information about The Furniture of Charleston, 1680-1820, please visit www.mesda.org or call 1-800-822-5151.