Uncovering the Identity of a Northern Shenandoah Valley Cabinetmaking Shop
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A Southern Backcountry Mystery: Uncovering the Identity of a Northern Shenandoah Valley Cabinetmaking Shop by Patricia Long-Jarvis B.A. in Art History, December 1980, Scripps College A Thesis submitted to The Faculty of The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences of The George Washington University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts January 8, 2021 Thesis directed by Oscar P. Fitzgerald Adjunct Professional Lecturer of Decorative Arts & Design History i © Copyright 2020 by Patricia Long-Jarvis All rights reserved ii Dedication I wish to dedicate this thesis to my husband, Jim, our four children—James, Will, Garen, and Kendall—and my sister, Jennifer, for their unfailing support and belief in me. I am eternally grateful to Jim for his patience and providing the time and space away from our family while I researched the Newbrough & Hendricks story. Jim’s absolute love and unwavering confidence are why I completed this study. iii Acknowledgments The author wishes to thank the following individuals and institutions for their support and assistance in making this thesis a reality. My professor, mentor, and thesis advisor, Dr. Oscar P. Fitzgerald, who inspired my love for American furniture, and insisted from the beginning that I write a thesis versus taking a comprehensive exam. For the past three years, Oscar has patiently awaited the delivery of my thesis, and never lost his enthusiasm for the study. I will always be profoundly grateful for his wisdom, guidance, and confidence in me, and all I have learned from him as a teacher, scholar, and thesis advisor. This thesis could not have been written without Nick Powers. In 2016, I met Nick—Curator of Collections at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley—who shared his file containing over twenty case pieces that appeared to be the work of an unknown cabinetmaking shop working in the Winchester area during the first quarter of the nineteenth century. Nick encouraged me to uncover this shop's identity and turn it into a master’s thesis. Over the next three years, Nick opened the door to the northern Shenandoah Valley's fascinating history and the artisans who shaped its material culture while challenging me to think beyond this study's original scope and examine Newbrough & Hendricks furniture’s broader cultural significance. His belief in this project and my ability to complete it inspired me every day to persevere and see it through. I am forever grateful for his shouldering the task of being my second reader, mentorship, unerring eye, and most of all, his friendship. I am very grateful to Dr. Daniel Ackermann—Chief Curator & Director of Research, Collections, and Archaeology for the Museum of Early Southern Decorative iv Arts, Old Salem Museum & Gardens—for agreeing to be my third reader. Thank you for your astute and thoughtful advice, sharing your extensive knowledge, and enthusiastic encouragement to continue to the next phase of this study. I am deeply grateful to the Corcoran School of Arts & Design faculty, especially our program’s director, Erin Kuykendall. Erin guided me, kept me focused, and gently pushed me towards the finish line. I would also not be delivering this thesis today without the academic support and compassionate guidance from former program directors, Cindy Williams, and Angela George. I had a challenging first semester due to the loss of a parent just months into the program. Each of them encouraged and worked closely with me to find a path forward and finish the semester. I am also very grateful to Monica McKenna, Brandon Malnic, Mary Jane Penzo, and Kaity Edwards. We entered graduate school together and they became my comrades and cheerleaders as I struggled that first year to meet the program's demands as well as the needs of my family. A special thank you to Elizabeth Deans, former director of the master’s program, who enthusiastically supported this study and shepherded me through the early phases of the thesis process. Elizabeth Lay was my peer mentor during the first year of graduate school. Today, she is one of my closest friends. Liz has listened for hours about Newbrough & Hendricks, provided incredible support, advice, and most of all, tremendous enthusiasm for this study. Thank you, Liz, for your friendship, constancy, and caring. Many thanks to Jeffrey and Beverley Evans for supporting the study and for the time they took to open their home, share their personal collection, and introduce me to collectors of Newbrough & Hendricks case pieces. v A very special thank you to Matthew A. Thurlow, John L. Scherer, Sumpter Priddy, III, and Christopher Jones. These renowned decorative arts scholars generously shared their time and knowledge for which I will always be grateful. I am indebted to the numerous collectors who graciously invited me into their homes to examine a possible Newbrough & Hendricks case piece, particularly Dr. Gregory Bott. Greg's enthusiastic support, assistance in locating Newbrough & Hendricks case pieces, and sharing information he discovered about these two cabinetmakers proved invaluable. There are many organizations I wish to thank for assisting me with researching the lives of Joshua Newbrough and Job Smith Hendricks. These institutions include the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, New Jersey Historical Society, Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society, Preservation of Historic Winchester, Chester County Historical Society, Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, New York Historical Society, Clarke County Historical Society, Newtown History Center, Stewart Bell, Jr. Archives at the Handley Regional Library in Winchester, and the Frederick County, Virginia, Circuit Court Records Office. Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends for their support, love, and encouragement during the research and writing of this thesis. All of you were my wings that carried me through, for which I will always be grateful. vi Table of Contents Dedication ........................................................................................................................ iii Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ............................................................................................................ vii List of Figures ................................................................................................................... ix Introduction .........................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1: Winchester and the Northern Shenandoah Valley .............................................5 The Settling of the Northern Shenandoah Valley ................................................................6 Virginia and the Quaker Migration ......................................................................................7 Winchester and the Great Wagon Road ...............................................................................8 Chapter 2: Joshua Newbrough (1771-1847) ......................................................................10 The Newbrough Family and Chester County Quaker Community ...................................11 The Darlington/Pyle Family of Cabinetmakers & Possible Apprenticeships ....................14 The Chest-on-Frame Tradition ..........................................................................................16 Joshua Newbrough’s Cabinetmaking Shop .......................................................................17 Chapter 3: Job Smith Hendricks (1787-1846) ..................................................................21 Elizabethtown School of Cabinetmaking during the Federal Period .................................22 The Hendricks Family........................................................................................................24 Job Smith Hendricks’ Possible Apprenticeships ...............................................................26 John Scudder & Abraham Rosett .......................................................................................28 The Allison Brothers ..........................................................................................................33 New York City to Winchester............................................................................................35 Chapter 4: The Partnership of Newbrough & Hendricks (1812-1815) .............................37 The War of 1812 ................................................................................................................43 Post-Partnership Years (1816-1847) ..................................................................................45 The Estates of Job Smith Hendricks and Joshua Newbrough............................................50 vii Chapter 5: Object Analysis ...............................................................................................53 Methodology ......................................................................................................................53 The Winchester School of Cabinetmaking ........................................................................54 Newbrough & Hendricks Signature Style..........................................................................57 Slant Front Desk and Chest with Secretary Drawer ..........................................................60 The Frye-Martin Desk........................................................................................................62