INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter free, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/321-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. “SUCH A PARADISE CAN BE MADE ON EARTH:” FURNITURE PATRONAGE AND CONSUMPTION IN ANTEBELLUM NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI 1828-1863 by Jason T. Busch A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the University of Delaware in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree cf Master of Arts in Early American Culture Summer 1998 Copyright 1998 Jason T. Busch All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1391755 UMI Microform 1391755 Copyright 1998, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. “SUCH A PARADISE CAN BE MADE ON EARTH:” FURNITURE PATRONAGE AND CONSUMPTION IN ANTEBELLUM NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI 1828-1863 by Jason T. Busch Approved: __________________________ J. Ritchie Garrison, Ph.D. Professor in charge of thesis on behalf of the Advisory Committee Approved: James-C. Curtis, Ph.D. tor, Winterthur Program in Early American Culture Approved: c JohnC/Cavanaugh, Ph.D. Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Planning Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My difficult yet challenging journey through the furniture patronage and consumption of antebellum Natchez has included the support and guidance of many individuals and institutions. First and foremost, I would like to thank the National Park Service and the Historic Natchez Foundation for funding my summer research, primarily with a Lower Mississippi Delta Region Initiative Grant. I hope that my thesis will be useful to future scholarship and interpretation in Natchez and throughout this region. I owe the highest debt of gratitude to my thesis advisor, J. Ritchie Garrison. Ritchie has done more than just provide suggestions. He has instructed my research plan and helped to formulate both my ideas and writing. A constant source of encouragement, Ritchie has always been able to perceive my problems and situations, acting as much as a friend as an advisor. I can never repay the moral support and advice that both Stephen Harrison and Richard Murphy have graciously offered me while working on my thesis. Their intelligence and skill in material culture and decorative arts is exemplary, and their shared knowledge and experience in the museum field will guide my future career. I owe an equally large debt of thanks to Mary Warren (Mimi) and Ron Miller of the Historic Natchez Foundation. Not only did Mimi and Ron first encourage me to write my thesis on the antebellum furniture in Natchez, but they also shared with me a strong foundation of research that has been indispensable to my study. Mimi and Ron have literally opened many doors, and provided numerous opportunities for me. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. I also wish to alphabetically thank the following people and organizations for the time, knowledge, and experience that they have shared with me: Carter Bums, Kathleen Catalano, Wendy Clark, and the staff and summer scholars at the Historic Natchez Foundation; Laura Chase; Wendy Cooper; Anna D’Ambrosio; Deborah Ducoff-Barone; William Erwin, Jr., Donald Fennimore; the staff of the Filson Club Historical Society; Mary Herbert and the staff of the Maryland Historical Society and Library; the staff of Hill Memorial Library, Kathleen Jenkins, Louisiana State University; the staff of the Inter-Library Loan Department, University of Delaware; Bruce Laverty; Dan Lewis; Jack Lindsey; M’Lissa Kesterman and the staff of the Rare Books and Special Collections Department, the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County; Tom McGehee; Jeff Meyer; the staff of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History Library; Roger Moss; Carol Petravage; Richard Peuser and the staff of the National Archives; Jodi Pollack; Alyson Reichgott; Thomas Gordon Smith; Doug Southard; Betty Stewart; Peter Stickland; Brent Sverdloff and the staff of the Historical Collection, Baker Library, Harvard University School of Business Administration; Page Talbott; Catherine Hoover Voorsanger; Virginia Ward; Deborah Waters; Gregory Weidman; and the staff of the Winterthur Museum and Library. Most importantly, I wish to thank the owners, friends, and staff of Arlington, Lansdowne, Melrose, Rosalie, and Stanton Hall. These people, as well as David Calcote, Caroline & Paul Brown Harrington, and the owners and staff of Auburn, Monmouth, and Weymouth Hall, shared with me their unbelievable collections of antebellum furniture. I dedicate this thesis to the people long past and present that have continued to preserve the rich material culture of Natchez, Mississippi. iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................ vi LIST OF FIGURES......................................................................................................vii ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................xii TEXT...............................................................................................................................1 APPENDIX: GEORGE J. HENKELS’ FURNITURE INVOICE TO HALLER NUTT................................................................................ 241 BIBLIOGRAPHY...................................................................................................... 245 v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF TABLES 1 The 1851-1859 Furniture Orders of Robert H. Stewart vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF FIGURES 1 Ottoman, labeled by Meeks & Stewart, New York City, 1839 ............................. 72 2 Label of Meeks & Stewart, New York City, 1839................................................73 3 Bed, inscribed in lead on interior of front cornice rail, “H or W C Schnenck,” c. 1850-1860............................................................................................... 74 4 Armoire, inscribed in ink on back, “Care,” “Leverich,” N O.” (New Orleans), and “Natchez,” probably New York City, c. 1840 ....................................75 5 Bed, inscribed in ink on bottom rail, “JTMcMurren [sic] / Care Stanton & Buckner / Natchez,” c. 1835-1850 ........................................... 76 6 Table, retains remnants of label of Joseph Meeks & Sons, New York City, c. 1829-1835............................................................................................... 77 7 Rocking Chair, labeled by Joseph Meeks & Sons, New York City, c. 1829-1835.............................................................................................. 78 8 Label of Joseph Meeks & Sons, New York City, c. 1829-1835...........................79 9 Divan (one of a pair), labeled with the stencil of J & J.W. Meeks, New York City, c. 1836-1846 ................................................................... 80 10 Ottoman (one of three), attributed to J & J.W. Meeks, New York City, c. 1835-1845.............................................................................................. 81 11 Stenciled Label of J & J.W. Meeks, New York City, c. 1836-1846 .....................82 12 Broadside of Joseph Meeks & Sons, New York City, 1833 ...............................83 13 Sofa (one of a pair, part of a suite) attributed to John Henry Belter, New York City, c. 1857-1859 ...................................................................