NOTE TO USERS This reproduction is the best copy available. ® UMI Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE PARADOX OF GOOD INTENTIONS: JOHN NEEDLES, CABINETMAKER IN ANTEBELLUM BALTIMORE By Dana Ellen Byrd A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the University of Delaware in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Early American Culture Spring 2005 © 2005 Dana Ellen Byrd All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1426012 Copyright 2005 by Byrd, Dana Ellen All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS 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 bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send 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. ® UMI UMI Microform 1426012 Copyright 2005 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE PARADOX OF GOOD INTENTIONS: JOHN NEEDLES, CABINETMAKER IN ANTEBELLUM BALTIMORE By Dana Ellen Byrd Approved: / Bernard L. Herman, Ph.l Professor in charge of thesis on behalf of the Advisory Committee Approved: J. Ritchie Garrison, Ph.D. Director of the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture Approved: Conrado MrGefhpd&aw Iy Ph.D. Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Approved: Conrado M. GempesaV-fpTm.D. Vice-Provost for Academic and International Programs Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My first encounter with the story of John Needles made an indelible impression. I was offered my first glimpse of the story of this deeply moral man, who crafted abolitionist schemes and elegant furniture with equal aplomb, in an exhibit, Looking for Liberty: An Overview of Maryland History. The co-creator of that exhibit, Jeannine Disviscour, Curator and Associate Director of Satellite Museums at the Maryland Historical Society, freely shared the museum’s collections and her enthusiasm for this project. Elisabeth Proffen, Special Collections Librarian of the H. Furlong Baldwin Library of the Maryland Historical Society was also a tremendous help. I am indebted to the scholars who so generously shared their institutional collections, including Elaine Rice Bachman at the Maryland State Archives, Chris Densmore at Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore College, Dr. Julian Hudson at the Prestwould Foundation, Dr. Emma Lapsansky at Magill Library, Haverford College, Martha Rowe at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, Catherine Thomas at the Baltimore Museum of Art, Laura Willoughby at the City of Petersburg Museums. A special note of thanks is due to the staff of the Winterthur Libraries, including Heather Clewell, Kathy Coyle, Cate Cooney, Burt Denker, Claudia Ballou, Laura Parrish and Jeanne Solensky. m Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. I owe a tremendous debt to Winterthur Museum and the Lois F. McNeil Fellowship and I am truly grateful for the opportunities I have had as a fellow in the Winterthur Program for Early American Culture. Faculty members, Gretchen Buggeln, Wendy Cooper, Ritchie Garrison and Brock Jobe tirelessly provided advice and assistance. My fellow fellows offered laughter, moral support and helpful suggestions. Sandy Manno and John Dennis reminded me at every turn that the journey is just as important as the finished product. One of the greatest pleasures of this thesis process was the opportunity to engage collectors in conversations about their furniture. Thank you for access to your fabulous collections. I would like to recognize the scholarly contributions made before me by fellow Maryland furniture lovers, Alexandra A. Kirtley and Gregory R. Weidman. I am eternally grateful to my advisor, Bemie Herman, who not only provided intellectual support and direction, but reassurance and encouragement over gallons of coffee throughout the thesis process. Thank you for challenging me. Finally, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to my family and friends; you remain my inspiration and source of sustenance. I cannot thank you enough. iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES.............................................................................................vi ABSTRACT.........................................................................................................vii THE PARADOX OF GOOD INTENTIONS: JOHN NEEDLES, CABINETMAKER IN ANTEBELLUM BALTIMORE: Introduction .................................................................................................1 Paradox and Ambiguity 1 .......................................................................... 2 Roots of Radicalism (1787-1809) .............................................................5 The Cabinetmaking Shop (1810-1822).................................................. 12 Paradox and Ambiguity II .......................................................................27 Publicity: Commissions and Confrontation (1836-1848) ......................................................... 40 The Retirement Years(1850-1878)......................................................... 48 Conclusion ................................................................................................ 53 FIGURES............................................................................................................... 56 BIBLIOGRAPHY................................................................................................. 69 APPENDIX A: APPRENTICES BOUND TO JOHN NEEDLES (1812-1859)........................................................ 74 APPENDIX B: FURNITURE CATALOGUE OF SELECT NEEDLES FURNITURE.................................................77 v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: High Banks, Talbot County, Maryland. 1780 .................................................. 56 Figure 2: John and Mary Ann Needles (nee Bowers) ca.1855.........................................57 Figure 3: John Needles and Sons, ca. 1875 ...................................................................... 58 Figure 4: John Needles (center) and Family, ca. 187 ...................................................... 59 Figure 5: John Needles, “Earnest in the Cause,” ca. 1872 ..............................................60 Figure 6: Needles/Matthews Marriage Certificate, 1811 ...............................................60 Figure 7: Domestic Roving and Spinning Machine, nd .................................................. 61 Figure 8: Location of John Needles’s Hanover Street Manufactory .............................. 62 Figure 9: Advertisement for J. Needles & Son Dry Goods Retailers, ca. 1860 ............63 Figure 10: John Needles Furniture Label, ca. 1810-1815 ..............................................64 Figure 11: John Needles Furniture Label, ca. 1815-1825 ..............................................64 Figure 12: John Needles Furniture Label, ca. 1830-1845 ..............................................65 Figure 13: John Needles Furniture Ink Stamp, ca 1835-48 .............................................66 Figure 14: Baltimore from Federal Hill, 1831.................................................................67 Figure 15: “Colored Schools Broken up, in the Free States.” .........................................68 vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT For nearly forty years, craftsman John Needles (1786-1878, fl. 1810-1848) operated a thriving cabinetmaking business in antebellum Baltimore, Maryland. His shop executed appealing, sophisticated furniture for customers from Philadelphia to New Orleans, in styles ranging from neo-classical to Rococo Revival. In spite of his success, Needles privileged his Quaker faith, family and anti-slavery work above his craft; he regarded his furniture as a means of providing for his family and a vehicle for disseminating the abolitionist message. Today his achievements beyond the cabinetmaking shop are largely forgotten. Driven by the larger question of the role of biography in the decorative arts, this essay combines object evidence with biographical details, and period accounts to present the most complete picture of the life of an extraordinary antebellum (crafts) man to date. vii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Introduction Quaker, husband, father, abolitionist, and cabinetmaker, John Needles (1786- 1878, fl. 1810-1848) successfully