John Townsend: Newport Cabinetmaker (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications) by Morrison H. Heckscher

John Townsend (1733–1809) is one of the most revered cabinetmakers of Colonial America. He spent his life in Newport, Rhode Island, leaving a uniquely large body of documented work. This handsome and generously illustrated bookthe first publication ever devoted to Townsendlooks at the life and legacy of this extraordinary cabinetmaker.

The book opens with an overview of Newport and a discussion of other important cabinetmakers, including Job and Christopher Townsend, John’s father and uncle. John worked as an apprentice to his father before establishing his own shop when he was twenty-one. The catalogue section of this volume presents new color reproductions, including details of carving and construction and inscriptions and labels, of all thirty-five documented pieces by John Townsend. Comparative works by Christopher, Job, Job Jr., and Edmund Townsend as well as by John Goddard, another significant Newport cabinetmaker of the time, are also featured. Other documentation includes: a genealogical chart of the Townsend and Goddard families; wills and inventories of Christopher and John Townsend; a list of Townsend family furniture; names of John Townsend’s clients; and a list of all documented Newport furniture.

Reader Reviews
This was originally written for the Washington Woodworkers Guild Newsletter, Sept 2007 This lavishly photographed book is a summary of all the currently known and likely works by John Townsend and his shop in Newport in the late 18th century. It is the catalogue associated with the 2005 exhibit of John Townsend's works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2005. This is not a woodworking book per se. The first portion of the book details the history of Newport, with an emphasis on how it turned into a great cabinetmaking city. The extended family Townsend is then documented, and the links to the Goddards, the other great "name" of Newport cabinetmaking is explained. John Townsend's life is then described in as much detail as is currently available, with some speculation on why and how his furniture is distinguishable from the other major makers in the town. The bulk of the book is photographs of every piece currently known or believed to have been produced by him and his shop, organized by type, and with descriptions differentiating the pieces. There is some description of technique: 10 pages of the more than 200 in the book are in the section "Observations on John Townsend's Cabinetwork". Most of the book is about the time and place that these masterpieces were created in, and the pieces themselves. As a furniture design, construction, and appreciation aid though the book has major strengths. These include 110 pages of large high quality photos and descriptions of 47 major pieces, including many very similar pieces made over decades. Being able to see the effects of subtle changes in proportion and decoration, and of different wood grains on otherwise similar pieces, is worth the price of the book by itself. There are also many photos of the undersides/backs of pieces, which provide additional understanding of how structural issues in the pieces were managed. For documentation on technical specifics, more detailed references are required. This book contains no plans, and no exploded drawings. There are references to other sources in this book, though most are of historical rather than a technical nature. This book is appropriate as inspiration, for some technical details, and for the very high quality images that could be used to help make reproductions.

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