It’s time Thomas Day took his place alongside Townsend, Phyfe, and the others
An innovative and skilled pre-Civil War craftsman, Thomas Day was one of the leading figures of American furniture.
There is a name missing from the list of early American furniture makers, and that name is Thomas Day. Day was born in 1801 in Virginia, and worked in the early part of the 19th century as a furniture maker in Milton, N.C., until his death in 1861. Day’s name should appear alongside names like Duncan Phyfe, John Cogswell, Samuel Mcintire, John Goddard and Christopher Townsend as one of the leading figures of American furniture.
Thomas Day was a free Black man born free in 1801 to free parents. Day moved to Milton at the age of 16, and as was required by North Carolina law for all free Black men, took up a trade by the age of 18. This trade was cabinet making. He opened his own shop in Milton in 1827. As his work grew so did his shop, and by the late 1840s Day’s business needed a larger space. He purchased the Union Tavern shop, which was reported to be one of, if not the largest, furniture and cabinet shops in the state. Historians estimate that between 10% and 25% of all furniture made in North Carolina was produced in Day’s Union Tavern shop. Day’s work as a Black man in the pre-Civil War American south is remarkable to say the least.
Day’s work is often described as “exuberant,” working within the typical styles of the early half of the 19th century while adding his own distinctive style. While heavily influenced by the Greek revival fashion of the day, it is clear that Day’s shop designed its own work rather than simply copying the popular pieces of the period. Day’s work went on to be an influence on design in the later part of the 19th century. Patricial Marshall, curator of the North Carolina Museum on History, goes so far as to say Day’s work is a forerunner of the Art Nouveau movement of the late 19th century. Unfortunately, shortly after Day’s death in 1861, his business was closed and his son was forced to leave the state, eventually settling in the Washington territory in the Pacific northwest.
|
|
|
Perhaps not so unsurprisingly, outside of the area immediately surrounding Milton, N.C., Day’s work had been largely forgotten by the late 19th century and early 20th century. It was not until the late 20th century that Day’s work began to be recognized for the quality, design, and craftsmanship that was so obvious in its day. In 1975, Day’s Union Tavern shop in Milton was placed on the National Register of Historic Places; however, it unfortunately burned extensively in 1989. Also in 1975, the historically Black sorority Delta Sigma Theta donated $7,000 for the North Carolina Museum of History to begin collecting Day’s work. The kernel of this collection is a group of pieces that were commissioned by the governor of North Carolina, David Settle Reid, in 1855.
The North Carolina museum would go on to acquire the largest collection of Day’s furniture and work to promote the importance of this craftsman. This finally began the work to place him alongside the other more well-known makers of Early American furniture.
Further reading and watching:
From NPR – Thomas Day: A Master Craftsman, With Complications
Winterthur.org – The Remarkable Life and Career of a Free African-American Cabinetmaker
Smithsonian Mag – The Incredible True Story of Master Craftsman, Freedman Thomas Day
*Photo by RJ Matthews, CC BY-SA 3.0
**By Unknown, Photographer – Public Domain, Link
Comments
You seem to be making the assumption that Day is not commonly featured like the Townsends because of his skin colour. Shouldn't we just make judgement
about craft based on talent and not skin colour? There's an irony here regarding who's really being racist.
I couldn't tell the color of his skin on the statue. Only by reading the article.
Racist: “a person who shows or feels discrimination or prejudice against people of other races, or who believes that a particular race is superior to another.” Note the negativity inherent to the definition. There is nothing racist in heralding Day as an overlooked historical figure and influential cabinetmaker (which he is). I don’t believe that word belongs as part of this discussion.
Applause to Bob Miller and FineWoodworking for this thought provoking blog and the accompanying additional program and articles which are worth exploring. In particular, the Woodright's Shop video really is fascinating
- Day was a craftsman, an influential designer, an innovator, a successful businessman, and there is so much more to the story. Thank you Bob Miller for doing the right thing here as someone who has done serious study of the the period and the craft, as someone who is an accomplished furniture maker and a prominent teacher, for bringing Thomas Day to our attention as a leading figure of American furniture worthy of our time. Day fairly deserves wider recognition, but it is each of us that actually truly benefits from knowing more about his work and his life.
I had run across the name Thomas Day but didn't know much more than that about him. I think it richens society in general to know more about all people who have contributed their talent and knowledge to all of us. Personally I would like to see FWW give a page to a woodworker of historical note in every issue. It would give us non-professionals who never had the time or opportunity to study the masters of woodworking exposure to people we might draw from. Articles and blogs like Bob Millers about people from different backgrounds, ethnicity or race should also remind us that they are or were a lot like us and that's always a good thing. Thanks Bob
This is an excellent and important topic. The segment from The Woodwright's Shop shows the complexities of the life and work of Thomas Day, who led a fascinating and contradictory life. Learning abut his story leads us to learn more about our history.
Well done!
Artists come in all shapes, sizes, colors, personalities, etc. but all are ultimately judged on their art, especially decades after they're gone. So, let Mr. Day be judged on his. Based on the photo of his rather large house, it's clear that he did not find financial success elusive and that says a lot in any age.
What an incredible life. Wonder why his son had to leave the state and go as far as he could in this country? Why did they use mahogany back then? Nothing local to build with?
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
Sign up Log in