Petersburg, Virginia, 1780-1795
Mahogany with yellow pine
Catalog no. 111
The absence of a top molding on this Petersburg chest of drawers has sometimes been assumed to represent an effort to cut costs. However, the top and sides are joined by blind-mitered dovetails, a highly complex and costly joinery technique. Rather than cutting costs, the maker took extra steps to achieve an extreme version of the neat and plain style.