Already a member?
Sign in
Welcome! Wikis are websites that everyone can build together. It's easy!
- EasyEdit
- Edit tags
- Email page
-
(what's this?What are these tools?
People just like you can add or edit the content on this site. If you want to try editing, but aren't ready to add to this site, try our demo area.
Read more about editing pages at Wetpaint Central.
)
Eastlake Frames
Eastlake frames appeared in post-Civil War homes along with a new, more democratic movement in American art, when technology in the form of photographs and chromolithographs made art available and affordable to the general public for the first time. Intended to hold these new prints rather than paintings, Eastlake frames appealed to both art lovers and manufacturers for their unique mix of hand-crafted elements with assembly-line production. Typically black-lacquered and gilt-incised, these solid wood frames were a distinctly American phenomenon which nevertheless became synonymous with Englishman Charles Locke Eastlake.
Eastlake never designed or crafted a single frame—nor any of the American furniture that also bears his name. Rather, he was a popular tastemaker of his day. As a museum administrator in 19th-century London, he had the clout to dictate his preferences in decoration to middle-class Victorians in an 1868 book, Hints on Household Taste and Furniture, Upholstery and Other Details. His book raised a battle cry against what he called “the wretched ornament” of manufactured furnishings that imitated handcrafted work. If mass production were to be the way of the future, thought Eastlake, then the design of furniture and the method of making it should be simplified. Tasteful and economical frames could be constructed of “solid [lengths] of wood, three to four inches in width…ebonised, and decorated with gold in incised surface patterns or delicate mouldings,” he said. Emphasizing function over ornament, Eastlake also specified that a frame’s profile should slope backward toward the wall so as not to cast shadows over the picture the way heavily ornamented frames do.
It was in the United States that Eastlake’s teachings started a design revolution. An 1872 American edition of his book became a best-seller, inspiring manufacturers to quickly adapt his design principles. The use of black lacquer on frames enabled manufacturers to use cheaper woods. Even though the frames were produced in batches, the incised patterns made each frame unique, the decoration showing the individual hand of the artist. Such handwork recalled the days before industry, but incising was faster, cheaper, and easier to execute than either carving or casting ornament.
Patterns are one way to collect these frames. The most common are incised geometric or leaf-and-vine motifs, but regional patterns also occur. Some collectors like color and look for examples that have a red, taupe, or even faux-grain or burlwood painted center portion, rather than the usual black lacquer finish. When collecting, be wary of over-painting and re-gilding—a surface with small dings that hasn’t been manipulated is preferable to one that has been repainted.
Eastlake never designed or crafted a single frame—nor any of the American furniture that also bears his name. Rather, he was a popular tastemaker of his day. As a museum administrator in 19th-century London, he had the clout to dictate his preferences in decoration to middle-class Victorians in an 1868 book, Hints on Household Taste and Furniture, Upholstery and Other Details. His book raised a battle cry against what he called “the wretched ornament” of manufactured furnishings that imitated handcrafted work. If mass production were to be the way of the future, thought Eastlake, then the design of furniture and the method of making it should be simplified. Tasteful and economical frames could be constructed of “solid [lengths] of wood, three to four inches in width…ebonised, and decorated with gold in incised surface patterns or delicate mouldings,” he said. Emphasizing function over ornament, Eastlake also specified that a frame’s profile should slope backward toward the wall so as not to cast shadows over the picture the way heavily ornamented frames do.
It was in the United States that Eastlake’s teachings started a design revolution. An 1872 American edition of his book became a best-seller, inspiring manufacturers to quickly adapt his design principles. The use of black lacquer on frames enabled manufacturers to use cheaper woods. Even though the frames were produced in batches, the incised patterns made each frame unique, the decoration showing the individual hand of the artist. Such handwork recalled the days before industry, but incising was faster, cheaper, and easier to execute than either carving or casting ornament.
Patterns are one way to collect these frames. The most common are incised geometric or leaf-and-vine motifs, but regional patterns also occur. Some collectors like color and look for examples that have a red, taupe, or even faux-grain or burlwood painted center portion, rather than the usual black lacquer finish. When collecting, be wary of over-painting and re-gilding—a surface with small dings that hasn’t been manipulated is preferable to one that has been repainted.
Latest page update: made by jsonderg
, Apr 19 2007, 1:43 PM EDT
(about this update
About This Update
Edited by jsonderg
view changes
- complete history)
Edited by jsonderg
view changes
- complete history)
Keyword tags: None
(Edit tags)
More Info: links to this page