From collection Furniture
High chest of drawers
While this chest of drawers has a history of ownership in the Wright family of Oyster Bay, its broken scroll pediment, corkscrew finial, and carved shell reflect stylistic elements more consistent with Rhode Island furniture design. These similarities were the result of familial, commercial, and religious ties that extended across the Long Island Sound. Quakerism, a radical religious sect that originated in England around 1650, flourished in both Oyster Bay and Newport. Members of the Society of Friends tended to be highly mobile, interconnected, and craft oriented. Solomon Townsend (died ca. 1720)—the progenitor of a prominent Quaker Newport cabinetmaking family—moved from Oyster Bay to Rhode Island in 1707 and maintained ties with family on Long Island. Although Rhode Island practices influenced the design of this high chest, its proportions and construction do not match Newport examples.
