Featured Junky old corner cabinet from the 1800's

At least that's my great grandparents thought.

They were going to throw it away, along with another one just like it, but much taller (that I couldn't keep because of a lack of space).

Anyway, my great aunt stopped them, and said she wanted them. She stripped the old paint off, which if she had left it on, possibly could have doubled the selling price at an auction, whatever that might be.

Anyway, I still have the smaller one, thanks to her. It measures 42" high and 53" wide.

(Btw, on a side note, the taller cabinet which was nearly to the ceiling, was completely filled with depression glass which I, nor anyone else had any interest in. It got sold.)

On to the pictures. Should I just tag @verybrad now?



Latch for the left door.



The shelves, where you can see what looks like a little remnant of some green paint on the front edges.



The lock on the right door.



The back of the cabinet.



The top, from the back.

 

This might be a @James Conrad question as well as @Ghopper1924 or @Jeff Drum
along with Brad.

 

A little outside my wheelhouse, but very cool. Looks German, plain and functional ca. 1840-50. You're right about the paint. If it was original, your relatives should have left it on. Like the scalloped shelves - makes me think of sheet music - and the sliding hardware. So thankful it didn't end up in a landfill.

 

Of course, when she stripped the paint off, it wasn't really an antique yet. We're talking mid 1950's at the very latest, quite possibly much earlier, when she rescued them from being dumped in a ravine on the property where garbage went.

 

I would have enjoyed seeing the Depression Glass! That's what started my interest in antiques and glassware. I sold a complete set of Cobalt Blue Moderntone to get the down payment on my first house. That was when Depression glass was a hot item though.

 

Hmmmmm, a bit of an odd duck i would say, it's old, second half 19th century.
Thing is, corner cupboards with scalloped shelves are common but usually not that deep a scallop (could be pics lying/misleading again) and almost always with a groove cut close to back so you can lean plates against back of cupboard.
Hard to tell but is a groove cut towards back of shelves? If so, blind cupboard for displaying plates.
Odd that it's so low, usually shelves are at top of cupboard with doors on bottom.
I wonder if this is the top half of cupboard and bottom is MIA.

 

18th century american QA corner cupboard with scalloped shelves/plate racks on top, doors on bottom, which is the usual configuration

 

Yes, there is a groove cut at the back of all the shelves. Edit: And along the sides.

And yes, the scallops are as deep as they look.

 

Is it American i wonder? Can't really tell wood species, sunlight is fuzzing up photos.

 

No idea. It seems to be a somewhat softer and lighter wood. I am not good at telling wood species.

 

Could it be a hanging cabinet?
We have a corner cabinet that for years I thought went together until I noticed very minor differences in the top and bottom. On further investigation, it appears both were hanging cabinets married nicely together.

 

@James Conrad - my first thought was it was missing the top portion instead of the bottom. For two reasons: the finished top surface and the feet.

I've cropped & lightened the first picture to show the 'feet' on the bottom.

 

It is mid 19th century by my eye. Can't really tell the wood but some kind of Northern hardwood. Tulip poplar? I am inclined to think it is the base to a 2-part cabinet.

 

I'd guess that it was built by a mid-19th century (1830s-60s) German immigrant. Wcubed hasn't said where they're from, but in my area we'd attribute it to the "Missouri Rhineland," from St. Louis west to the middle of the state. Agree that it looks like the bottom unit of a two-unit piece.

 

Well, hard to say but i am inclined to go with, the bottom of cab is missing. It's a cupboard that is meant to show off the lady of the house finest plates and stuff, weird that it is that low, not only to load plates but to view them as well.
If you notice, it has the same 3 tier shelf configuration as QA cupboard.
I don't think hanging cupboard, to big and it has feet so i dunno, odd duck! which is where i came into this thread!

 

That side of the family is primarily Dutch.

I agree with everyone's assessment that it is the bottom part of a larger piece. Notice that the last picture in my post of the top of this piece from the back shows the boards going all the way to the top.

I wish I had a picture handy of the other unit. It matched this one exactly in design and construction except it was much taller. I remember it being one solid unit though. Is it possible that this one was just as large originally, and it was shortened, due to damage?

 

There are tulip trees on the property. Perhaps they had a farmhand build it.

 

I agree 2nd half of 19th century. You could pin the date by finding when the house was built that these were originally in - these are usually made for the house by the carpenter building the house and are often built in. Not earlier than mid 19th (1850 or so with wire nails) since hardware doesn't support that. Also think this is the bottom half of a full heigth piece. Why the bottom? - see the back left triangle added where it was cut off wrong and patched. Also looks like the bottom we see here was made shorter than it started out - see how the top and bottom rails of the doors are too narrow compared to the sides (and pegs are not centered). I would guess the shelves may have been scalloped when it was rebuilt too, and not original shape - or maybe taken from the top piece and added when it was cut away.

Looks like original red paint still on the inside, or is that just because of the pics? It is a shame that it is cut down and outside stripped of paint. And also a shame that the full size one isn't the one that survived. One of these in original paint would have value (much more than double this one), even if from the 2nd half of the 19th century. That would also answer all questions about how this one was rebuilt and where the parts were taken from. But that is the way it often goes.

So a typical piece of real antique furniture, that was well used and modified over time as needed. Back when it was worth taking the time to keep a piece of furniture useful, rather than junking it and replacing with a new shelf system from Ikea.

Here's a somewhat similar child's Windsor highchair from the same time period (mid 19th century or a bit later) that has gone through similar history of being stripped and worked and reworked to keep it functional. I have a much better highchair in original paint, and should just throw this one back in the dumpster it came from. But I keep it on my woodpile (where I keep repair parts plus a couple junk pieces I can't quite get rid of) because of the fact that some previous owner (depression era?) took the time to repair this to keep using it, adding the whole left side of the arm plus four replacement spindles. I like the history, even if no one else could appreciate it in its current state:

 

could be the lower part of a Herrgottswinkel.

 

@Jeff Drum The main house was built in 1840 from brick used as ballast in a ship. As for the red paint, yes there is a reddish hue inside on the back.

As for the full sized unit, it did survive. It was purchased by an antique dealer, as were many of the other antiques in the house that family members didn't want, or have room to keep.