Design for Sideboard on Six Legs with Three Drawers
1900–05
Classification
furniture
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of The Lake St. Louis Historical Society
Accession Number
2000-69-4
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
This design drawing for a sideboard on legs with three drawers, by the A.N. Co. around 190–05, offers a into early 20th-century American furniture design. The Boston-based firm was renowned for crafting high-quality pieces that blended functionality with elegance, often drawing from colonial traditions during a revival period. Sideboards like this one served as essential dining room storage, holding silverware, linens, and serveware while doubling as display surfaces—practical artistry for the American home. Though the medium remains unidentified amid ongoing research, the six-legged structure suggests stability and a nod to robust, period-appropriate forms, possibly suited for grand interiors or affluent households. Dating to the turn of the century, it captures a transitional era when mass production met bespoke craftsmanship, reflecting growing industrialization in U.S. furniture manufacturing. Now part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection, gifted by the Lake St. Louis Historical Society, this piece highlights regional design heritage. As research progresses, it invites us to appreciate how everyday objects embodied cultural aspirations, bridging utility and aesthetic refinement in American life.