This oxbow or reverse serpentine chest of drawers was passed through lineal descent from mother to daughter in the Smith family of Barre.  According to family tradition, Smith made the chest for his wife, Hannah, perhaps at the time of their marriage in 1793.  Objects that were received as gifts or that celebrate a special event such as marriage often have special significance for families.

     Smith was an accomplished cabinetmaker who worked during the transitional decades after 1790 when the Chippendale style persisted alongside more delicate Federal forms and designs.  With a nod to the new Federal taste he trimmed the drawers on this chest with cherry cock-beading, a feature that helped make the piece more stylish.

     The work of local craftsman William Richardson would have been familiar to residents of Charlton such as Salem and Sally Towne.  This is the sort of furniture that the Townes would have purchased to help furnish their large and elegant home, now restored at Old Sturbridge Village.  Prosperous families like the Townes made some furniture purchases in Boston, but larger case pieces were more easily purchased from local cabinetmakers.

     Note the strip of edging along the top of the case back.  This feature is sometimes found on the chests of Nathan Lombard of Sutton, not far from Charlton.