Speaking Through Wood

Sammy Dalati Furniture & Decorative Arts

The Civil War has left its mark on two important pieces of vernacular furniture acquired by the Wadsworth Atheneum Fig. 1. Secretary-bookcase attributed to members of Connecticut’s 16th Infantry, made to honor brothers Wells (1845–1904) and John Bingham (1844 –1862), 1876. Walnut, oak, ebony, poplar, pine, maple, metal, glass, muslin, silk, bone, horn, abalone, and Seth Thomas movement; height 95 1⁄2, …