Illus. 110.—Bookcase and Desk, about 1765.
Illus. 111.—Chippendale Bookcase, 1770.
At the top of the bookcase is a row of Chinese fretwork, which, together with the massive handles, would also place its date about 1765. The case is divided into three sections, the sides of the lower part being devoted to drawers. The lower middle section has four drawers, above which is a wide flap which lets down, disclosing a desk with drawers and pigeonholes.
A bookcase owned by J.J. Gilbert, Esq., of Baltimore, is shown in Illustration [111]. It is made after Chippendale designs, and is richly carved. The base and feet are very elaborate, and the cornice and pediment, are wonderfully fine. The broken arch has delicate sprays of carved wood, projecting beyond the edge, and laid over the open fretwork, and the crowning ornament in the centre is a carved urn with a large spray of flowers. The ornaments and mouldings separating the sections of glass in the doors are as fine as the other rich carving upon this bookcase.
A wonderful Hepplewhite bookcase is shown in Illustration [112]. It is owned by George W. Holmes, Esq., of Charleston, South Carolina, and carries with it an impression of the wealth and luxury in Charleston, before the Civil War and the other disasters that befell that city in the latter half of the nineteenth century.
Illus. 112.—Hepplewhite Bookcase, 1789.