Equal to Any in the Market: The Furniture Trade in Mineral Point, Wisconsin
Selected pieces of Mineral Point-made
furniture on exhibit at Pendarvis The presence of furniture in our homes, offices and schools is so much an accepted part of life that we seldom stop to consider what it means to us or what it tells other people about us. In this new exhibit, we invite our visitors to stop and consider furniture from the 19th and 20th centuries — both humble and elegant — and to learn to look for the deeper meanings the pieces contain. The close examination of furniture made or used in a community illuminates broader issues of manufacturing and trade, of economic status, of style, and of change through time. During the early years of settlement, Mineral Point craftsmen built basic forms such as cupboards and chairs to meet the needs of the hundreds of new settlers pouring into the community. As the city flourished, skilled cabinetmakers followed national trends in order to make furniture that appealed to wealthy and sophisticated area residents.
Although the sale of manufactured furniture dominated the marketplace by the end of the 19th century, the craft of furniture making in Mineral Point did not disappear, and local artisans continue to produce furniture into the 21st century.
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