Yours.. .
From Their Ho
hat traditionalist wouldn't love
to serve tea from the table once used by Martha Washingto
cline on an elaborate Empire sofa
hand carved in the early 1800s, play backgammon on the in
tely inlaid gaming table Napoleon
used to while away the hours in exile on St. Helena, or write thank-you notes on a Townsend-God-
dard secretary crafted in 18th century Rhode Island?
Of course, these historic antiques are
priced out of reach of just about every home owner in the U.S. (One privately owned Townsend-
Goddard secretary drew a record-breaking $12.1 million dollars in 1989.) But museums and foun-
dations have capitalized on a way to give the public access to the next closest thing— a painstaking
reproduction while at the same time creating much need-
ed funds.
The program is called licensing. Hardly a new
concept, it was pioneered in Colonial Williamsburg under the
enterprising eye of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. But today, furniture
licensing is in the midst of a mini-boom. The Historic Charleston
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L i c - u r
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Foundation, Winterthur Museum, the Historic Natchez Foun-
dation, the Smithsonian Institution, the Biltmore Estate, the
When furniture companies strike deals with historic museums and foundations,
their carefully crafted reproductions benefit everyone. By Beth Smith
STYLE • FALL 1992 • 43