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

i < -
c%
w occ

L i c - u r

8
0

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

