Sofa

The low-back sofa is listed on a bill dated May 24, 1830, by the Albany cabinetmakers John Meads and William Alvord at a cost of $38.00. George Clarke "The Builder" placed the first of many furniture orders with Meads in 1811 and continued his patronage after Meads went into partnership with William Alvord in 1828. Clarke was involved with the form and design of all his furniture orders and the reeded vasiform legs of the sofa relate to designs in George Smith’s “Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Guide,” an English pattern book published in 1826, a copy of which Clarke purchased in 1828. As the modern upholstery was damaged, it was removed and a series of tacking patterns on the frame revealed different kinds of upholstery trim. This evidence combined with several small tufts of red silk in the nail holes formed the basis for the different trims on the Regency stripe silk upholstery, a popular fabric pattern in the early 19th century.