Antique Hutch

[DaveR1]

That's an interesting piece. I've seen similar ones to it but yours looks to be in very nice condition. The talk about the carving led me to some snooping and I found this regarding the machines that did that sort of carving for mass produced furniture.

http://skarpenfurniture.com/pt-3-1898-1904-machines/

This kind of carving was done before 1900.

[goredsus]

We have a similar looking secretary that belonged to my wife's parents.  It does have a partial tag on the back if that helps in any way with your (re)search.  

(Sorry, I didn't have any luck trying to get the tag picture to rotate.)

[DaveR1]

We have a similar looking secretary that belonged to my wife's parents. 

Looks like yours came from Sears Roebuck.

Similar ones from 1914.

   

[DaveR1]

Probably this one from the 1912 Sears Roebuck catalog.

   

About $320 in todays money.

[DickA]

This may be a piece that was given as a premium by the Larkin soap company. Saw many pieces like that while working for an auction house.

[Timberwolf]

This hutch sat in my grandparents' house for as long as I can remember and it since followed my grandma to an apartment and now the nursing home. Since there wasn't enough room in the nursing home, it was natural the only furniture maker in the family got it. It comes with almost no details of its origin beyond an approximate date of before 1930. It was given to my grandparents from my Grandpa's parents and all I have is the earliest date anyone remembers it around. 

I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's "fine furniture" because it seems to be mostly butt joints and nails as opposed to joinery. It is made of oak. With the amount of ray-fleck, I'm leaning towards White oak but it could be red. I looked for the porus endgrain but can't tell either way. The back panels seem to be machine finished as I couldn't find any tool marks, but they are solid wood and not ply. The glass is almost certainly replaced because I'd expect a piece this old to have rolled glass but the pane in there is pretty clear and flat. The mirror seems to be really old and possibly original. I figure the carving is probably the best bet in getting any sort of information on it. Any ideas??

[goredsus]

Probably this one from the 1912 Sears Roebuck catalog.


About $320 in todays money.

Thanks for the info DaveR1, cool info to have.

[mr_skittle]

Thanks everyone for stopping by with some information. DaveR1, you seem to be quite the historian/archivist digging up those 100-year-old Sears ads. In hindsight, I should have suspected it came from Sears Roebuck since practically everything in a modest home came from there. And sometimes the home itself. These old ads are the stuff my old man goes crazy over. I once dug up the sales flyer for the Sears Roebuck house he's lived in most of his life and he just about lost it. Thanks again!

Based on the one goredsus posted and the ones in the ad, mine looks on the modest end of the spectrum with no pierced carving, curved glass, or carved feet.

[MsNomer]

I hope that heater grate isn’t current.

[mr_skittle]

For me the story and history of the piece is the most important

I hope that heater grate isn’t current.

It's actually a cold air return. I moved the piece anyways. It just didn't work against that wall.