Therefore we may need to look a bit beyond our definite inward
aspirations, and we should not disdain to follow others so far as they
adhere to certain well-authenticated canons of good taste.



OLDER MODELS IN FURNITURE

Study of the older models of furniture is bound to prove suggestive,
and it is better to secure from the library or bookseller a book by
some authority than to depend upon dealers' catalogues, which are not
always edifying. English models affecting present-day outfitting date
back as far as the Elizabethan period, approximately 1558-1603.
Following there came the Early Jacobean, the Early Queen Anne, and the
Georgian. The last includes the work of Chippendale, Heppelwhite,
Sheraton, and the Adams, all of whom executed some beautiful designs.
The so-called colonial furniture belongs also to the Georgian period,
as does the "Debased Empire," corresponding to or following the Empire
styles in France. In the latter country the periods of vogue are known
as Francis Premier, Henri Deux, Henri Quatre, Louis Treize, Louis
Quatorze, Louis Quinze, and Louis Seize. Under the designation of the
"Quaint style" W. Davis Benn groups the "Liberty," Morris, and arts and
crafts designs. Mr. Benn's "Styles in Furniture" will be found helpful
in both text and illustration to those who would learn to distinguish
between the products of the various periods.

[Illustration: A Chippendale secretary.]