Cabinet Design 1800 - 1900

This is an anonymous design for a cabinet, rendered in ink and watercolor. The design feels like a relic of a bygone era, a time when the aesthetics of furniture mirrored social hierarchies. The ornate details – the delicate gold leafing, the symmetrical curves, the suggestion of luxurious materials – speak to a culture of display, where even the most functional objects were imbued with status and wealth. The piece feels tied to notions of gender and domesticity. Cabinets were often commissioned to display precious objects or collections, and in wealthy households, this would have been the domain of women. While we don't know who this artist was, or for whom this cabinet was intended, what is clear is how much material culture tells us about social relations. What objects do we choose to surround ourselves with and what stories do they tell about who we are?