Library Bookcase, from Chippendale Drawings, Vol. II 1753

This 'Library Bookcase' was drawn by Thomas Chippendale in the 18th century, using pen and ink on paper. It's a design study, a proposal for an object that would ultimately be realized in wood. Consider the labor involved in its potential fabrication. A piece like this would have required a whole workshop of skilled hands: cabinetmakers, carvers, finishers, each contributing specialized expertise. The bookcase combines geometric shapes, like the honeycomb glazing bars on the central doors, with gothic arches and delicate carving. It's a tour-de-force of fashionable taste, but its creation depended on a whole network of often-unacknowledged labor. Chippendale was among the first to publish his designs in a catalogue, and his pattern books democratized access to stylish forms, and allowed any craftsman to make furniture in his ‘taste.’ Yet, we should remember that the actual process of making, and its social context, is inseparable from the finished form.