Cabinet, from Chippendale Drawings, Vol. II 1753

This is Thomas Chippendale's "Cabinet, from Chippendale Drawings, Vol. II," an ink and watercolor drawing now held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Chippendale, a leading furniture designer in 18th-century England, was known for blending various styles, including Gothic, Rococo, and Chinese influences, reflecting the era's fascination with the exotic and the global reach of British trade. This design presents a cabinet elevated on a stand, its clean lines and geometric patterns a nod to the period’s evolving aesthetic tastes. The very concept of a cabinet is deeply tied to class and gender. Historically, cabinets were status symbols, displaying wealth and taste, often managed by women as keepers of the household's valuables and personal items. Chippendale’s designs democratized high-end furniture through his pattern books, allowing a wider audience to access fashionable designs. Yet, it also speaks to the complex dynamics of labor and consumption in a colonial context, where the raw materials and production processes often relied on exploitation and unequal trade relationships.