Images(5)

Card Table

Dateca. 1825

OriginAmerica, New York, New York

MediumMahogany, white pine, tulip poplar, gilt, paint, brass, and iron

DimensionsOH: 29”; OW: 37”; D (closed): 18 3/8”; OD (open): 36 7/8”

Credit LineMuseum Purchase and Partial Gift of Allen and Doreen McGehee

Object number2026-27,1

DescriptionCard table (one of a pair); mahogany veneered tabletop, rectangular with angled front corners hinged with brass knife hinges at rear of sides, three rear leaf-edge tenons, opens to form square table with angled corners; top attached to inset frame of same shape by bolt that allows top to rotate for support by the frame when open; frame mahogany veneered, missing element from edge of skirt (likely applied brass banding) half of frame has a bottom creating storage box when top rotated before opening leaf; table supported by front mahogany dolphin carved supports and rear mahogany spiral turned columns, both joined to a mahogany veneered shelf with incurving sides and front with canted front corners; cabriole legs with gilt, acanthus-carved knees with gilt wings between front legs, and vert antique hairy legs and paw feet supported by brass castors.Label TextThe wealthy citizens of Charleston, South Carolina imported furniture from New York during the early years of the 19th century as British imports began to decline. One cabinet firm, Deming and Bulkley, even had a satellite retail shop on King Street in Charleston for twenty years, becoming one of the most fashionable interior design firms in the city. A number of pairs of card tables attributed to that firm are known, a handful of which feature dolphin shaped supports similar, but not identical, to those on this table. While the high-end versions included vert antique and gilt dolphins and turned columns as well as feet, this pair may have been available at a slightly lower price point as the mahogany dolphins and turned columns lack coloration and gilding.

This pair of tables has a history of ownership in the Poppenheim family of Charleston. Based on family genealogy and probate record, the tables were likely first owned by Dr. John Frederick Poppenheim (1806-1875) and Aphra Ann Pritchard Poppenheim (1806-1881), who married in 1827 in Charleston, South Carolina.ProvenanceProbable line of descent:
Dr. John Frederick Poppenheim (1806-1875) and Aphra Ann Pritchard Poppenheim (1806-1881), who married in 1827 in Charleston, South Carolina; to son Christopher Pritchard Poppenheim (1839-1901) and Mary Elinor Bouknight Poppenheim (1837-1915) of Charleston, South Carolina; to daughter Christie Poppenheim (1874-1932) and Hugh Miller (1868-1941) of Charleston and Richmond, Virginia; to daughter Mary Poppenheim Miller Call (1907-1979) and Dr. Manfield Call III (1906-1978) of Richmond; possibly to daughter; sold to Alan McGehee in Richmond, Virginia in 1978 or 1979.