Queen Anne Furniture: History, Characteristics & Facts

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history-characteristics-facts.html
Light and elegant with comfort and flexibility describes the feel of Queen Anne
Furniture. Explore the styles, design and types of Queen Anne furniture.

Queen Anne Facts

A pioneer for comfort and flexibility, Queen Anne furniture took life in the homes of
trending cities. In contrast to its time, Queen Anne furniture was designed to be light
and dance around rooms. Increased casual social interaction called for versatile and
multi functional furnishings. With minimal ornamentation and embellishment, Queen
Anne furniture resembled styles from Asian culture and design.

Queen Anne furniture originated in 1689 during the reign of Queen Anne however was
not made popular until 1720. Queen Anne furniture trended in England and America
for decades. In America, Queen Anne furniture was produced until the 1800's and took
life during the Colonial design period. In England, Queen Anne furniture was popular
until 1750, when it was used to influence upcoming design styles. Explore the styles
and furniture pieces of Queen Anne design.

Queen Anne Design

'Light and elegant combined with comfort and movement' describes the design of
Queen Anne furniture. The Queen Anne chair was the first seat designed with a
cushion for comfort. Winged backs on chairs and lounges made for enjoyable long
term sitting. Queen Anne claimed the first ergonomically built chair to provide support
for the spine.

"Ligero y elegante combinado con comodidad y movimiento" describe el diseño de los

muebles Queen Anne. La silla Queen Anne fue el primer asiento diseñado con un cojín para

mayor comodidad. Los respaldos alados de las sillas y los salones propiciaron una estancia

agradable durante un período prolongado. Queen Anne reclamó la primera silla construida

ergonómicamente para brindar apoyo a la columna vertebral .

 QUEEN ANNE CHAIR

In current design, Queen Anne furniture is described as antique furniture. Although

poplar, cherry and maple woods were used to construct the furniture, walnut wood was
most utilized. Curved lines in the legs, feet, arms and pediments are the only
adornments used in the Queen Anne style. These adornments are known as C-
scrolls and S-scrolls. Jappaning was also used to replicate rich Asian lacquer work.

En el diseño actual, los muebles Queen Anne se describen como muebles

antiguos. Aunque se utilizaron maderas de álamo, cerezo y arce para
construir los muebles, la madera de nogal fue la más utilizada. Las líneas
curvas en las piernas, pies, brazos y frontones son los únicos adornos
utilizados en el estilo Queen Anne. Estos adornos se conocen como
pergaminos C y pergaminos S. El japonés también se utilizó para
reproducir el rico trabajo de laca asiática.

As trends changed, the Queen Anne style was embellished and overtaken by
the Chippendale design. Late Queen Anne and early Chippendale furniture pieces
replicate each other.

Queen Anne Furniture Pieces

Queen Anne style is mainly displayed in case pieces. Popular case pieces include:

Queen Anne in architecture

https://study.com/academy/lesson/queen-anne-architecture-definition-history.html

Have you ever seen a house that resembled a real-life gingerbread house? You might
have been looking at an example of Queen Anne architecture. In this lesson, learn what
Queen Anne architecture is and explore its history.

What is Queen Anne Architecture?

Have you ever driven through a neighborhood full of houses with colorful towers and
turrets, lacy wood porch posts, gabled roofs, and elaborate decorative chimneys? What
do such things have in common? They're all found in Queen Anne architecture.

Queen Ann architecture was an elaborate architecture style popular during the

Victorian age in the United States, from roughly 1880 to 1900. It was often used on
wooden residential buildings and featured lots of ornamentation; buildings sometimes
included a variety of different patterned shingles on the exterior of a single structure.
The challenge with Queen Anne architecture is that you can't really use one distinct set
of elements to identify it. It's a little of everything, often used to decorative excess.
 Example of a house done in Queen Anne architecture, ca.
1895

The amount of ornamentation in Queen Anne architecture reflects the industrial age;
some of it was easily available as factory-made, pre-cut architectural parts. Companies
produced pattern books filled with of illustrations of architectural decoration that
people could buy and add to their homes.

Think of it this way: the more decoration on a Queen Anne house, the better.
Example of a hotel done in the Queen Anne style

History of the Queen Anne style of architecture

But where did Queen Anne architecture come from? It didn't have anything to do with
a contemporary British monarch, despite the name.

Queen Anne architecture developed in England in the 1860s, thanks mainly to a

Scottish architect named Richard Norman Shaw (1831-1912). Shaw coined the phrase
''Queen Anne'' for a style he created, one that was an eclectic mix of earlier British
architectural styles. He chose the name Queen Anne because he thought it reflected an
aesthetic sense connected to a much earlier Anne Stuart, who had served as Queen of
Scotland, England, and Ireland in the early 1700s. But Shaw combined elements of
Elizabethan, Tudor, and Renaissance architecture (all found in England around the
1500s) and mashed it all up into a new style.

Examples of Queen Anne architecture first appeared in the United States at the
Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876 when the British government built a few
houses to showcase the style. From there, the style spread across the country. In fact, it
held on a little longer in the Western states and declined in popularity in places like
California and Colorado by 1910.
 Example of Queen Anne architecture from California, ca.
1902

18th Century English Furniture: History & Styles

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styles.html

Instructor: Amy Jackson

Amy has a BFA in Interior Design as well as 19 years teaching experience and a
doctorate in education.

Cite this lesson

18th-century furniture gave the world highly finished and sophisticated designs. This
lesson will focus on seven styles of 18th-century furniture that reflect the individuality
of the furniture makers during that time. Updated: 10/09/2020

18th-Century English Furniture

https://study.com/academy/lesson/18th-century-english-furniture-history-
styles.html

There are many different styles of 18th-century furniture. The era represents the
Golden Age of Cabinet Making. While furniture makers were trained in the construction
of highly finished, sophisticated designs, styles during this time are widely divergent.

The 18th century styles included William and Mary, Queen Anne, Georgian,
Chippendale, Hepplewhite, Sheraton, and Adam. France influenced the first half of the
18th century designs while England led the second half, where English cabinet makers
extended a great deal of influence and many of the styles overlap.
William & Mary Furniture

Popular from about 1695 to 1730, William and Mary furniture was named for King
William of Orange and his queen, Mary. Originally from Holland, William and Mary
brought with them a Dutch influence while new construction methods, such as dovetail
joinery, allowed furniture to be lighter in construction.

Leg styles for William and Mary pieces were bold and fashioned by hand, referencing
the Baroque period. Scroll feet were popular as well as ball and bun feet. While both
maple and walnut were widely used, the dark look of walnut was characteristic of this
style. Lacquer, marquetry, and veneer finishes were introduced. Chair designs had high
backs and extravagant embellishments with seats made of woven cane or rush, or
upholstered in leather. Small tables designed for particular functions were also new.
Dressing, gate-leg, and tea tables were the most popular pieces.

Queen Anne Furniture

Queen Anne furniture, popular from the 1720s to around 1750, was named for Queen
Anne of England. Queen Anne furniture frequently blended elements of the earlier
William and Mary period with later Chippendale styles, often making it difficult to
accurately date Queen Anne furniture.
The Queen Anne style was lighter and less chunky than previous styles. Highboys and
lowboys are classic Queen Anne furniture. Primary woods included cherry, maple, and
walnut. Leg styles featured a cabriole, or curved leg ending in a pad foot, with fan and
shell carvings embellishing chair legs and cabinet fronts. Upholstered pieces were
covered in crewelwork, damask, and needle-point featuring large flowers. Space saving
elements such as hinged, drop leaf, tilt top tables were common.

Georgian Furniture

The Georgian furniture style lasted nearly 100 years (1714 to 1801). It was named for
King George I, George II, and George III of England. Georgian furniture makers
replaced walnut with mahogany as their wood of choice due to its durability.

Influenced by the art and architecture of Italy, early Georgian furniture incorporated
decorative masks, pediments, and sphinxes. Three important designers distinguished
this Golden Age of Furniture: Thomas Chippendale, George Hepplewhite, and Thomas
Sheraton. Common pieces included chairs with shell-shaped backs, furniture with fish-
scale scrolls, and side tables with marble tops.

Thomas Chippendale became popular after he published ''The Gentleman and Cabinet-
Maker's Director,'' a guide for furniture construction. The finest examples
of Chippendale furniture were constructed from mahogany, while less expensive
pieces were made from cherry, maple, or walnut. Chairs typically had cabriole-style
front legs ending in a ball and claw foot and straight back legs and featured straight
backs with a yoke-shaped top and a center splat with detailed cut out designs. Chairs,
settees, and stools were upholstered in fine fabrics.

George Hepplewhite's furniture styles were popular from 1780 to 1810.

The Hepplewhite furniture style is reminiscent of the neoclassic style and often
overlaps with the styles of Thomas Sheraton. Much of Hepplewhite furniture uses
contrasting inlays and veneers constructed with more than one type of wood, such as
birch, tulipwood, and rosewood. Mahogany was typically used for the base but maple
and satinwood were also popular.

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Queen Anne Architecture: Characteristics & Style

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style.html
Turrets and towers, shingles and stained glass: Have you ever seen a home that looked
like a gingerbread house? In this lesson, explore the characteristics of a style known as
Queen Anne architecture.

What Is Queen Anne Architecture?

Some architectural styles celebrate excess. Have you ever seen a house embellished
with lots of decorative flourishes? You might have been looking at at example of
Queen Anne architecture, which seems to express the idea that more is better.

Queen Anne architecture was a style found from around 1880 to 1900. It began in
England and then became very popular in the United States, lasting in the western
states until around 1910. When you hear someone talking about Victorian architecture,
chances are this is the style that comes to mind.

The style was christened 'Queen Anne' by several English architects. But the name's a
bit of a misnomer, because it was based on several medieval and early Renaissance
architectural styles from the late 1500s and early 1600s. In reality, the actual Queen
Anne didn't rule until at least one hundred years later, in the early 1700s. Nevertheless,
the name Queen Anne stuck.

Example of Queen Anne architecture from England

In England, Queen Anne architecture is often seen in brick structures. As the style
moved to the United States, it became even more eclectic, picking up other decorative
flourishes and adding a little bit of everything. Printed pattern books--publications full
of illustrations--helped spread its popularity and show builders, carpenters, and
craftspeople how to add elements of the style to various structures.

So, what does Queen Anne architecture look like?

Characteristics of Queen Anne Architecture

Queen Anne structures vary greatly, but several key characteristics make the style easy
to identify. Buildings are often asymmetrical with more than one story, and they usually
feature a large wrap-around porch. External surfaces often use multiple materials like
stone, brick, or wood. On some buildings, you might see more than one material used,
one right next to the other.

Queen Anne building with large wrap-around porch and

wood shingles

And those external surfaces are full of contrasting textures, like patterned stone and
brick. Sometimes the brick might be colored or custom-molded. Especially in the
United States, Queen Anne buildings often have lots of wood decoration, like wood
shingles with curving edges that resemble fish scales. You might also see sections of
half-timbering and of clapboard paneling, long thin wood strips that overlap slightly.
Porches and railings might include lots of fancy woodwork.

Queen Anne architecture often features towers and turrets, usually found on a
building's front corner. Towers might be round or polygonal. A polygonal shape is one
that has three or more sides. The towers might be topped by roofs with a conical or
bell shape. A turret is a small tower that thrusts upward from a building's roof or
upper story.
 Queen Anne building with tower and front-facing gable

Queen Anne buildings have deeply-pitched roofs with irregular shapes, often with one
or more front-facing gables. A gable is a roof section with two sloping sides that meet
at a ridge line, creating a triangular vertical wall section below them. On these roof
sections, you might see large dormer windows. A dormer is a window extension that
sticks out from the side of a roof, usually with a gable top.

Queen Anne Revival Architecture

https://study.com/academy/lesson/queen-anne-revival-architecture.html

David has a bachelor's degree in architecture, has done research in architecture, arts and design and has
worked in the field for several years.

Cite this lesson

In this lesson, we explore Queen Anne Revival architecture that developed in the United Kingdom
and North America during the last decades of the 19th century. We discuss the main
characteristics and discover some examples of this peculiar style.

Queen Anne Revival Architecture

 The inspiration for many haunted mansions was actually the trend in architecture for a few
decades. Queen Anne Revival was a style of the Victorian era which became popular
during the last years of the 19th century and lasted until the first years of the 20th century.
It was mostly seen in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and the United States. By
1905, Queen Anne Revival had lost popularity, and architects who had favored it were
moving towards more modern forms of expression, or even moving back to more classical
architecture.
Although this style originated in England, it has a very little resemblance, if any, to the
English Baroque style seen during the reign of Queen Anne in the 18th century. Queen
Anne Revival architecture was an eclectic style and took ideas from different times in
history.
Norman Shaw was a pioneer architect of the Queen Anne Revival style. This British
architect reacted against urban industrialism by using architecture to promote freer and
more artistic forms. Industrialization, however, gave the opportunity to make this style
popular. Mass production made decorative elements more affordable, and they could be
widely incorporated into architectural designs.
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Characteristics of Queen Anne Revival Architecture

Queen Anne Revival drew its inspiration from different eras and incorporated different
ideas into its designs. However, it does have some common characteristics.
One of the most defining characteristics of Queen Anne Revival was
its asymmetrical construction. Most of the preceding architectural styles relied on
symmetry, and the new style wanted to break with that rigor. Building facades were also
conceived in a picturesque way, breaking with traditional proportions and looking to
maximize the artistic character of every structure.
 Morey Mansion, built in Redlands, California in 1890

The corner tower was a distinctive element of Queen Anne Revival houses. Each tower
was different; it could be almost any geometrical shape. The tower was used to deliberately
break with symmetry on the facades. Large chimneys were another important architectonic
element used in Queen Anne Revival. They were used as monumental pieces to give the
building an artistic and dramatic character. Just like the corner towers, chimneys also
enhanced the asymmetrical layout of the composition.
Large, oriel windows were often used in Queen Anne Revival. Oriel windows projects
from the main wall of the construction without reaching the ground. Windows were often
stacked above another. We also see the use of classical columns. Capitals were part of the
facade decoration or constructive elements to support the roof over windows and porches.
Stepped gable roofs were also frequent in this architecture. They were designed as several
intersecting elements built on top of the different areas of the structure. The roofs were
usually made out of wood and covered in slate on the outside.
Fine brickwork finishes were common for the facades, especially in the United Kingdom.
Brickwork often had a warm and soft finish. In North America, painted wood was the most
commonly used finish for Queen Anne Revival facades. They often incorporated details
and embellishments using many materials, including stone, wood, metal, and brick.
Houses were often surrounded by broad porches that extended along the front facade and
sometimes also on the side facades. The large porches created shadowed entrances that
became common for this style. These entryways were usually raised a few steps above the
ground level.
Since many constructions of Queen Anne Revival style were detached houses, the open
space was also an important part. Front gardens became popular, and they were enclosed
with wooden fences featuring elaborate designs.
David T Denny Residence, built in Seattle, Washington, circa 1900

Examples of Queen Anne Revival Architecture

Queen Anne Revival was mainly a style for residential single-family houses. However,
some row houses and civic buildings were also designed following the ideas of this
architectural trend.
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Queen Anne Style vs. Victorian Architecture

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Chris has a master's degree in history and teaches at the University of Northern Colorado.
 Cite this lesson

Victorian architecture was eclectic, to say the least. In this lesson, we're going to check out a
Victorian style that really took this eclecticism to heart and see how it compared to other styles of
the era. Updated: 06/25/2021

Queen Anne in the Age of Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria ruled the United Kingdom from 1837 to 1901. In that time, quite a bit
happened. The British Empire cemented its place as the most powerful in the world, the
Crown formally took control of India, and the world looked to England as the leader in
Western economics, politics, and even culture. Why do women today wear white wedding
dresses? Because Queen Victoria did. Why do Americans and the English keep Christmas
trees in December? Because Queen Victoria did. Why is plaid so popular around the world
today? Yep, you can largely thank Victoria for that one as well.
Britain set the trends of the world in this time, and this is true of architecture as
well. Victorian architecture was not a single style, but a wide set of styles that were
popularized first in England under Victoria, and which then spread around the world. While
these styles were diverse, Victorian architecture can be characterized by one notable trend:
eclectic revivalism. The Victorian styles all sought to revive the aesthetics of past styles,
largely from English history. All Victorian styles were decorative and eclectic, but the one
that may take the cake was the Queen Anne Revival. In the late 19th-century, Queen Anne
was about as Victorian as you could get.
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 A Queen Anne Revival home in the USA

Characteristics of the Queen Anne Style

To start, let's get to know the Queen Anne style. The floor plan of a Queen Anne structure
was irregular and asymmetrical, something we call picturesque in Victorian architecture.
The goal was to emulate folk architecture from England's past, when people would simply
build on additions to their old family homes over time, giving them unique layouts.
This layout resulted in visually complex roofs, which became some of the main visual focal
points of these buildings. Queen Anne roofs were steeply pitched and asymmetrical, and
often featured multiple gables or dormers as well as towers or turrets.
The other definitive feature of a Queen Anne structure was the treatment of the walls, both
interior and exterior. Practically every flat surface was ornamented in ways that created
physical, textured contrasts. This could be achieved using colored bricks, stonework,
patterned shingles, stucco, wood beams set into plaster, terracotta, or any combination of
these together. The result was a colorful, polychromatic, and extremely decorative style that
was ultimately one of the most eccentric of the entire Victorian era, and that's saying
something.
Although somewhat simpler, this Queen Anne house is still identifiable by its
asymmetrical roof, the patterned shingles on the walls, and the polychromatic
facade

History of the Queen Anne Style

To fully appreciate the Queen Anne style, however, we need to contextualize it within the
wider scope of Victorian architecture. So, where'd this style come from? It was first
developed in England by architect Richard Norman Shaw around the 1860s. It was used
in some churches, but was most pronounced in residential architecture. The style spread to
the United States and flourished there from the 1880s through 1900.
The fact that this style appears in the later decades of the Victorian era is significant, as it
built upon the earlier experiments of Victorian-era revivalism. Earlier Victorian
architecture picked specific moments from history (again, generally English history) and
recreated the aesthetics of those styles in modern architecture. As a result, you've got a
number of Gothic-inspired revival styles, as well as those that revived the English
Renaissance, English Baroque, and other eras. The Queen Anne style, however, breaks
from the tradition of taking from one moment in time, and draws from a number of
influences. That's why it's considered to be even more eclectic than most Victorian
architecture.
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