Words tell good stories. Scratched on paper by a pen dipped into an inkwell, combined into sentences that reveal thoughts, feelings, events and actions, words are a powerful link with the past. No one can deny the importance of words.
But the stories that Marilyn Conover Barker likes the very best are those that are told by things. Material culture she calls it - the tools, accessories, objects and furniture people surround themselves with, the things that fill up their lives. Such things can speak volumes, she says."Learning from the material culture of a people opens a dialogue with the past and creates an understanding documented by the objects they used in their daily lives. . . . The remnants of familiar items, such as chairs, tools, dishes and houses provide a clearer understanding of the time and lifestyle of any people being studied."
This is particularly true of Mormon pioneer furniture, says Barker, whose recently published book, "The Legacy of Mormon Furniture" (Gibbs Smith, $29.95), details the creation and use of furniture by pioneers from the Nauvoo period through about the 1870s.
Brigham Young made a conscious effort to document the pioneer experience through furniture, says Barker. A carpenter himself, he encouraged other craftsmen; he commissioned pieces; he gave gifts of furniture.
And what are the stories that some of those early pieces of furniture tell?
For one thing, says Barker, the beds and chairs and tables say that the Mormon pioneers had no intention of being a coarse, countrified people merely making do. Yes, they were working under difficult conditions, but they were determined to have the best they could.
The knew furniture styles. The Empire style was particularly popular. Eastlake, Regency and other high styles were used. "Victorian was always a little suspect because it was so gaudy. They seemed to prefer the simple, democratic lines of the other styles," she says.
When people think of Mormon pioneer furniture, one of the possible comparisons that comes to mind is the furniture of the Shakers, which developed into a distinctive style of its own. But the two philosophies are opposites, says Barker. The Shakers deliberately sought very simple, stripped-down designs. The Mormon pioneers intended to have quality.
Particularly after the 1850s, says Barker. In the first years of settlement in the valley, the most talented people were also building houses and barns. But after 1850, a lot of craftsmen from England and Scandinavia started arriving. And because the period of extreme survival was past, they could turn their attention to other things.
"This was very significant. They left their country understanding the high styles. They brought their tools, templates and design books. Styles that were popular in London were being done in Utah before New York."
Another statement Mormon pioneer furniture makes involves the skill, dedication and resourcefulness of these early craftsmen. The pioneers had to adapt much of what they did to the materials available.
They recognized that hardwoods were more durable, but what they had here was mostly pine, although some cottonwood, box elder and willow were used. Some of the styles had to be changed somewhat for the softer woods. Graining also became very popular; they developed formulas and techniques that could make the lowliest pine look like the finest mahogany.
Wood from wagons and from boxes used to crate materials was also later used to make furniture. So, sometimes Brigham Young and others designated specially chosen materials for wagons and packing materials. Occasionally a whole log arrived in the valley, and what a treasure that was.
Some specific craftsmen became well known for their furniture - men such as William Bell, Ralph Ramsay, John Cottam and his sons, Henry Dinwoody. But a lot of furniture was also made by anonymous builders, often in Public Works factories. "Brigham Young gave each one of his children a gondola chair that was make in Public Works," says Barker.
The work wasn't just copies of other styles. "Mormon cabinetmakers were encouraged by their leaders to exercise creative freedom and individual ideas about beauty and function," she says. And some categories of furniture developed particular significance. The Dixie Rocker, for example, and the lounge. Sometimes called the Mormon couch, although it was not unique to the Mormon culture, the lounge was very popular in Utah. An early version of a sofa bed, they were typically the size of a single bed. But often alternating wood slats could be pulled out to accommodate a second person making it "a versatile piece of furniture that functioned both as a fairly comfortable seating piece and a simple bed. This practical versatility appealed to the Mormon people," says Barker.
Another message of material culture is how important it was to the people and how willing they were to sacrifice for it. Barker tells the story of Jacob Bigler, a Virginia plantation owner who sold his family property to join the Mormons in Missouri, later traveled to Utah, and moved about the territory on various church assignments. Each time the family moved, they took less, but they always took along one particular chair. "It became a symbolic reminder of his pioneer experience. In his old age, he had the chair's legs cut down so he could get closer to the ground to weed his raspberry patch. This traditional chair is indicative of many early American pieces that traveled to Utah and became icons of the pioneer experience."
The furniture, the porcelain, the other items were lovingly brought to a new land by a people who wanted the same level of comfort and culture they left behind.
Barker also tells the story of an emigrant who lined his wagon with tin, planning on becoming a tinsmith in his new home. He was also a musician and included his piano in the wagon. "When the trip became too difficult and the burden of the cherished piano too impractical, he dug a hole along the trail large enough to hold the piano, lined it with tin and covered it over with dirt, and proceeded to Utah." A year later he traveled back to the site, unearthed the piano and hauled it to his new home.
How can you not appreciate that level of determination?
Barker came to the task of writing a book knowing well the language of material culture. A former educational docent curator with the Museum of Fine Arts and an instructor in material culture at the University of Utah, she was selected for membership in the Winterthur Institute, a unique honor given for professional excellence in material culture. She also serves on the state Board of History and is an emeritus member of the Relief Society General Board. And what made the project really exciting, she says, is that she received full cooperation from the church, from historical societies throughout the state as well as from a lot of the descendants of those early pioneers.
"The Legacy of Mormon Furniture," is a landmark study, the first state-wide survey of its kind, and it is receiving attention at museums and history centers across the country.
More importantly, she says, she hopes that it will give the people of Utah - both Mormon and non-Mormon - more appreciation for this very important part of our past. She hopes that whenever people see pieces of furniture and other bits of material culture, either in their own homes or at museums and historic houses around the state, they will come to understand some of the stories these pieces can tell.
"What has always made this state different is the attitude from the very beginning that the very best of the arts should be found here.
"This is our heritage. This is something we can all take great pride in."