Dear Helaine and Joe: We purchased this piece of furniture in 1973 not knowing what it was because of a stuck door and three layers of paint covering it. The piece is walnut with burl wood panels and brass hardware. The top slanted portion opens to reveal a fitted desk with a glass inkwell and the name "A.H. Andrews C. Patented September 25, 1877." The bottom portion opens, unfolds and becomes a bed. What can you tell us about our treasure? — M.L.C., Newburgh, Ind.
Dear M.L.C.: We always advise using a great deal of thought and caution before refinishing a piece of antique furniture because this process can reduce the value of an antique by as much as half or even more. In this case, however, there was absolutely no other choice, and the restoration/refinishing job actually helped the value of this piece considerably because it was practically worthless as it was.
Our Victorian ancestors were really the children of the Industrial Revolution, and by the time Victoria assumed the British throne in 1837, machines had made significant inroads in replacing human hands as the "tools" of choice for making furniture. With the machine came an interest in "gadget" furniture, and such things as chairs that folded in a clever manner and convertible furniture began to appear.
Many of these pieces were designed to save space and to serve more than one function. In the late 19th century, it was not unusual for large families to occupy small spaces, and dining tables that disappeared into cabinets or desks that turned into an extra bed were not only novel expressions of modern times but were also something of a practical convenience — if not an actual necessity.
The A.H. Andrews Co. of Chicago was just one of several companies that made these folding beds. Of course the most famous of these was the legendary "Murphy" bed, but there was also the "Champion Automatic Folding Bedstead" and the Andrews "Rugby" model.
The desk belonging to M.L.C. is in a Victorian style that is generally called "Eastlake" by collectors. It derives this name from Charles Eastlake, who wrote a book titled "Hints on Household Taste" in 1868. In this influential tome, he rejected the ornate decorations favored on earlier Victorian furniture and espoused simpler more rectangular lines sparingly accented with machined forms and other more straightforward embellishments.
Everything about this piece is Eastlake with the parallel cut-in lines that collectors sometimes call "railroad tracks," the box-like rectangular profile and the inset burl panels. This is a very wonderful piece, but the Eastlake style is not yet as popular with current buyers, and prices can be a bit low.
On the present market, the insurance replacement value on this circa 1880 piece is between $1,000 and $1,200.
Helaine Fendelman is feature editor at Country Living magazine, and Joe Rosson writes about antiques at The Knoxville News Sentinel in Tennessee. Questions can be mailed to them at P.O. Box 12208, Knoxville, TN 37912-0208.