Thomas Sheraton

Thomas Sheraton (* 1751 in Stockton-on-Tees , England ; † October 22, 1806 ) was a furniture designer and, together with Thomas Chippendale and George Hepplewhite, one of the three great English furniture manufacturers ("The Big Three") of the 18th century.

Life

Sheraton apprenticed to a local cabinet maker in Stockton-on-Tees and then worked as a traveling journeyman for a while until he finally moved to London at the age of 39. There he settled down as an expert and teacher for furniture design and architecture and taught craftsmen and craftsmen. It is not clear how Sheraton acquired the necessary knowledge or the necessary level of awareness, but it is certain that he was quite successful as a design teacher.

In 1791 he began to publish a four-volume work entitled The Cabinet Maker's and Upholsterers Drawing Book . At least six hundred cabinet makers and other subscribers ordered the work, and so its style suddenly had a major impact on the country's cabinet making. During this time, Sheraton did not host a single workshop, so it is now believed that he probably did not make a single piece of furniture himself that was featured in his books. In no case is there direct evidence of any piece of furniture from this period that it came from his own hand. All items labeled or described as “by Sheraton” refer to the design and not the manufacturer.

In 1803, Sheraton published The Cabinet Dictionary, a manual of furniture and chair making instructions and techniques. In 1805, a year before his death, he published the first volume of a planned encyclopedia entitled Cabinet Maker, Upholsterer and General Artist's Encyclopaedia .

Sheraton's name today represents the English furniture style from the 1890s to the early 19th century. Not all drawings are from his own hand, but his significant influence on cabinet making of the time is so undisputed that the era was named after him.

Books by Thomas Sheraton

• Model and drawing book for cabinet makers, table makers, upholsterers and chair makers and otherwise for every lover of good taste when furnishing and decorating the cleaning and splendid rooms, Volume 1 , Volume 2 , Volume 3

literature

• Ralph Fastnedge: Sheraton Furniture. Faber and Faber, London 1962.