Pair of Wall Mirrors Labeled "John Widdicomb Co." circa 1985, American
View Similar Items
Pair of Wall Mirrors Labeled "John Widdicomb Co." circa 1985, American
About the Item
- Creator:John Widdicomb (Manufacturer),John Stuart (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 47.75 in (121.29 cm)Width: 27.75 in (70.49 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1980s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Jersey City, NJ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU80731246146
John Stuart
Grand Rapids, Michigan, was once known as “Furniture City” for its local mass-production industry that flourished from the mid-19th century into the early 20th century, led by furniture manufacturers like John Stuart. Stuart’s eponymous company, which would build showrooms in New York and Philadelphia, designed and sold elegant reproductions of various furniture styles, including 18th-century French and English furniture as well as what we now call mid-century modern home furnishings built by European craftsmen in the entrepreneur’s Grand Rapids factory.
In 1845, a British cabinetmaker named George Widdicomb arrived in New York before moving to Grand Rapids. There he set up a small cabinet shop in 1857 with a dozen craftsmen, including his son John Widdicomb. The store quickly found success due to Widdicomb’s English training and the dearth of other quality furniture makers in the region. Toward the end of the 19th century, Grand Rapids had earned an international reputation as a leader of American furniture manufacturing, and while the Widdicomb family would navigate some difficulty after the Civil War, they emerged anew as Widdicomb Brothers and Richards, and then the Widdicomb Furniture Company. Widdicomb’s son started his own company in 1897, the John Widdicomb Company, and in 1929, the Grand Rapids–born John Stuart joined the company as a director.
Stuart, who had been in the furniture industry since 1913, was named president of John Widdicomb Company in the early 1940s and by then had formed John Stuart, Inc., with partner Herbert M. Rothschild. John Stuart, Inc.’s offerings included oak buffets and other dining-room furnishings crafted in the Tudor and Elizabethan styles, with cabinet doors and drawer fronts characterized by meticulously carved natural-world motifs and other decorative flourishes. Stuart also oversaw the design of reproductions of sophisticated walnut and mahogany Queen Anne side tables and dining chairs, with the latter marked by pronounced, vase-shaped curves in the back splats and cabriole legs. In 1952, the manufacturer and distributor’s founder sold the business, including the right to trade under his name, to the John Widdicomb Company.
Find a wide variety of vintage John Stuart furniture on 1stDibs.
John Widdicomb
In the Widdicomb family, furniture ran in the blood. Furniture maker George Widdicomb emigrated from England to the United States in 1845, eventually setting up a cabinet shop in Syracuse, New York, before moving west to Grand Rapids, Michigan. There, he opened a shop with his four sons, including John Widdicomb, whose name would help carry the family legacy into the 20th century.
A wealth of pine and oak forests rendered Grand Rapids a logging center during the 1800s, and it eventually gained recognition for its furniture industry. The city became a destination for furniture makers who hailed from across the United States and beyond. The Widdicomb shop in Grand Rapids prospered, as the patriarch’s formal English training allowed him to produce pieces with superior craftsmanship compared to those of his competitors. Although the Civil War halted business and took the life of one of the Widdicomb brothers, the family’s survivors would start anew as Widdicomb Brothers and Richards, soon renamed the Widdicomb Furniture Company.
John Widdicomb, however, split from the family business in 1897 to create the John Widdicomb Company, where he would go on to focus on Louis XV- and French Provincial-style furnishings. Chairs made in these styles have distinct characteristics, such as floral motifs carved in the frames and gently angled backrests. John's company also remained a family affair: The founder’s son, Harry, assumed control of the company when his father died in 1910, while John's nephew Ralph Widdicombe — who retained the English spelling of his last name and joined the John Widdicomb Company at its start — designed every single piece of the offerings at his uncle's manufacturing outfit until he retired in 1951. Ralph was an internationally distinguished furniture designer whose modern mahogany bedroom suite won first prize at the Paris Exposition in 1900.
The original iteration of Widdicomb, which was helmed by John's older brother William while John ran his own brand, had shifted from making period revival styles of furniture, such as Georgian and Chippendale, to manufacturing modern pieces in the late 1920s. Admirers of mid-century modern furnishings likely recognize Widdicomb for the partnerships with iconic designers such as Frank Lloyd Wright, T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings and Mario Buatta. In 1959, master woodworker George Nakashima created his Origins collection for Widdicomb when the firm merged with Mueller Furniture Corporation and was known, for around 10 years, as Widdicomb-Mueller. Origins, a revered Shaker-influenced group of nightstands, upholstered lounge chairs, dining-room tables and more, saw Nakashima working with woods like Carpathian elm and laurel in his Pennsylvania studio.
Eventually, the two Widdicomb companies would combine in 1970, operating under the name John Widdicomb Co.
In 2002, the business closed after more than a century of operations, and its assets were acquired by Stickley Furniture. Interestingly, it was not the first time Widdicomb and Stickley overlapped: In the final years of the 19th century, the companies opened a shared storehouse in London, while John Widdicomb and Albert Stickley would travel Europe together for the purposes of research.
Today, Stickley continues to produce John Widdicomb Company furniture, including French, Italian, English and Russian reproductions, as well as modern works from the first half of the 20th century.
Find vintage John Widdicomb bedroom furniture, tables, case pieces and more on 1stDibs.
- Pair of Wall Mirrors by Frederick Weinberg, circa 1950 Made in USABy Frederic WeinbergLocated in Jersey City, NJTwo matching mirrors each with a black metal frame that supports a rectangular piece of mirrored glass in the center. The frames each have 14 deta...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
- Deco Wall Mirror, USA, circa 1928Located in Jersey City, NJRectangular American Deco wall mirror has a steel frame retaining its original patina and signs of original brass plating detail and slight aging marks on mirror.Category
Early 20th Century Wall Mirrors
$1,750 Sale Price20% Off - Mirror after Charles Hollis Jones circa 1970 AmericanBy Charles Hollis JonesLocated in Jersey City, NJWell designed mirror bordered with parallel cylindrical Lucite that is mitered at all four points and secured by two polished steel hardware supports along each edge that come throug...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
- Console with Wall Mirror Designed by James Mont, circa 1935, Made in USABy James MontLocated in Jersey City, NJConsole has a mirrored top that rests on a row of three drawers, a support at each end both with a single door that opens for storage. The wall mirror has matching yellow lacquere...Category
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Console Tables
$5,000 Sale Price32% Off - Full Length Wooden Mirror, circa 1990Located in Jersey City, NJLarge scale, full length mirror with hand fluted solid wood frames in very good, original condition and ready to hang horizontally or vertically. It can also be used as a floor mirro...Category
Late 20th Century Other Floor Mirrors and Full-Length Mirrors
MaterialsWood
$2,000 / item - Oval Beveled Mirror with a Smoked Mirror Border, Italy, circa 1970Located in Jersey City, NJWall-mounted, oval Italian mirror comprises a centre mirror with a tapering and curved bevel on the top and bottom, framed by a bronze toned smoked mirror and two square metal detail...Category
Vintage 1970s Wall Mirrors
- Pair of John Widdicomb Mirrors 1979By John WiddicombLocated in St.Petersburg, FLA pair of classic mirrors by John WIddicomb, 1979. Black laquer finish, minimalist elegant design. Signed on the back.Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsMahogany
$2,200 / set - Pair of John Widdicomb Parcel Gilt Shell Motif MirrorsBy John WiddicombLocated in Locust Valley, NYA pair of John Widdicomb parceel gilt wall mirrors with an arched top and shell motif. The pair of mostly rectangular mirrors are framed with wood, accented with parcel gilt and top...Category
Mid-20th Century Wall Mirrors
MaterialsMirror
- Magnificent John Widdicomb Brass Wall Mirror Mid Century ModernBy John WiddicombLocated in Pemberton, NJDramatic and Substantial Solid Brass Mirror with modernist Curved Arch Set in a Floating Rectangular Frame Designed By John Widdicomb in The 1960's. This piece measures 47” t x 28” ...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsBrass
- John Widdicomb for John Stuart Mid-Century Modern Faux Tortoise Wall MirrorBy John WiddicombLocated in Plainview, NYA Mid-Century Modern faux tortoise wall or console mirror designed by John Widdicomb for and manufactured by John Stuart. The beautiful mirror features fine curvy design and the faux tortoise in light and dark brown surface patten is gorgeous. The mirror can be placed in many ways, as a wall mirror in a dressing room, in a hallway or as console mirror as we well...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsTortoise Shell
- John Widdicomb Hand Painted Wood MirrorBy John WiddicombLocated in Miami, FLJohn Widdicomb Hand Painted Wood Mirror Offered for sale is a hand painted wood mirror manufactured by the John Widdicomb. The frame has rais...Category
Late 20th Century American Wall Mirrors
MaterialsWood
$595 Sale Price33% Off - John Widdicomb Neoclassical Painted and Gold Gilt Large Wall Mirror, 1950sBy John WiddicombLocated in South Bend, INA gorgeous Neoclassical or Louis XVI style wall mirror By John Widdicomb USA, Circa 1950s Carved cherry wood frame, with original cream painted and gold gilt finish. Meas...Category
Vintage 1950s American Neoclassical Wall Mirrors
MaterialsMirror, Cherry, Paint