By Tomlinson
Located in Dayton, OH
"Tomlinson Louis XV / French Provincial style end table. Made from Cherry with a cello cutouts along the side, an inner cubby, dovetailed drawer and long tapered legs leading to slender stump feet. The table is accented with engraved trim in gold and features a French brass drawer pull. Marked along back side, 1161 Table Cherry Amber.
The table was purchased was originally made in High Point, North Carolina and purchased from The Rike Kumler Company of Dayton Ohio in the 1960s.
Tomlinson History
Pay a visit to the town of High Point, North Carolina — long the capital of American-made furniture — and, from nearly any location in the city, you’ll see a tall smokestack bearing the name Tomlinson. It’s a name with deep roots there: In 1901, Sidney Halstead Tomlinson, Sr., and his brother founded the Tomlinson Chair Manufacturing Co., producing adaptations of 19th-century European antiques for an enthusiastic American audience. Later the Tomlinson Furniture Company grew rapidly over the ensuing decades, becoming a significant contributor to High Point’s thriving manufacturing economy.
Although Tomlinson began with a focus on antique-style furniture, by the middle of the century the company had adopted aesthetics from the modern style that was rapidly growing in popularity around the world.
Throughout the 1950s and 60s, Tomlinson Furniture produced coffee tables, storage cabinets and seating in the low-slung, sleek silhouettes that were typically characteristic of what we now know as mid-century modern designs. Working with designers like John Lubberts and Lambert Mulder, the company experimented with materials like woven cane and unique styles such as neoclassical lounge chairs in cherrywood that were seen as thoughtful modern interpretations of Biedermeier furniture.
During the mid-1950s, Tomlinson Furniture introduced its dramatic and decorative Sophisticate line, a collection of case pieces, seating, tables and more, available in a variety of woods. Today, designs that originated in the collection, such as its pecan-framed chairs with seats and backs of woven leather straps, are increasingly sought after by collectors.
Rike's History
The company was established as the Rike-Kumler company in downtown Dayton, Ohio in 1853. They would remain independent until 1959 when they joined the Federated Department Stores company, at which time the company owned the then 650,000 sq ft downtown store, a 280,000 sq ft service building, two warehouses, and the Miami Hotel...
Category
1960s Louis XV Vintage Tomlinson End Tables