Double Chest (Chest-on-Chest)
Pair of Drawers
Chest upon Chest
Thomas Gross, Jr., American, 1775 - 1839
Made in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
Date:
1805-1810Medium:
Mahogany, tulip poplar, yellow pine; brassDimensions:
6 feet 10 3/4 inches × 43 1/4 inches × 22 1/2 inches (210.2 × 109.9 × 57.2 cm)Curatorial Department:
American ArtObject Location:
Currently not on view
Accession Number:1983-167-1a,bCredit Line:
Gift of Mrs. Leslie Legum, 1983
Social Tags
african american [x] african american art [x] african american artists [x] black art [x] black artisan [x] furniture [x] pennsylvania artist [x] philadelphia artists [x]The expressive signature on the bottom of the drawer proudly declares this monumental chest of drawers to be the work of "Thomas Gross, maker." Gross was a free cabinetmaker and undertaker of African descent who owned a shop in Philadelphia in the early 1800s. He might have learned his trade from his father, Thomas Gross, Sr., a carpenter.
Although Philadelphia directories show other African American carpenters and cabinetmakers working during this period, relatively few artisans of any race or ethnicity signed their work.
Grass's signature makes this the only known piece of furniture that is a documented product of Philadelphia's robust community of free African American artisans.