Dining Room Tables of the Early 1800s

Federal Style

• Federal style, which celebrated the creation of the new country America, dominated the beginning of the 19th century. Also known as American Neo-classicism, it blended elements of classical Greek architectural and decorative design through styles from designers such as Thomas Sheraton. Dining tables of this period were still hand-crafted -- a notable craftsman was Duncan Phyfe -- and are therefore highly sought-after today. Details were spare but included single, double or triple pedestals with fluted tripod legs and brass foot caps.

American Empire

• American Empire was a hand-crafted interpretation of Egyptian-influenced styles made popular by the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. It incorporated elements of the slightly earlier Directoire style, and it was known as Regency style in England. All three styles are closely related, and the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Dining tables from this period often incorporated bronze or gilt accents and animal motifs on heavy pedestals or legs with claw feet. Tops usually employed mahogany veneers in highly decorative ways.

Gothic and Elizabethan Revival

• The revival of these European styles in affordable furniture for middle-class Americans was made possible by the use of machinery. Dining tables may display Gothic trefoil motifs or "Jacobean" style legs created with a spool-turned lathe. Gothic and Elizabethan Revival dining tables have a heavier appearance than the streamlined Federal tables.

Empire Revival

• Empire Revival, or French Restoration (often spelled Restauration), was the second attempt at reviving styles popular during Napoleon's French Empire. This time, industrial age machinery made the creation of such designs easier, faster and more affordable. This period produced large-scale dining tables using mahogany and crotch-mahogany veneers. Joseph Meeks and Sons of New York were well-known makers during this period.