One of the most interesting and important times in American history is quickly fading from living memory. The Depression Era, as it is commonly called, encompassed the better part of three decades early in the 20th century and it had a profound effect on the course of the country, the conduct of the World War that followed and even on our life today.

While the Great Depression did not officially start until 1929 and was not truly over until the early 1950s, the general term for the period covers most of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. The survivors of that time are fast leaving us and with them will go a firsthand familiarity with an era that gave us a number of important words, phrases and concepts that many of us use today without really knowing the original context of the usage or the impact of them in their heyday.

Lifestyle words like Prohibition, speakeasy, bathtub gin, flapper and zoot suit come to mind as do governmentally generated ideas like the NRA (National Recovery Act), the WPA (Works Project Administration), the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) and the New Deal. And of course there were darker words like breadline, soup kitchen, Apple Annie and the match girl that reflect the desperation of the times.

Furniture production and styling underwent some drastic changes to accommodate the tastes and pocketbooks of the American middle class. To its credit the furniture industry adapted to economic conditions and while a great many companies did fold their tent, many became strong and produced a product that worked for the time. A major advance in furniture construction came as the result of joint government/private efforts to determine the best way to kiln dry an abundant, cheap but underused resource - wood from the red gum tree. Earlier efforts to kiln dry gum resulted in twisted, cracked and unusable lumber. The new method came along in the late 1920s and essentially saved the industry.

But why should we, as people interested in antiques, be at all interested in some of the worst, stylistically speaking, and some of the cheapest furniture ever made? Other than the general historical value, two specific reasons stand out. First, some of the furniture produced during this period was among the best ever made, structurally speaking. The advent of lumber core plywood added a strength and durability factor that had been missing from most furniture since the Middle Ages. But more importantly we should be greatly interested in that furniture, its history and its place in the market because, by and large, across the country, that's what's widely available for sale and that's what the next generation of collectors is buying.

The average thirty-something buyer with newly discovered disposable income and an emerging interest in older and antique furniture probably is not confident enough yet to spring for $5,000 for a period highboy, but they will shell out $350 at the local antique mall for a nifty looking 1930s chifforette for the guest room. Don't know what a chifforette is? It is one of those forms that popped up in response to the times. The word comes from chiffonier, the traditional tall chest of drawers. That evolved into the "chifferobe," a combination of the chiffonier and wardrobe. The chifferobe had drawers on one half of the cabinet and a long door on the other side for hanging storage. It was only a small step to the chifforette, which had both drawers and a pair of small doors, usually taking up less than half the height of the cabinet. This was the occasionally referred to as a bachelor chest because it was all the furniture a young man needed. It also was sometimes called a closette.

There is an entire furniture vocabulary related to the Depression era that may come in handy somewhere down the line. Here are a few more entries to accompany your chifforette.

Priscilla - This is a small lightweight stand, usually with a slanted top that lifts on both sides, that was used as a sewing cabinet. There is a handle above the lift top for carrying the stand. This ubiquitous sewing stand was named after a very popular treadle sewing machine of the early 20h century. In the 1920s the company published a sewing magazine called Modern Priscilla and makers of the sewing stand adopted the name.

Borax - The term "borax furniture" means the extremely cheaply made but showy furniture aimed at the bottom of the Depression market. It was usually made of gum or poplar and was painted in a yellowish wash. Then the pattern of fancy veveer was actually printed onto the surface and router lines produced an engraved look on the painted surface. The name came from the coupons enclosed in borax soap that could be redeemed for this low-end furniture, not unlike the Larkin soap promotions of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Borax furniture cannot be refinished. Stripping takes away all of the grain pattern and leaves a blank piece of wood.

Oriental walnut - Literature of the period frequently refers to the wood used in a piece as "Oriental walnut," an easily recognized geometrically striped wood that almost looks artificial in its uniformity and was used extensively in Art Moderne (the original name for Art Deco) furniture. However, the wood was neither Oriental nor walnut. In fact, it grows only in the coastal region of Queensland Australia. The technical name in Endiandra palmerstonii and is not even in the Jugluns family we commonly refer to as walnut. After World War II it was no longer available in commercial quantities and has disappeared from modern furniture production.

Veneerite - This is the predecessor of the notorious "photo finish" of the 1980s. Similar to the borax process, the imprint of fancy veneer is printed onto thin paper and the paper then glued to the wood, producing the look of elaborate edge banding and inlay without the expense. It wasn't a premium product but it was creative for the time and allowed a richer look for consumers who couldn't afford the real thing. In fact, sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between veneerite and real veneer.

Antimacassar - This little jewel actually was in use before the Depression era, but it became more commen then, when new fabric for upholstery was expensive and things had to last. The term refers to the doily or cover many homemakers put on the top back of upholstered furniture to protect the fabric from dirty hair. Men's hairstyles of the day ran to the "wet look," which was achieved by the use of various scented oils. The original oil was supposedly imported from the Macassar district of the Indonesian island of Celebes. However, other oils such as castor oil were often used in its place.

Coffee table - This common phrase ordinarily doesn't bring the Depression era to mind, but that's where it originated. Coffee had been an important part of the American diet since Colonial times, but special furniture was never required. In the 19th century most serving tables continued to be the tall tables of earlier times. So why the change? It was the 18th Amendment, Prohibition, that prompted the change. During Prohibition much of America's liquor was homemade or locally produced and much of it had an abominable taste. Thus the development of the highball, the mixture of alcohol with a pleasant tasting drink to mask the flavor. This was the "cocktail." When Prohibition was repealed in 1933 furniture manufacturers were quick to market a low profile cocktail table for the newly legalized drink. The backlash against the practice of publicly marketing what everyone wanted in private led to the manufacturers renaming their tables as more socially acceptable "coffee" tables.

Smoking stand - Another vice of the period created a form that appears in almost every antique store and mall - the smoking stand with the accompanying ashtray, often equipped with a metal lined storage compartment for tobacco. Smoking stands had been popular since the turn of the century but manufacturers during the Depression placed special emphasis on specialty items like smoking stands, magazine racks, spice cabinets and tea carts to get people who couldn't buy a complete dining room or bedroom set to at least buy something, however small. The stand became an art form in itself and some are prized today, even if the original reason for their existence is in decline.

Of course there are many more terms, phrases and forms from the Depression era that are important today. Many of those relating to furniture can be found in Furniture of the Depression Era by Harriett and Robert Swedberg, published by Collector Books, Popular Furniture of the 1920s and 1930s from Schiffer Books and American Manufactured Furniture by Don Fredgant, also published by Schiffer.

Send your comments, questions and pictures to Fred Taylor at P.O. Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Visit his Web site at www.furnituredetective.com.

Fred Taylor is a freelance writer based in central Florida, who earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in finance from the University of Florida. While he is perhaps better known in his role as a nationally syndicated columnist on the subject of antique furniture, he is interested in almost all things related to Florida. He has covered many auctions both inside and outside the Sunshine State for leading antiques trade publications. Fred and his wife, Gail, love to travel Florida’s highways and byways on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.