One of the lessons about antique furniture I learned many years ago is that wood, even 200-year-old wood, keeps moving. In Western New York we’ve had an unusually hot, rain-limited but humid summer. Our collection includes a variety of small boxes, a tea caddy or two, and a writing desk. They all tend to demonstrate the “relative humidity” in that the hinged lids tend to rise and fall at the front edge depending on how dry the wood is.
Linda recently noticed that one document box lid that was rarely perfectly seated at the front was actually in its correct, flat position. Apparently the recent high humidity allowed the underside of the lid to expand enough for it to close.
In short-form, the direction of the grain of the wood, the finish on the top and underside and anchoring points, like hinges or decorative items (our small hide covered boxes with decorative tacks are especially prone to humidity conditions) make a difference. Generally something that has a finish on the outside but not the underside will will tend to show more change.
A close look at a number of case pieces in our house will show a small crack in the sides where shrinking has occurred. I find it a normal sign of its antique status and not a problem.Wood tends to shrink with the grain of the wood, so drawer bottoms and backs of case pieces of antique furniture typically will demonstrate the impact of the shrinking as they usually did not have an applied finish on either side.
The late Lew Larason and the late Roger Henshaw over the years have provided much more detail about the characteristics of wood as well as some tips to spot what may be fakes, alterations or repairs that “aren’t quite right.” Lew’s articles in the Collector and Roger’s “live demonstrations” at his shop always provided education and entertainment for many collectors. We miss the friendly “debates” with collectors that the information provided.
It’s amazing to see 150 and 200-year-old items continue to “move.” If only I remained so flexible!