Drop Leaf Table
Circa 1800
Walnut with Yellow Pine and Oak Secondary Woods
Maryland, Probably Easton
42” Wide 28” Tall Depth: 18 3/4” closed; 52” open
This small drop leaf table might be termed a breakfast table given its diminutive proportions. Its construction, style and secondary woods are consistent with furniture made on Maryland’s eastern shore. The table was most likely a product of an Easton shop, one of few towns of sufficient size to support a cabinetmaking enterprise. The combination of yellow pine frame rails with oak fly rails, the presence of a diagonal medial brace and the simple inlay on the skirt and cuffs are consistent with a rural shop in the region. The table descended in the Richardson Family of Cambridge, Maryland, a few miles south of Easton.
The table is in excellent condition and retains an old surface. Wear and minor repairs are commensurate with age and use.
