Howard & Sons London Leather Topped Faux Bamboo Writing Table

English circa 1875 Aesthetic Movement writing table or desk by London cabinetmakers Howard & Sons having original green leather top; the oval form case with single drawer and original faux bamboo painted finish on turned segmented x-form stretcher and legs with original brass casters; the top of the drawer stamped either side of the lock 'Howard & Sons Berners St'.

Howard & Sons Biography:

Howard & Sons, one of the most famous and fashionable of British furniture makers, was founded in 1820 at 24 Lemon Street, London by John Howard. In 1848 the company moved to 22 Berners Street, expanded in 1853 into 26 Berners Street, and from 1861-89 additional workshops were at Tottenham Street, Charlotte Mews, and Fitzroy Square. The Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1862 saw their first awarded prize for an exhibited suite of library furniture. In 1865 George Howard patented a method for the wood veneering of walls and in 1867 a patent for the improved production of parquet flooring. In 1866 Howard patented the 'Elastic Seat' which reimagined the inside workings of traditional upholstery, cementing the company’s fame for upholstered seat furniture. In 1872 the company expanded further into 25 and 27 Berners Street. The firm exhibited and won medals at the 1878 Paris Exhibition, the 1894 Antwerp Exhibition, the Paris Exhibition of 1900, and were awarded the first of their royal warrants in 1901. In 1935 the company moved to 31 Old Burlington Street where they produced mainly upholstered furniture until finally closing in 1947. Howard & Sons was revived in the latter 20th-century as ‘Howard Chairs Ltd.’ at 30 Lyme Street, London, utilizing the original patented upholstery techniques.

The above history is credited to Paul A. Shutler.