We have at least a half-dozen folks who stroll into our booth and exclaim, “Oh, I’ve always wanted one of those,” pointing to a Welsh dresser, and completely disregarding any other English furniture we might have in our booth.
What is it about this particular object that causes them to react so emotionally? Just looking at a 19th-century Welsh dresser may transport you to a bygone era of calmer times. It’s a typical day at the farmhouse of a Welsh farmer, with an open fireplace and a baby sleeping in the cradle, his wife cleaning her pewter and her husband completing his gruel for breakfast on a stool at the table.
Another reason, we are sure, why we all gravitate to stunning Welsh dressers is because of the term patina. It is the beautiful combination of dirt, smoke, and beeswax that has been worked into the wood over the course of two hundred years or more that gives oak its characteristic warmth and color. It gives us a wonderful feeling. The term “comfort food” should be changed to “comfort furniture.”
Table of Contents
Welsh Dresser Is A Misnomer!
The question is, why do we refer to these pieces of furniture as Welsh dressers when they may have been produced in Yorkshire or Shropshire? Dressers were created all throughout England, Scotland, and Wales from the late seventeenth century to the early nineteenth century, and they are still in use today. Wales has, however, become associated with the term dresser, which is possibly due to the great number of high-quality specimens that have emerged from the country in recent years.
Welsh artisans were renowned for their skill and uniqueness, and dressers from Wales are distinguished by a wealth of ornamentation and additional elements such as scalloped cornices and perforated aprons, whilst dressers from England are, on the whole, more basic in design.
No two dressers are ever exactly same, regardless of where they were built. The top cornice will invariably be decorated differently, as would the layout of drawers and cabinets, as well as the type of legs. Dressers were fashioned out of whatever wood was available at the time – pine, elm, or fruitwood, for example – but the majority are made of oak. It was simple to split, had a strong resistance to wear and strain, and had a lovely grain and color.
The Origin Of The Term Dresser
In the United States, the phrase “dresser” refers to a chest of drawers that is used to store clothing. It is possible, however, that the term “dresser” comes from the mediaeval French phrase “dressoir,” which meaning “a place to dress the food.” Before serving meals to visitors in the great hall, servants would set up a long, utilitarian table called a “dresser” in the kitchen. This table would have shelves above it, and they would use it to dress food before it was served to them.
Different Types Of Welsh Dressers
Tridarn Was The First To Arrive
The Tridarn was the earliest type of cabinet found in Wales, and it was a carryover from the mediaeval canopy cupboard style. The Cwpwrdd Tridarn of the seventeenth century included a deep hooded top shelf for displaying gold or silver plate, as well as a set of cupboards beneath it. The Tridarn’s features may be observed in an eighteenth-century North Wales high dresser, which frequently has the same deep, hooded cornice and broad top shelf as the original.
Because Wales was an impoverished country, farming was the primary source of income for the majority of its citizens. Welsh farmhouses were made out of a single room that served as the kitchen, parlor, and dining room, with a loft above it for sleeping. Because of the limited amount of available space, dressers were built to house everything needed for both meal preparation and serving.
As a result, Welsh dressers are nearly always taller than their counterparts. Generally speaking, they consist of a base with closets or shelves for storing mixing bowls and serving platters, and a superstructure consisting of either broad or narrow shelves to exhibit the family’s finest pewter and China.
Even as late as the twentieth century, in Wales, a dresser was considered to be a vital element of a young girl’s dowry. Whether in the parlor or the kitchen, she would stock it with glassware on the top shelf, a tea set surrounded by huge willow ware plates on the next level, and as many lusterware jugs as her budget would allow on every hook. The top of the dresser base would be adorned with bits of brass, her favorite Staffordshire figurines, and a plethora of other family heirlooms and memorabilia.
Distinctions Between Regions
Making a definitive determination on the origin or classification of a dresser is difficult, however Welsh dressers tend to be more compact than those built-in other parts of the United Kingdom. Because of the terrain of Wales, which made travel difficult well into the nineteenth century, regional disparities between North and South Wales are more noticeable today.
Each region evolved along its own lines, and because of the country’s remoteness, styles tended to stay in one spot for a longer period of time. Here are a few distinguishing traits that can help us determine the place and time period of a piece of artwork.
North Wales Style
Enclosed North Wales dressers, for example, are constructed with a superstructure of shelves supported by a cupboard base and an exposed wooden back. It is constructed of high-quality wood and workmanship.
For example, the previously described hooded rack is characteristic of the northern hemisphere and features deep shelves to accommodate not only plates, but also pitchers, tea sets, and other small items, as well as extra iron hangers for mugs and jugs. There will be two or three drawers over two cabinets with fielded or curved panels on the base of the bedside table. Dressers in a Welsh farmhouse are seldom more than five feet wide and seven feet high, in order to suit the low ceilings and compact rooms of the home.
A dresser like this can occasionally be found at a county auction in Wales, tucked away amid the tractors and agricultural gear from a deceased estate. It would be the one and only prized piece of furniture that had been passed down through generations of the family. Dressers from North Wales earn a premium price because to their scarcity, solid build, and charming appearance. In England, they may fetch as much as £15,000 to £20,000.
The Prototype From South Wales
A pot board is the term used to describe the South Wales dresser from the same time period. Over a pot board (bottom shelf), the base has three drawers and a beautiful apron, all of which are supported by turned or profile legs. Large butter crocks, mixing bowls, copper pot and jug storage are provided by the pot board (bottom shelf).
With its scalloped or wavy cornice and curved sides, the shelf superstructure appears to be practically an afterthought, but it is actually rather ornate and exceedingly ornamental. Unlike the shelves in North Wales, which are typically significantly thinner, these shelves are rarely enclosed. On the whitewashed wall of the farmhouse, plates on an open rack just lay against it.
There are many more differentiating qualities that may be found throughout South Wales. The Swansea dresser is possibly the most ornate, with a very decorated cornice and as many as five drawers in two tiers on the base, above a carved, or piercing work apron, and is perhaps the most expensive. When the rack joins the base, it is common for the top of the base to have extra little spice drawers on the top.
While dressers from South Wales are more plentiful and less expensive than those from the north, dressers from Swansea are highly desired, and as a result, they may fetch as much as $10,000 in price.