SPECIAL EDITION

Courtesy of Antiques and the Arts Weekly

By Anna T. D'Ambrosio

Curator of Decorative Arts

UTICA, N.Y.__Elijah Galusha's high-style furniture distinguishes him as the preeminent cabinetmaker of Troy, N.Y., from the late 1820's through 1870.  Documented furniture, family history, credit reports, city directories and newspaper advertisements provide evidence of Galusha's work and illustrate how a successful regional cabinetmaker produced quality furniture that rivaled the work of his colleagues in larger urban centers.

     Born in Shaftsbury, Vt., Galusha (1804-1871) moved to Troy by 1825 and reportedly apprenticed with H.M. Smith.  Although it is not clear that Galusha trained in Shaftsbury, his age and the presence in the community of established cabinetmakers such as Daniel and Asa Loomis make it probable that Galusha had some training before he moved to Troy.

     By 1828 Galusha opened his own shop at 307 River Street.  While no documented pieces from this period are extant, attributed pieces indicate that he followed the architectural outlines and classical inspiration of traditional Empire-style furniture.  Galusha's 1828 Troy Sentinel advertisement, which featured a line drawing of an Empire-style work table with a pillar base and carved legs, and the inclusion of Pembroke and "Pillar & Claw" tables in his inventory, document his stylistic predilections.  Galusha's reputation spread rapidly and within two years his success enabled him to expand his inventory.  His 1830 advertisement is lengthier than the one from 1828 and lists a greater diversity of stock.

Right:  Rosewood armchair, circa 1865-1870.  Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica, N.Y.

     The growth and decline of Galusha's business are chronicled in the ledgers of R.G. Dun and Co., which in the Nineteenth Century established business credit ratings, and, in the Troy city directories, provided information on the number of men employed by Galusha.

     From the late 1830s through the early 1850s, Galusha's business grew steadily.  He had eight workers by 1840 and 15 by 1846.  His 1857 credit rating noted, "Good as gold for all you can sell him."

     When Galusha arrived in Troy, the city was positioned for rapid industrial and commercial growth.  A late Eighteenth and an early Nineteenth Century economy based on agriculture had provided the money for investment in transportation systems and iron and textile industries.  In addition, the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers and the Erie Canal provided easy passage to and from other markets.  By the mid-Ninetheenth Century-- Galusha's most prolific period-- Troy's economy was booming.

Right: Desk, circa 1845-1860.  

Rococo Revival furniture was at the height of fashion from the 1840s to the 1860s.  Galusha would have been exposed to prevailing styles through travel, published sources, and examples of New York City cabinet work in Troy.  He made Gothic-style pieces, but his Rococo Revival furniture is his most stylistically energetic form.  An outstanding body of well-documented Galusha furniture from this period survives at the Rensselaer County Historicall Society, Troy, N.Y.; the New York State Museum, Albany, N.Y.; and in private collections.  These collections provide the basis for attributions and attest to the aesthetic standards and outstanding craftsmanship of Galusha's work.  Using these objects, aother pieces, such as those at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica, N.Y. can be firmly attributed to Galusha on a stylistic basis.

Right: Rosewood armchair, circa 1855-1860.  Collection of Rensselaer County Historical Society, Troy, N.Y.

     Galusha had competition from a number of smaller Troy cabinetmakers including Rober Green (active circa 1840 to circa 1868) and from John Meads, Jr., of Albany (active circa 1838 to circa 1852), but among wealther clientele his main competition came from New York City firms such as Alexander Roux, John Henry Belter, E.W. Hutchings, and J. and J.W. Meeks.  Documented Galusha furniture from the 1840s and 1850s confirms that he emulated the work of his New York City counterparts.  His forms were typical of the period and his motifs were derived from popular stylistic ornamentation.  Galusha, however, added embellishments that distinguish his work from that of other manufacturers.

     The patronage that Galusha received from prosperous local customers, such as Richard P. Hart and John Paine Nazro families of Troy and the Col. Robert Milligan family of Saratoga, N.Y., who could afford furniture by prominent New York City cabinetmakers, testifieds to the quality of Galusha's workmanship.  For all three families, Galusha produced Rococo parlor sets consisting of sofas, side and armchairs, and center tables, in keeping with the Nineteenth Century trend of purchasing furniture en suite.

Right:  Etagere, circa 1850.  Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute

     Galusha ornamented his furniture, which was made primarily of rosewood, with floral motifs.  Each chair in a suite, however, was slightly different.  Several motifs predominate in Galusha's work; flowers, such as daisies and primroses with the stems held together in ribbon; scallop shells; gadrooning; and applied wavy trim.

     Galusha did not adopt the advanced production techniques of some of his contemporaries such a Belter's lamination process.  Instead, he continued to work in a more conventional mode using traditional joinery techniques, carving embellishments from solid pieces of wood, and applying carved elements to flat surface in order to achieve greater depth in the ornamentation.  Many of his more elaborate pieces combine decorative techniques.

Right:  Screen, circa 1840-1850.  Rosewood, needlepoint.  Collection of Rensselaer County Historical Society, Troy, N.Y.

     Many of Galusha's parlor suites are characteristic of the period, but he also created individual pieces to complement Rococo interiors.  Fireplace screens, armoires, dining tables, bureaus, mirrors, frames, and all types of chairs were produced by the shop.  Among his more innovative pieces was a multi-form desk.  The top of this piece could be opened half way for use as a writing surface, or the drawer and gallery section could be removed and the table surface opened to form a card table.

     During the mid- to late Nineteenth Century there was an influx of German immigrants to the United States.  This pool of laborers provided Galusha with a trained, or partially trained, workforce.  Troy city directories show  that as the number of his workers increased, their titles became more specific; gilders, carvers, finishers, and upholsterers are listed as well as cabinet makers.  The addition of these workers indicates that Galusha's expanding business was offering a broader range of objects and services to meet his clients' demands.

     R.J. Dun and Co. records from 1853 note that Galusha was a "prudent, attentive business man, honest & industrious... keeps the best store in his line and obtains good prices."  However, by the late 1850s and early 1860s, Galusha's business had suffered a severe decline.  The 1850 Federal census lists the value of Galusha's real estate as $75,000, whereas the 1860 census values it at $25,000.  From 1855 through 1860 only one to two workers listed Galusha's shop as their place of employment.

     Galusha's business may have been affected by the economic situation that arose from the Civil War.  In 1863 he was reported to be worth only $5,000 to $6,000, whereas he was worth $20,000 ten years earlier.

     His business regained some of its strength in the late 1860s.  By 1870, 12 workers listed Galusha's shop as their place of employment.  Galusha's rebounding fortune may have been due to this ability to modify designs according to popular taste.

     As the desirability of Rococo furniture waned, Galusha adopted the increasingly popular lines of Elizabethan furniture.  His business continued to employ between five and ten men from 1866, but his business acumen may not have been what it once was.  In 1870, Dun and Co., observes, "Has done a small business this year and has a large stock on hand... He is too slow and old and has owl smart, active competitors."  Galusha retired from business in 1870 and died in 1871.  The ware room remained open under Hosea Leach.  In 1872 the firm was taken over by J. Crawford Green and Marcus Waterman, and it continued in operation through the turn of the century.

     Much remains to be discovered about Galusha.  Conclusions regarding his early and late career are speculative until more documentation is uncovered and more objects are located.  His surviving works, for example, were produced for a wealthy clientele, yet to sustain a lucrative operation Galusha retailed affordable items for the middle class.  While solid evidence remains elusive, bills of sale and the change in his listing in city directories from "Cabinet maker" to "Furniture, etc." imply that Galusha kept abreast of the market by expanding his offerings and services.  Galusha's furniture compares favorably with some of the pieces produced by distinguished New York City cabinetmakers such as Meeks and Hutchings, but his body of known work never achieved the stylistic heights of the best pieces of his better-known urban colleagues.  In the spectrum of upstate New York craftsmen, however, Galusha stands out as a strong and industrious manufacturer.  His ability to adapt the style of his products and his general stock earned for him the reputation for "the best work in the city."

By Anna T. D'Ambrosio, curator of decorative arts, Munson-Willams-Proctor Institute, with contributions by Stacy Pomeroy Draper, curator of the Rensselaer County Historical Society.  Web reprint courtesy The Bee Publishing Company, Inc.