Question for you history buffs

[yetloh]

When did it beome customary for the inside of fine quality furniture to have a finish applied to the interior? I'm not talking drawers here, they are a special case, but cupboards and other cabinet pieces. No self respecting cabinet maker with aspirations would now dream of leaving a piece unfinished on the inside but it certainly wasn't always so. I was looking at a Lutyens piece made around 1904 this week and that is completely devoid of finish. Clearly some pieces like desks and drinks cabinets have pretty much always been at least partly finished inside, but those parts are ones intended to be on display. Any ideas anyone?

Jim

 

[mrpercysnodgrass]

The best furniture designed to house cloth were lined in some way from as early as the fourteenth century, some were lined with silk or cotton and some painted. in the eighteenth century it was common for linen press drawers to be lined with marble paper ( I have one in the workshop at the moment ) Chest of drawers commonly had their drawers lined with sugar paper from mid georgian up to mid victorian. The insides were generally left un polished or just had an ochre wash, again the best were lined with red cedar to keep moths at bay and if that were sealed it would also seal in the scent. As far as polishing the interior on a regular basis the earliest examples I can think of are Edwardian wardrobes.

 

[tomatwark]

I would think that it became normal practice when spraying became common as it is a lot easier to spray a whole cupboard than masking the interior out.

Tom

 

[heimlaga]

There is a lot of differences between different places and countries but in my part of Finland we would be talking about the 1950-ies approximately when low quality materials and bad craftsmanship had to be hidden behind thick usually white paint. High end hand made furniture is rarely made in this country anymore but the few pieces that I have seen are still often left unfinished inside as a sign of quality.

 

[yetloh]

Thanks everyone for the responses, most helpful.

Jim