Johnson John Stuart Mid Century Modern Walnut High Chest Dresser Brass Pull MINT
About the Item
- Creator:Johnson Furniture Co. (Manufacturer),John Stuart (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 46 in (116.84 cm)Width: 38 in (96.52 cm)Depth: 20 in (50.8 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Mint inspected vintage condition.
- Seller Location:Rockaway, NJ
- Reference Number:
John Stuart
Grand Rapids, Michigan, was once known as “Furniture City” for its local mass-production industry that flourished from the mid-19th century into the early 20th century, led by furniture manufacturers like John Stuart. Stuart’s eponymous company, which would build showrooms in New York and Philadelphia, designed and sold elegant reproductions of various furniture styles, including 18th-century French and English furniture as well as what we now call mid-century modern home furnishings built by European craftsmen in the entrepreneur’s Grand Rapids factory.
In 1845, a British cabinetmaker named George Widdicomb arrived in New York before moving to Grand Rapids. There he set up a small cabinet shop in 1857 with a dozen craftsmen, including his son John Widdicomb. The store quickly found success due to Widdicomb’s English training and the dearth of other quality furniture makers in the region. Toward the end of the 19th century, Grand Rapids had earned an international reputation as a leader of American furniture manufacturing, and while the Widdicomb family would navigate some difficulty after the Civil War, they emerged anew as Widdicomb Brothers and Richards, and then the Widdicomb Furniture Company. Widdicomb’s son started his own company in 1897, the John Widdicomb Company, and in 1929, the Grand Rapids–born John Stuart joined the company as a director.
Stuart, who had been in the furniture industry since 1913, was named president of John Widdicomb Company in the early 1940s and by then had formed John Stuart, Inc., with partner Herbert M. Rothschild. John Stuart, Inc.’s offerings included oak buffets and other dining-room furnishings crafted in the Tudor and Elizabethan styles, with cabinet doors and drawer fronts characterized by meticulously carved natural-world motifs and other decorative flourishes. Stuart also oversaw the design of reproductions of sophisticated walnut and mahogany Queen Anne side tables and dining chairs, with the latter marked by pronounced, vase-shaped curves in the back splats and cabriole legs. In 1952, the manufacturer and distributor’s founder sold the business, including the right to trade under his name, to the John Widdicomb Company.
Find a wide variety of vintage John Stuart furniture on 1stDibs.
Johnson Furniture Co.
Take a medal from the King of Sweden, a splash of the roaring twenties, and a series of talented designers and you get Johnson Furniture Co.’s elegant Art Deco and period-revival furnishings as well as a taste for why the Johnson name prevailed for over a century in American furniture manufacturing.
A wealth of forests rendered Grand Rapids, Michigan, a logging center during the 1800s. It eventually gained recognition for its furniture industry. The city became a destination for woodworkers who hailed from all over the United States as well as Europe, and Johnson Furniture Co. cofounder Carl Johnson, who had been recognized for cabinetmaking by the head of the royal family in his native Sweden, brought his royally acknowledged talents to America with his two brothers, Hjalmar and Axel in 1887. Together, they established Cabinetmakers Co. in Grand Rapids. In 1908, the brothers sold their start-up and founded Johnson Furniture Co.
Tom Handley, of the well-respected English furniture company Waring and Gillow, became an in-house designer with Johnson Furniture Co. in its early days. Handley would stay on as part of both the Johnson label and of Johnson-Handley-Johnson — a companion company that spun off from Johnson in 1922 — until his death in 1926. At the time, archaeological discoveries were all the rage. The greatest influence on Art Deco jewelry, for example, was the excavation of the tomb of King Tut in 1922, and some vintage Tom Handley designs were adaptations of Egyptian furniture. The brand specialized in a range of styles that included Art Deco, Chippendale, Queen Anne and more.
Acclaimed designer David Robertson Smith, who had made furniture in the Arts and Crafts style for the likes of Gustav Stickley, carried the Johnson Furniture Co. creative team into the early 1930s. Grand Rapids had by then become a thriving hub with respect to the mass production of furniture, and Smith’s sophisticated Dynamique line — a collection of coffee tables, cabinets and more in alluring woods such as walnut and mahogany and based on French furniture — was among the first mass-produced modern furniture made in America.
Johnson hired Lorenzo Rutili, a Carnegie Institute graduate who studied design in Europe, to lead the brand’s design division. Rutili oversaw 30 years of successful Johnson Furniture Co. collaborations with other notable designers including Paul Frankl, Eliel Saarinen, Bert England, J. Robert F. Swanson and Pipsam Saarinen Swanson. After wrapping up his tenure at Johnson, Rutili moved on to design furniture at Tomlinson in North Carolina.
During the 1960s, Kipp Stewart and Milo Baughman designed residential furnishings for Directional — a favorite of mid-century modern furniture enthusiasts — and Johnson produced these pieces, becoming the sole manufacturer for the North Carolina brand.
After a merger with Timberline Inc., Johnson Furniture Co. secured contracts for hotels, motels and university dormitories. In 1983, Johnson and Rose Manufacturing became RoseJohnson Inc. It was later purchased by La-Z-Boy.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage Johnson Furniture Co. case pieces and storage cabinets, tables and other furniture.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Hardwick, NJ
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- John Stuart 5 Drawers Walnut High Boy Chest Dresser Mid-Century Modern Mint!By John StuartLocated in Rockaway, NJJohn Stuart 5 drawers walnut high boy chest dresser Mid-Century Modern Mint! Book matched drawers.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass
- 6 Drawers Drop Pulls Walnut Mid Century Modern High Chest Dresser Tall Legs MINTBy John Stuart, Hickory Manufacturing CompanyLocated in Rockaway, NJ6 Drawers Drop Pulls Walnut Mid Century Modern High Chest Dresser Tall Legs MINTCategory
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsHickory
- John Widdicomb Mid Century Modern Walnut Gentlemen's High Chest Dresser MINT!By John Widdicomb, Dale FordLocated in Rockaway, NJJohn Widdicomb Mid Century Modern Walnut Gentlemen's High Chest Dresser MINT!Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsAluminum
- Mid Century 6 Drawers Walnut High Chest Dresser W/ Porcelain Ball Pulls Mint!By Drexel, Kipp StewartLocated in Rockaway, NJMid century 6 drawers walnut high chest dresser W/ Porcelain ball pulls mint!Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsPorcelain, Walnut
- Mid-Century Modern Walnut 5 Drawers High Chest Dresser MINT!By DrexelLocated in Rockaway, NJMid-Century Modern Walnut 5 Drawers High Chest Dresser MINT!.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsTeak
- Mid-Century Modern Light Pickled Walnut Brass Pulls 5 Drawers Chest Dresser MintBy DrexelLocated in Rockaway, NJMid-Century Modern light pickled walnut brass pulls 5 drawers chest dresser mint.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass
- Mid-Century Modern John Stuart DresserBy John StuartLocated in Brooklyn, NYThis beautiful vintage dresser is part of a four-piece set by John Stuart that features a wonderful light natural finish, tapered brass legs,...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsWalnut
- Mid-Century Modern Walnut and Brass Chests by John Stuart, PairBy John StuartLocated in Kennesaw, GAThese are a great size with clean lines. This is a pair of midcentury modern walnut on brass based chests by John Stuart. They have three doors. They are marked. The only negative is...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsBrass
- Compatible Pair Mid-Century Modern Dressers, Chests by Paul Frankl, John StuartBy Paul Frankl, John StuartLocated in Stamford, CTPair Mid-Century Modern Double dressers by Paul Frankl for John Stuart, Lacquer Highly compatible Set of two spectacular dressers designed by Paul Frankl for John Stuart, recently f...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass, Chrome
- Mid-Century Modern Chest/Desk, John Stuart, Paul Frankl DesignBy Johnson Furniture Company, Paul Frankl, John StuartLocated in Stamford, CTMid Century Modern Chest/Desk, John Stuart, Paul Frankl Design A recently white lacquered seven graduating drawer dresser or chest having an interior desk that folds down to reveal a 13 1/2 inch deep by 37 1/2 inch wide writing surface desk...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsChrome
- Pair Mid-Century Modern Dresser / Nightstands, Lacquer, Paul Frankl, John StuartBy John StuartLocated in Stamford, CTPair Mid-Century Modern Dresser / Nightstands, Lacquer, Paul Frankl, John Stuart Gorgeous pair of 20th Century bachelor chests newly refini...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsChrome
- Paul Frankl, John Stuart, Mid-Century Modern Rare Station Wagon Full Bedroom SetBy Paul Frankl, Johnson Furniture Co., John StuartLocated in Stamford, CTRare Mid-Century Modern Paul Frankl for John Stuart complete 1950s bedroom set. Paul Frankl for Johnson Furniture Co. and retailed by John...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Bedroom Sets
MaterialsBrass