The Germanic style

18th Century

History and Illustrations

By 1683, German settlers began to arrive from the Rhineland in Germany and from Switzerland, bringing with them a peasant culture and distinctive traditions. Generally belonging to dissident religious sects -such as the Mennonites, Amish, Moravians, Dunkers, and Lutherans -these groups settled in southeastern Pennsylvania and farther west. Those who settled in Pennsylvania have been popularly called "Pennsylvania Dutch" (a corruption of "Deutsch"), but Pennsylvania German is a more proper designation.

The cabinetmakers produced furniture that represented very old traditions; many of their decorative motifs had originated in medieval illuminations. These decorations were brightly painted on furniture, often with accompanying names and dates. Typical forms known from the second half of the 18th century include dower chests; chairs with scrolled solid backs, solid seats and stick legs; dressers; cupboards; and wardrobes. The chief woods used were walnut, oak, yellow pine, and tulipwood. The most prominent of the true Pennsylvania German cabinetmakers was Christian Seltzer (1749-1831). Chippendale influence, which is unusual in Pennsylvania German furniture, can be seen in the work of Lancaster cabinetmakers of the Bachman family, who worked in the 1770s.

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