Sideboard
Maker
Alexander Low
Period1790 - 1815
MediumCherry, tulip poplar and white pine, with mahogany cockbeading
Dimensions39 × 60 × 27 in. (99.1 × 152.4 × 68.6 cm)
ClassificationsStorage Furniture
Credit LineGift of the family of Edgar N. McClees
Object number1995.533
DescriptionA simple, heavily constructed sideboard that consists of a large center drawer flanked by two square drawers over a two door center cupboard. Three shallow drawers are on the right of the cupboard section. Three false drawers to the left of the cupboard conceal a deep bottle drawer, the dividers of which have been removed. All drawer edges and the bottom edge of the sideboard have applied mahogany cockbeading. The upper portion of the four tapered legs form the corner posts of the piece. An applied cove molding is situated under the molded top. The brasses are the third set of hardware.Curatorial RemarksThe drawer construction of the sideboard follows techniques used by cabinetmakers in the Freehold area. Unlike drawer construction in the Middletown school, those craftsmen from the county seat made the drawer back dominant, meaning that the upper edge of the drawer sides stop before the rear surface of the drawer and the drawer back extends to the outer surfaces of the sides. Freehold craftsman also used thinner drawer stock and a larger number of smaller dovetails than those found in case furniture from the Middletown area. For another Freehold example, see accession number 1991.542.NotesThe McClees and Moreau families of Freehold, Monmouth County, have always prized their pieces of furniture made by cabinetmaking ancestor Alexander Low (1741 - 1836). Writing on 4 May 1958 to Margaret E. White, Curator of Decorative Arts at the Newark Museum, W. Rhea Moreau (1891 - 1964) listed some of the items still owned by his relatives. "Brother, Frank J. Moreau, 1 Barkalow Avenue, Freehold, N. J. has two fine pieces which I think were by Alex. Low. He would know. My memory betrays my age. Brother, Theodore P. Moreau, 144 W. Main Street, Freehold, has one table (drop leaf) by A. L. My nephew, Capt. William M. Moreau, now in regular army service in France has a combined chest of drawers and desk, the top quarter of front lets down to reveal the desk. Mr. Edgar McClees, Vice President, Second National Bank, Red Bank, N. J. (a cousin of ours) has two side boards and perhaps other items in his family." This side board is one of those two. Alexander Low lived a long life, dying in 1836 at the age of ninety-five. An inventory of his estate taken on 6 February 1836 reveals that he had disposed of all his woodworking tools and equipment. But among his furnishings was "1 Side Board" valued at $5.00. It should be noted that Aaron McClees (1790 - 1819), who married Low's daughter Janet (1795 - 1877), was also a cabinetmaker. He may well have apprenticed to his future father in law. The sideboard could just as easily have been made by him. For further information on Alexander Low, see accession number 1991.621.
Collections
ProvenanceAlexander Low (1741 - 1836); to his daughter Janet Low McClees (1795 - 1877); to her son John Marshall McClees (1817 - 1879); to his son Alexander Low McClees (1862 - 1940); to his son Edgar Newell McClees (1887 - 1970).
