Activity: Mahogany, Walnut, or Journeyman's Price?

Early American colonists and others who made or bought furniture had many choices to make when they decided they wanted a chair, a table, or a cabinet made. How they arrived at those choices could depend on many different things such as wealth, status, religion, cultural values, and location. 

Imagine it is the year 1780 and you would like to buy a piece of furniture from the local cabinet maker.

1. First, pick a person to make your order based on the resources you have available along with key information that might guide your decisions.
2. Review the buyer’s guide. Here you can see two different types of furniture, the many variations available, and the price breakdown by type of material such as mahogany or walnut. A journeyman’s piece might also be offered and would likely be made of various materials and by a member of the craftsman’s shop but not by the master himself.
3. Use the following discussion questions to debrief their choices:
   • How did your buyer make decisions?
   • What did you want to have but couldn’t afford?
   • What did you leave out? Why?

Annual Income (in Pounds Sterling) for Different Workers: New England Towns 1774

Domestic-female 48.55

Farmer 99.27

School master 119.10

Unskilled labor 159.73

Fellow artisan 188.7

Merchant/sea captain 243.28

Professional (lawyer, doctor) 1051.39