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6	LOUISIANA STUDIES	Summer
ade of the whole trunks of young trees) offends he aesthetic taste of the modern interior decor-tor. However, the milieu that produced such mam-oths must be kept in mind. The beds, once assembled n a room, were seldom moved. This is quite under-t andable when viewing the mass ive bulk of the beds ? bulk which also impresses one with a sense of soli-ity and permanence. They were never meant to fur-ish the homes of today, but were designed for the reek temples and patioed town houses of another age. u examples still extant today are the last ves-iges of a gilded and opulent era that was doomed
Figure 6:	Detail	of headboard of Mallard bed.
Two poster, half tester or canopy, with lemonwood decorations.
1962
FRENCH CABINETMAKERS
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both by the Civil War and the subsequent collapse of the cotton and sugar markets. The plantation culture of the lower Mississippi Valley and the Creole culture of New Orleans produced an indigenous style of architecture that was at that time functional in its adaptation to the hot, humid climate of the area and in its use of native building materials.
The furniture produced for these mansions, with its grandiose decoration and gargantuan dimensions, is not mere gaucherie but is a remnant of an age typified by horsehair sofas, plush, and an almost rococo delight in rich ornamentation.
The creations of Louisiana artisans, working during the rise of this age of pompous yet genteel prosperity, should be preserved and studied, for they have historic if not artistic value. They not only exemplify the last of the cabinetmakers' art in Louisiana, but also serve as a record of a prosperous age in which ninety-seven cabinetmakers could flourish in a city of only 50,103 people.?
New Orleans Cabinetmakers in 1834
Adrian, Ernest A1br ie, Jean Ambroise, Pierre Andre, Vincent Andria, Felix Aust in, Jean Barjon, Deuill D. Barthelemy, Jean Bauquille, Francois Bazille, Joseph Beach, Miles Bellyan, Andre Bodin, Lovinsky Boileau, Felix Boneau, Pierre Boutmy, Francois Boyer, Pierre Breeze, B. B.
Buck, C. M.
Burel, Anto ine Burel, Francois
Burel, Joseph Bushinger, P.
Cabirac, B.
Cavans, W.
Chavanne, Auguste Clavier, Celestin Clement, Robert DeBevoise and Gerretson D'eglois, Adolphe Desalle, Louis Devergne, L. A. Dominique, Jean S.
Douce, Auguste Ducoing, Antoine Ducoussin, Paul Dupart, J. C.
Durand, Francois Duvallon, Antoine Erard, Joseph Ferbosse, Jean Fergus, P. B.