11-05-201111-05-2011
Skinner Auctions
Skinner AuctionsBoston MA
2567BBoston
November 5, 2011 10:00 AMCalender
331

Pair of Federal Mahogany Carved and Flame Birch Inlaid Card Tables

Sell one like this
$28,440$24,000
Auction: American Furniture & Decorative Arts - 2567BLocation: BostonDate / Time: November 05, 2011 10:00AM

Description:

Pair of Federal Mahogany Carved and Flame Birch Inlaid Card Tables, Joshua Cumston, Saco, Maine, c. 1810-15, old refinish, (minor imperfections),ht. 29 3/4, wd. 36, dp. 17 1/2 in.

Note: A handwritten label on the underside reads: "Two card tables made by Joshua Cumston, uncle of Charles M. Cumston."

Provenance: These tables have descended in the family since the late 19th century to their current owner. Charles Cumston, mentioned in the label on the tables, was an influential figure during the childhood of the consignor's great uncle William Moulton Ingraham (b. 1870). The tables were given by Cumston, the cabinetmaker's uncle, to Ingraham. Ingraham became an influential lawyer in Portland, Maine, after passing the bar in 1897. He served as the mayor of Portland in 1915, and then was appointed Assistant Secretary of War in 1916-17, during which time Franklin Delano Roosevelt was Assistant Secretary of the Navy.
Estimate $10,000-15,000

one table with loss at back near hinge (not visible); the same table with small losses to crossbanding; colors of the tables differ somewhat.

Keywords

William Moulton Ingraham, Maine, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Joshua Cumston, Charles M. Cumston, cabinetmaker, Portland, influential lawyer, Assistant Secretary, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, mayor