Phyfe, Duncan

orig. Duncan Fife

(born 1768, near Loch Fannich, Ross and Cromarty, Scot.—died Aug. 16, 1854, New York, N.Y., U.S.) Scottish-born U.S. furniture designer. His family settled in Albany, N.Y., c. 1784; there he became an apprentice cabinetmaker and eventually opened his own shop. In 1792 he moved to New York City, where he changed the spelling of his name and became so successful that he employed 100 carvers and cabinetmakers. He was one of the first Americans to use the factory method of manufacturing furniture successfully. Though he did not originate a new furniture style, he interpreted fashionable European styles—Sheraton, Regency, Directoire, Empire—with such grace that he became a major exponent of Neoclassicism. His furniture, decorated with typical period ornaments such as harps and acanthus leaves, was generally of high-quality mahogany.

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