About George Hepplewhite

George Hepplewhite was one of the most famous English cabinet-makers of the 18th century, along with Thomas Sheraton and Thomas Chippendale. He was apprenticed to Gillow at Lancaster, he carried on business in the parish of Saint Giles, Cripplegate, and the administration of his estate was granted to his widow Alice on the 27th of June 1786. After his death the business was continued by his widow under the style of A. Hepplewhite & Co. Our only approximate means of identifying his work are The CabinetMaker and Upholsterer's Guide, which was first published in 1788, two years after his death, and ten designs in The Cabinetmaker's London Book of Prices (1788), issued by the London Society of Cabinet-Makers. It is, however, exceedingly difficult to earmark any given piece of furniture as being the actual work or design of Hepplewhite, since it is generally recognized that to a very large extent the name represents rather a style than a man. Lightness, delicacy and grace are the distinguishing characteristics of Hepplewhite work. They have the simplicity, elegance, and utility associated with the graceful neo-classical style (e.g., chairs with straight, tapered legs and oval backs). One characteristic seen in many of his designs is the shield-shaped chair back. Reproductions of his designs continued though the following centuries.