London Furniture Designs of 1800

Find inspiration from the antique furniture designs of London. Go back in time to this Romantic era and see the progression of the furniture fashions from 1809 to 1828. Imagine yourself sitting in a Gothic chair in formal dress or opening your correspondence at one of the finely crafted mahogany tables. I hope you enjoy this collection of antique prints and quotes from The Repository of arts, literature, commerce, manufactures, fashions and politics (1809 - 1828) by Rudolph Ackermann.

The Repository of arts, literature, commerce, manufactures, fashions and politics is a testament of the entrepreneurial spirit of Rudolph Ackermann. According to the University of Cambridge*, Rudolph Ackermann was born in Stollberg, Saxony in 1764. He first was a saddler and then worked as a carriage maker. In 1787, at the age of twenty-two, he moved to London. He married in 1792 and was naturalized in 1809.

In 1795, he set up a lithographic press at 96 Strand, moved to 101 Strand in 1797 and then returned to a new building at 96 Strand in 1827. By 1800, he was the “leading publisher of colour-plate books, decorative prints, fashionable periodicals and political caricatures in London.” His business was called the Repository of Arts and acted as a shop and social gathering place. It sold prints, artist’s materials, drawing lessons and included a gallery and private library. Ackermann died in 1834.