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The material in this unit may be used to address the following Social Studies Standards
BACKGROUND: Style based upon furniture designs of English author Charles Locke Eastlake. Eastlake disliked ornate Victorian design. His philosophy stressed "sincerity" and "honest craftsmanship." Eastlake's only concession to the "improvements" of the Industrial Revolution was his approval of lathe-turned table legs and spindles. Otherwise, he favored simple, straightforward designs based upon medieval construction techniques. In 1868 Eastlake published Hints on Household Taste, a primer of interior design according to his philosophy. The book became extremely popular in both England and America. American carpenters expanded upon Eastlake's ideas by enlarging his decorative motifs and liberally applying them to surfaces. The author strongly disapproved of the resulting style. Eastlake was not an architectural style in the common sense. It had nothing to do with massing, building shape, floorplan, etc. Instead, Eastlake was a collection of decorative millwork (called gingerbread by some) which could be applied to a building of any type. Eastlake is typically found in conjunction with the Queen Anne Revival style and on houses of wood frame construction. CHARACTERISTICS OF STYLE: Features
of the Eastlake include:
LOUISIANA CONNECTIONS: Eastlake popular in Louisiana from 1880s through first decade of twentieth century Development of lumber industry at this time made possible local manufacture of Eastlake decorative elements Shotguns
with Eastlake porch columns and brackets popular in New Orleans
Eastlake sometimes found in interiors, especially in the form of decorative screens
In some places, Eastlake-decorated houses are the area's earliest
architectural heritage
EXAMPLES: Printable Version
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