attributed to Duncan Phyfe, mid 19th century, poplar and ash(?) mixed secondary woods, octagonal mirror held on curved supports with turned finials, white marble top, scrolled supports and original mirrored back, underside of one drawer incised with "JM 81", 78 x 42 x 20 in.

Provenance: By direct descent of Governor John Lawrence Manning and Sally Bland Clarke Manning, Millford Plantation, South Carolina

Note:

On June 2, 1841, Duncan Phyfe & Son sent John Laurence Manning Esq. (1816-1889) a letter detailing nearly 50 boxes, and their contents, which had been sent "to the care of your agent in Charleston", with "the balance of the order [to] be shipped in from 3 to 4 weeks." This mirrored dressing table may be one referred to as being in boxes 19 and 20: "Mahog. Sideboard Table" with "swing glass". This shipment followed 12 boxes that had been sent earlier and was itself followed by an additional 39 boxes; the contents of both the earlier and later shipments and their whereabouts are unknown. Surviving documentation of two letters, dated January 5 and 7, 1842, and an invoice dated January 5, 1842, totaled $2,047.14 for work completed between January 1841 and January 1842 by Phyfe & Brother, the upholstery firm of James and Robert Phyfe, nephews of Duncan Phyfe and sons of his brother, John.

While many of Phyfe's patrons purchased from just a few pieces to the contents of one or two rooms, Michael K. Brown and Matthew A. Thurlow note "there is a single occasion when a client, John Laurence Manning, filled an entire house with Phyfe's wares". ("Duncan Phyfe Master Cabinetmaker in New York," Kenny, Brown, Bretter & Thurlow p. 37).

This dressing table bears similarities to a marble top mahogany basin stand with brass gallery noted on the June 2, 1841, bill of lading that Richard Hampton Jenrette acquired and returned to Millford Plantation (see Duncan Phyfe Master Cabinetmaker in New York, cat no 2.10, p. 283).

Millford Plantation is largely recognized to be one of the finest extant examples of Greek Revival residential architecture in America. Built by Nathaniel Potter between 1839 and 1841, Frances K. Bretter suggest it was designed for Manning and his new bride, Susan Frances Hampton (1816-1845), by German architect Charles Friedrich Reichardt, who moved to Charleston in 1836; here, he designed several buildings, including the Charleston Hotel, a prototype for Millford. Manning was in New York City in October 1840 and stopped at Astor House, the first luxury house in the city; here he may have seen examples of the French-inspired Grecian Plain style Phyfe was known for and which was so well suited to Millford.

During the Civil War, Millford escaped destruction by Union troops and remained in the Manning family during Reconstruction. The plantation was sold to Mark Clark Thompson in 1902, in whose family it remained until 1992 when it was purchased by Richard Jenrette. He restored the house and reassembled much of its original furnishings; in 2008, the home became part of the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust, which is now known as the Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation.