John henry belter biography of abraham lincoln

Few craftsmen in history leave such an indelible mark on their craft that their name becomes synonymous with all other works of that style.

Thomas Chippendale was one such artisan as was Louis Comfort Tiffany a century and a half later.

Another such name is that of John Henry Belter, a German immigrant to America whose extraordinary technical innovations and masterful artistry quite literally changed the face of furniture making during the mids. For almost years after his death, any furniture of the period exhibiting an exuberance of carving or the styling of the Rococo Revival was dubbed "Belter" furniture.

It wasn't until the s that the true genius of John Henry Belter was finally realized, when experts began making important distinctions between the superior work of Belter and the lesser works of his competitors.

Belter emigrated to America from Germany as a young man in and became a naturalized citizen by He was already an accomplished fur