From Rainforest to Parlor: The Mahogany Trade in Colonial Rhode Island

By the 1760s, imported mahogany was all the rage for fine furniture in colonial America. Many examples of these elegant pieces were made in Newport and are in the collections of the Newport Historical Society, exhibited at the Museum of Newport History, and at Samuel Whitehorne House, the Newport Restoration Foundation’s museum of 18^th-and early 19th-century Newport and Rhode Island furniture. On Wednesday April 24, 2012 at 5:30pm author Jennifer Anderson will present From Rainforest to Parlor: The Mahogany Trade in Colonial Rhode Island at the Colony House on Washington Square.

As the coveted mahogany trees were quickly depleted in their native Caribbean range, the mahogany trade became an increasingly risky and competitive business. Nevertheless, many Rhode Island merchants, sea captains, and cabinetmakers—eager to profit from this desirable and luxurious wood—took their chances in this new line of trade. In her talk, Dr. Anderson will discuss the adventures (and misadventures) of some of these participants and their quest to secure this precious material.

Jennifer Anderson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Stony Brook University (SUNY). She recently completed a new book entitled Mahogany: The Costs of Luxury in Early America (Harvard UP 2012) about the social and environmental history of the tropical timber trade in the 18^th century. Jennifer has a PhD in Early American and Atlantic History from New York University, an MA from the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture, and a BA in History from Barnard College (Columbia University). She has received many awards and fellowships, including the prestigious Society of American Historians’ Nevins Prize for Best-Written Dissertation. She has worked as a consultant at over a dozen historic sites and museums. She also served on the research team for the Emmy-nominated documentary, “Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North,” about the Northern slave trade. She is delighted to return to Newport where she spent many happy hours in the archives. 

General admission costs $5 per person, $1 for Newport Historical Society members. Please RSVP to: 401-841-8770. This lecture is co-presented with the Newport Historical Society and the Newport Restoration Foundation, and is sponsored in part by the James Finch Bed & Breakfast. This is an official event of the 2013 Newport Arboretum Week presented by The Newport Arboretum.

Before heading to the From Rainforest to Parlor lecture, visit Sameul Whitehorne House for a curator gallery talk and to see up-close some fine examples of mahogany colonial furniture. The lecture begins at 3:30pm at 416 Thames Street. Admission is $10. Space is limited and registration is required. Register at www.NewportRestoration.org.