Thomas Sheraton

Thomas Sheraton 1751-1806, English designer of furniture and author. He may have been apprenticed to a cabinetmaker, and as an earnest Baptist he wrote religious books and preached. Records show that he was in London from c.1790 and supplemented the meager earnings from his books by giving drawing lessons. Although he may have supervised the making of some furniture, his designs became influential through his manuals, especially the Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing-Book (1791-94). Sheraton's style is marked by a graceful delicacy and simplicity, emphasis on straight, vertical lines, and a preference for inlay decoration, reeded legs, and classical motifs. He is also the author of The Cabinet Dictionary (1803).

Bibliography: See R. Fastnedge, Sheraton Furniture (1962).

Sheraton, Thomas (1751–1806). English furniture designer. Sheraton was born in Stockton‐on‐Tees, where he learned cabinet‐making, probably never returning to this trade after his move to London about 1790. He was principally occupied writing several manuals on furniture design, the most popular, The Cabinet‐Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing Book (1791–4), including treatises on geometry, architecture, and perspective. Sheraton's many chair‐back designs were simple and elegant, employing straight lines and delicate marquetry of animals, flowers, or musical instruments.