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MemphisPolitical Propaganda through Furniture Design Sparked This Revival Style
The Empire Style (1800-1845) presents a great example of political propaganda through building and furniture design. This revival style, a clear and obvious copy of Roman and Greek forms, was the chosen style of the Napoleonic Empire for a reason. It was a clear attempt to link Napoleon I, who was converting the 
French government from a republic to an empire, to old Roman Emperors such as Augustus and Caesar. The results of this propaganda were seen in every aspect of French society, which witnessed Roman-inspired artwork, architecture, symbols, furniture and even hairdos becoming wildly popular during the first quarter of the 19th century.
Introduced in France by designers and architects such as Pierre Fontaine and Charles Percier, the Empire Style focused on Roman and Greek models for inspiration. While previous European furniture focused on intricate, carved details, this new revival style produced furniture pieces that emphasized heavy forms in classic, broad outlines, similar to classic Greek and Roman buildings, artwork and furniture. Empire furnishings, motifs and design elements included square geometric shapes and high relief carvings, while stenciled and gilded brass or bronze decorations were found in place of the once popular inlays. Buyers of the time demanded intricate daybeds, broad Klismos chairs, sofas with scrolled armrests and center tables with marble table tops in both elaborate styles or plain, simple decorations. Designers of the Empire Style relied heavily on richly grained mahogany, rosewood, marble and veneers to produce their products.
From Paris it spread around the world during the first half of the 19th century and has never truly gone out of style, with everything from modern government buildings to Patio Furniture showing its influence. Charles-Honore Lannuier, a cabinet maker from France, first introduced the style to American markets from his New York studio between 1803 and 1819. Known for his extravagantly gilded caryatids on chairs and tables, American cabinetmakers toned down the lavish style of Lannuier in favor of simple forms.
In addition to Lannuier, publications, periodicals and books printed by London and English designers such as Thomas Hope promoted the forms and motifs of the Empire Style. In America the Federal Style is closely associated with these designs and looks. A popular example of an American Empire Style designer is Duncan Phyfe, a Scottish immigrant who worked out of his Albany, New York workshop. Producing Empire Style designs during the 1820's and 1830's, his style was quite restrained compared to furniture makers like Lannuier based in Boston, New York and Philadelphia, who produced extravagant pieces.
But like the political upheavals that sparked this style, the social and economic changes of the Industrial Revolution would spark changes and the Empire Style's end. The 1830's witnessed machine production as the predominant production method for the furniture industry, replacing the traditional workshops of craftsmen devoted to building one quality piece at a time. Thus, the furniture market witnessed a terrific expansion of Empire models, which was flooded by simple pieces with easy-to-apply veneers and paintings.
The Empire Style persisted in many designs until the early Victorian period, with Empire motifs and forms still present in books from designers such as Robert Conner of New York (1842) and John Hall of Baltimore (1840). While the style has since witnessed a general and steep decline, it's still utilized by Patio Furniture designers and architects across the globe. Pictured here are several examples of contemporary Patio Furniture pieces that carry elements of the Empire Style, including the Napoleon Living Set, the Aqua Deep Seating Collection and the Aqua Chaise Lounge.
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