Early members of the Church not only sought and celebrated fine things of a spiritual nature but also of a temporal nature - a fact evident by the furniture they left behind, said Richard G. Oman.
Brother Oman, curator of a pioneer furniture exhibit at the Museum of Church History and Art, explained that there is a connection between the religious faith of early Church members and their fine woodwork."They gathered from the eastern United States, from the British Isles, and from Scandinavia, and they brought their furniture traditions with them," said Brother Oman. "Mormon regional furniture is not defined by any one style, since it reflects a variety of imported styles. Instead, it grew out of the history, beliefs, and practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."
The exhibit, "The Homemade Kingdom, Mormon Regional Furniture," opened March 7 and will remain open through Jan. 19, 1999. More than 75 furniture pieces, along with paintings, trunks, woodworking lathes and tools, quilts and other textiles fill two exhibit halls of the museum.
Next to many of the pieces hang quotations by early Church leaders giving insight into the motivation of the early Church members who created the treasures:
"Let us . . . gather all the knowledge . . . bestowed on the nations home to Zion." - Brigham Young, June 3, 1860.
When the Mormon pioneers traveled to Utah they had very little room in their wagons for heavy or elaborate furniture, noted Brother Oman. Instead they brought tools, a desire to create fine things, and knowledge.
Even after the coming of the railroad, when furniture could be purchased from the East at a cheaper price than it could be made, early members preferred "homemade" pieces - items that had been manufactured by the Saints in their western religious commonwealth.
"God delights in variety." - Orson Pratt, April 6, 1874.
Brother Oman noted that not all early Mormon furniture looks alike. It cannot be categorized by the kind of wood it is made from or the style by which it was made, he explained. Early craftsmen were allowed to embrace their own style - typically the ones they learned before joining the Church. "You get a wonderful range of individual expressions," he said.
Furniture in the exhibit stands next to furniture of varying styles - much as it would have been back in pioneer times, said Brother Oman.
"Latter-day Saint religious belief made it easy to assimilate new styles because good skills and knowledge were seen as part of the gospel and as revelations from the Lord," said Brother Oman. "The result was many furniture styles often existing side-by-side in the LDS pioneer communities."
"The Lord has done His share of the work; He has surrounded us with the elements . . . everything with which to build up, beautify and glorify . . . Zion." - Brigham Young, Feb. 23, 1862.
Panels of the exhibit show early painting techniques that simulate wood grain. These graining techniques were used to make common wood, such as pine, appear to be a more rare wood, such as mahogany.
The procedure made it possible to unify different types of wood used in one piece of furniture and made it possible for the pioneers to fill their houses with a look of wood that was not readily available where they lived.
"They were trying to create fashionable furniture to compete with the imported
furnitureT," Brother Oman added.
"There is probably no community on this continent, of our numbers, which has as many skilled artisans as are to be found here." - George Q. Cannon, Oct. 8, 1875.
Brother Oman noted that Brigham Young was himself a furniture maker. His woodworking tools - and a ladderback chair many historians believe he made - are included in the exhibit.
Brigham Young commissioned one of the earliest Utah furniture pieces on display, a washstand that carries the penciled date "November 21, 1848." Made of pine and grained to look like mahogany, the piece has a top slab grained to look like marble.
Even when the Saints first entered the valley they were eager to make nice things, said Kenyon Kennard, a University of Utah student who also worked on the exhibit.
"They were trying to create civilization.
Their furnitureT became powerful symbols of the good things in the world," Brother Kennard said.
"We are not called to build up Zion by preaching, singing, and praying alone; we have to perform hard labor, labor of bone and sinew, in building towns, cities, villages." - Wilford Woodruff, Jan. 12, 1873.
People with specific skills - furniture makers, blacksmiths, school teachers, musicians - were called as settlement missionaries by Church leaders and sent to colonize new areas. Because little furniture could be taken, there was a constant demand for new furniture in the settlements, explained Brother Oman. Furniture makers spread different styles into LDS settlements in eight western states and in Canada and Mexico.
"Every place I have gone out and done field work in Mormon areas, I have found pioneer furniture," Brother Oman noted. "This isn't another exhibit about Utah, this is about Latter-day Saint pioneers wherever they may be."
"Cultivate the Spirit of God . . . beautify Zion and have pleasant habitations, and pleasant gardens and orchards, until Zion shall be the most beautiful place there is on the earth." - John Taylor, June 18, 1883.
In one gallery of the exhibit, displays illustrate examples of furniture from homes, civic institutions, and religious buildings.
Furniture is arranged as it would be in bedrooms, parlors, or kitchens of early Mormon households. Furniture made for post offices, schools, theaters, legislatures, and other civic buildings, as well as furniture from churches, tabernacles and temples are also part of the display.
"Do that which will increase beauty and excellence among the people. In this the Lord is well pleased." - Brigham Young, July 25, 1868.
Early Latter-day Saints were admonished to beautify their homes, gardens and cities with their own hands, said Brother Kennard. Today, he said, their efforts with furniture are often forgotten. "This is something that has been overlooked. Hopefully this exhibit will inspire
Church membersT to look at what they have and take care of it."
Brother Oman said the exhibit can help members understand much about the pioneers - especially Brigham Young, whose teachings are the topic of this year's priesthood and Relief Society curriculum.
Furniture of all types and uses has been included in the exhibit - much of it has been conserved to reveal or restore the original finishes. The exhibit includes mantel pieces, couches, chairs, parlor tables, kitchen tables, meal bins, cupboards, and a pie safe. Other furniture from homes includes bedsteads, wardrobes, a blanket chest, dressers and cradles. Also shown are pulpits, a Church library bookcase, a sacrament table, a music podium, secretary desks, a school desk, and various kinds of chairs.
The Church Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sundays and most holidays and is located just west of Temple Square on Main Street. Admission is free.
