I came across this article in the Maine Antique Digest, written by antique collector Ben Mijuskovic. The article deals with the spread of Victorian furniture in America in the 19th century during the Industrial Revolution.
Those who were amassing great fortunes were seeking to establish themselves both through connections to their European heritage and through expressions of individuality. To this end they lavishly furnished their homes according to their own aesthetic.
The Victorian era in America was unfortunately followed by a period of decline, in which Victorian homes with their ornate interiors and furniture were left to decay. But starting around the mid-20th century, as Ben reports, there was a resurged interest and appreciation in the period and an enormous amount of scholarly work has since been produced on it.
I found Ben’s distinction between the curator, the hunter-dealer, and the narcissistic collector of antique Victorian furniture to be especially intriguing.
The article shifts to a description of how Ben and his wife found a Victorian chair, with the head of Shakespeare carved in wood at the top. It includes excellent photographs of the chair, taken from a variety of angles. You can read the article here.