Ad For Cavalier Hope Chests
LIFE Magazine, November 24, 1947 p. 87
Cavalier Ads are Very Rare -- the Chests Sold by Word of Mouth

I do not believe that young ladies do much of this any more. This practice created an unusual situation for historians and other people who must reconstruct every day life in the past -- most "typical" homes contained objects that reflected an eclectic taste over the 4-10 year period that young women may have been assembling their "Hope Chest." There were lots of other people manufacturing "Hope Chests" -- here are some of their ads. Note that they, too rely on Graduation and Weddings as a theme.

   
Ad For Cavalier's Competitors from June, 1941
Wedding and Graduation are the Themes

Possible 1930s Chest

In the early 1930s, furniture makers were very reluctant to move into the new Style Moderne or "Waterfall" genre, which was associated with cities, immigrants, and avant garde thinking. Much of the "Colonial" furniture in vogue at the time was Jacobean in origin; this style is more traditional, deriving from early New England pieces. No doubt that some of the Pilgrims packed their belongings in Jacobean chests that may have been cheap in Plymouth, being about 50 years old in 1620. In Colonial restorations like Sturbridge Village, they will note that the original chests didn't have legs and that when colonists prospered they added the legs so that you could dust under them. Sometimes, you can see applied decorations on the side that cover the holes where rope handles were attached to heft the things into the ships.

Many individuals who craved social mobility (and, possibly to hide an immigrant heritage) sought to furnish their homes in things that looked like they may have come over on the Mayflower... Of all things, here is a maple Cavalier chest that actually has a carving of The Mayflower on it! This is the very "un-subtle" approach to creating an "heritage"...

The "Mayflower" Chest

Here is a fairly early Cavalier Chest in the Jacobean style that is in marvelous condition. Carol, a reader from Virginia writes:

  
  
Carol's Jacobean Chest

In the 1920s, the social elite was proud of their colonial ancestors and antique furniture. All of this association with Colonial America was very reassuring to people in the prosperous times of the 1920s because it signalled that they were advancing in the social hierarchy. The elite collected Old Masters. If you couldn't get into the elite due to race, religion or ethnicity, history had no use. Those folks had to depend on the Future and hence, Modern Art, Modern Furniture, etc. Mies Van der Rohe who was associated with the Communist-inspired Bauhaus in Germany, said "Less is More." Gertrude Stein and Solomon Guggenheim collected the works of the Cubists while Hollywood embraced radical architects like Richard Neutra, all of whom were embracing "simplicity".

Of course, it turned out that "modern" furniture could be made "cheaper" and was "less expensive to maintain" so corporate America also developed an interest in modernism. By the 1960s, the only people who could afford Mies' "Barcelona Chair" were corporate titans like IBM (the original having been designed as an example of the Workers' Paradise in 1923!).

Here are some common problems with veneer:

• Bubbles: there is what appears to be a "lump" in the veneer. This is caused by a localized loosening of the glue which allows moisture from humidity to swell the veneer. This is fixed by making a "slit", injecting glue with a hypodermic-like tool and clamping
• Deep scratches: often, deep scratches can be completely removed by the "amalgamating" technique described above
• Fringe: if the chest has been stored in a humid basement, the veneer may start to deteriorate on the lower edges --- the veneer comes to resemble "fringe" A small patch can be grafted on
• Holes, dents, cigarette burns: it is also possible to patch small defects. Professionals use a punch of irregular shape (it looks like an amoeba); the patch is placed on the defect, aligned to match the grain, and then both are hit with the punch, simultaneously cutting the existing veneer and the patch. The patch is glued into its matching hole
• Large areas: existing veneer is stripped off, the substrate is sanded smooth and new veneer is applied with contact cement. This is illustrated above AND in our step-by step restoration of the RadioBar
• Substrate problems: the substrate is the layer below the veneer. This type of repair can be a LOT more complicated than veneer because you are dealing with the actual load-bearing structure of the piece. We faced some problems of this sort in restoring the RadioBar.

Here are some examples to the kind of defects that can be repaired by the average homeowner:

Fringing


Patching

After your veneer has been patched, you have to match the original color and finish. These techniques are illustrated in the RadioBar article.

Here is an ad from 1949 -- it appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, November 12, 1949. From what I can see, the Cavalier Corporation advertised once a year generally at the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. All the ads I have are from early November.

Focus on Eventual Marriage
An Unusual Veneer Treatment on the Chest

9. My chest is painted -- did Cavalier make painted cedar chests?

As far as I know, Cavalier chests were by definition veneered. That is, the attraction is the solid Tennessee red cedar core. The thin veneer layer was intended to fit the piece into various furniture decorating styles. I know of NO Cavalier pieces that were sold with a painted finish.

In order to get the paint off, avoid strippers at all cost. Let's look at the layers:

1. Red Cedar Core
2. Glue
3. Veneer
4. Shellac (2-3 coats)
5. Paint

The paint is sticking to the shellac, not the veneer. So, the idea is to dislodge the shellac from the veneer, taking the top layer of paint along with it. Shellac dissolves in alcohol but alcohol won't dissolve the glue that holds the veneer. So, to get the paint, target the shellac.

If you are VERY patient, buy two gallons of denatured alcohol and a LOT of paper towels. Find a place on the paint that isn't very visible -- say, at the bottom -- and VERY carefully scrape away the paint with a razor blade, (like "shaving" it..) until you get a patch about 1/2 inch square. Then apply denatured alcohol as applied to a "pad" made of folded paper towel. This will dissolve the shellac in the immediate area of the little patch. You can use a plastic scraper to push back the paint that will crinkle up. Repeat lots of times and you'll have a clean piece (THIS IS A LOT OF WORK AND TAKES A LOT OF TIME). You will have to apply a tone stain to correct the veneer color, but the method will reveal any veneer effects, like bookmatching and contrasting colors. You may also find that you have some veneer repairs to do.

With patience, you will have a very nice Cavalier chest.

10. What can you tell us about the company that made Cavalier Chests?

The company was founded in 1865 in Chattanooga, Tennessee and was ideally located due to the proximity of high quality hardwoods, skilled labor and rail connections and the very special Tennessee Red Cedar. The original name was The Tennessee Furniture Company, but the trademark Cavalier was first used in 1923; the trade mark application was made in 1924.

Trademark Registration for the name "Cavalier"
No Cavalier Chests before 1923
From the US Patent and Trademark Website

The Company also made refrigerators (actually wooden iceboxes) and coolers. The name Cavalier seems to have been restricted to Cedar Chests and Iceboxes. Here is an example of one of their famous personal beverage coolers. The outside was made of metal, there was a wood frame and the inside was lined with galvanized metal.

General Appearance of a Cavalier Beverage Cooler


Manufacturer's Mark on the Cavalier Beverage Cooler

This Cooler is probably from the 1940s

11. Did this company make Coke machines?

During the Depression (1935), the company started a second line of business making soft drink vending machines. Not only did they make wonderful cedar chests, they also made all the classic Coca Cola vending machines that are so eminently collectible today.

Here is an example of one of their famous Coca Cola Machines.

Cavalier Coke Machine -- front view


Cavalier Coke Machine -- end view


Manufacturer's Mark on the Cavalier Coke Machine

This Cooler is probably from the late 1940s


Hopes and Dreams were the Cornerstone of the Cavalier Company
This one is a masterpiece of veneer!
Ad from LIFE Magazine, November 10, 1948


Graduation Time was a Good Occasion to Give Cavalier
This plate was given away by a dealer
The back says "Congratulations! from your Cavalier Cedar Chest and Bedroom Furniture Dealer"
The Plate is Manufactured by Homer Laughlin

In the 1960s, they were taken over by the Seeburg Corporation, a manufacturer of jukeboxes. Seeburg, in turn was the subject of a number of takeovers, court actions, lootings, and bankruptcies. In the 1990s, Cavalier was spun off as an independent employee-owned company. They went completely out of business in 2001.

Ad For Cavalier Hope Chests from November of 1951
Note that there is a marked decline in the quality of this adverisement when it is compared to the others, above.

There is some sociological meaning in all of this: The Cavalier Cedar Chest is a mirror of American business history. We used to manufacture wonderful things that lasted forever. Now all we produce are lawsuits and corrupt corporate officials; the manufacturing is left to far-away dictatorships.

Here are some photos of the labels from a very early Cavalier Chest

12. What does the "serial number" mean?

Nobody knows for sure what the cryptic numbers on the bottom of the chest actually mean. The factory closed nearly 50 years ago and there were a lot of corporate takeovers that resulted in mass destruction of records. From my correspondence and about 8 years of collecting pictures from my readers, this is my "guess":

Serial numbers were generally of this general form:

• "ddd" refers to a "style"
• aaa (3 letters) refers to the finish
• yy is year
• xx nobody knows -- could be day of the year (Jan 1 = 1, Dec 31 = 365), but it could be "week"

125 - WAL3235

That said, the particular chest is most lokely "Style 125", Walnut finish, made in 1932, either March 5 or (more likely)sometime in early October April (35th week)

THERE ARE APPARENTLY EXCEPTIONS!

Here are photos of two more Cavalier Chests, sent in by our friend, JoAnn. She writes:

"... These two Cavalier Chests were given to me back in the early 50's. One of the chests still has the key and it works. Underneath the chest it says: 48 WAL TENN. I assume the 48 means 1948. The other one has written on it: Chest pattern no. 711, and Serial no. 3994. ..."

Traditional Style


Deco Style

Here is another form of Serial number, this time for a mahogany ("MAH") chest:

The Model and finish code are stenciled on the bottom

Here is another Cavalier Chest -- this one with serial number "2747384", sent to us by reader John, who professses to be a "New Age Redneck."

And, here is yet another type of serial number, this one sent in by Chris. His chest had an electric clock built into the lid, so maybe "Type 6" refers to the presence of the clock:

Another Variant of the Serial NUmber

With all those corporate reorganizations, it is very likely that the company might have switched its method for assigning serial numbers --- several times.

Here are photos of a 1940s chest sent to us by our friend Katie in Kokomo (seriously...)

She writes:

"I was just given this beautiful Cavalier Cedar Chest. All I know is that it was given to a lady when she was little. I have no idea if it was passed on to her from someone, or any idea of how old it is. It has all the original paper on the inside and the shelf as you can see in the picture. "

1940s Hope Chest, Closed


1940s Hope Chest, Open

Here are photos of a 1940s chest sent to us by our friend Deb, in Illinois

She writes:

"My Aunt passed away on Feb. 1st at 84 years of age. While cleaning out her house, I found this chest. It was complete with all of her gathered utensils, tablecloths, towels, sheets, bowls, cups, etc. Under all of these treasures, hidden in a brown paper bag, were love letters written to and from a man that once had propsed to her."

1940s Hope Chest, Closed


1940s Hope Chest, Open


1940s Chest Interior
There is no presentation plaque...but the order form is still inserted in the label.


1940s Label
The Presentation Plaque Booklet is that dark red area to the left of the happy couple!

The Presentation Plaque

Closeup of The Presentation Plaque Booklet

here is a photo of a great Cavalier Cedar Chest sent to us by our friend LeAnn. She writes:

This chest was bought at an auction for $125.00 had it in my antique shop for 10 months before we discovered it had hide away spots.(thank goodness it didn't sell it's now my daughters hope chest) It's in super condition. Reads: Cavalier Cedar Chest with keepsafe dial. Pat. 326 Serial 5-1639

Cavalier Stowaway Chest

Here is something called a "Stowaway Chest" that was sent in by our friend Elaine

She writes:

The first picture is the front of the chest, the second pic is a combination pic; one of both sides (showing the detailed corners of the chest) and the bottom of the chest, and the third picture is of the interior of one of the drawers showing the Cavalier name, emblem, stowaway name, and a portion of the 6 circulation slits which is on each of the 3 drawers. The slits are 5-1/2" long and 1/4" wide. The overall size of the chest is 36" wide, 19-1/2" deep, and 30" tall. As mentioned in my first email, the chest has been painted. There is a number on the back of the chest which is difficult to make out. It could be either a 3 or four digit number.

As to the history of how I got this chest -- my son works for the town of Middleton and a truck from an elderly home brought the chest to the dump. He noticed the condition of the chest and the cedar interior and immediately called me to see if I wanted it. Needless to say my answer was "yes" and upon getting the chest in my home, researching the internet for info on the chest, it brought me to your web site.

Stowaway Chest, Front


Stowaway Chest, markings on shelf


Stowaway Chest,Side detail


Stowaway Chest,Side detail


Stowaway Chest,Base detail

Here is an ad for the Stowaway Chest -- it was on a postcard. The front and back of the card are shown:

Stowaway Chest Postcard Ad, Front


Stowaway Chest Postcard Ad, back

There was also a Cavalier "Write-Away" chest that doubled as a desk. From the photos, it appears that this is a "stow-Away" chest with a top that slides out to become a desk; this would have been very useful in a small apartment or a dorm room. This was sent in by our reader Melanie. She'd like to know more about it. If there are any of you out there who have special knowledge about the "Write-Away", please send it on in!

Write-Away Chest, Front


Write-Away Chest, desk


Write-Away Chest, drawer


Write-Away Chest, trademark

Here is another Write-Away chest that is owned by our reader John who lives in Cahttanooga -- he says "... The lady that gave this desk to me has lived here all her life and probably bought it back in the the 40s or 50s. ...". We note that this one looks a lot like the Stow-Away with the addition of the writing desk. John thinks that the chest may have been painted and then stripped.

John's Write-Away Chest, Front


John's Write-Away Chest, Side


John's Write-Away Chest, drawer


John's Write-Away Chest, Trademark


John's Write-Away Chest, Serial Number

And, of all things, there was also a "Dress-Away" chest that had a fold-out mirror! [I hope they did not make Bathroom furniture...] We'd like to thank Bill and Laura for sending these photos in.

 

 

The Cavalier "Dress-Away Chest"

Here are some photos of a more traditional Chest -- there is no veneer over the Cedar.

"Raw" Chest, Open


"Raw" Chest, Closed

Here are some photos sent in by Jerry from Berkeley California. He writes: "I recently aquired this cedar chest from a relative and I am wondering if you can help date it for me?.....It seems to be solid cedar with a dark walnut stain on the outside. It has a small metal tag on the inside of the top that says 'Cavalier' and has an image of a cavalier on it. I am sending 5 photos that will show you what it looks like. It is not in the waterfall style. To me it looks older. One of the photos is of the bottom showing a number and 'WAL' which I assume indicates the walnut stain.."

Jerry's Cavalier Chest

Here are sme photos sent in by Bob. He writes: "My friend bought at a garage sale this Cavalier Cedar Chest for 10 dollars! I'm doing her the favor of trying to restore the finish. It is model# 860 and serial #9674" He's going to have a real nice cedar chest when he gets finished!

Bob's Cavalier Chest

Our friend Joanna sent in these pictures of a traditional chest from the 1930s. She writes: " I recently bought this cedar chest from an antiques dealer in Towson, Maryland. I noticed the Cavalier metal stamp on the inside of the lid and also the chest came with a cardboard tag naming the maker. The dealer I purchased the chest had restored it beautifully! He also mentioned that he thought the chest was from the 1920s or 1930s."

Joanna's Cavalier Chest

Here are some photos of a chest that is in need of some tender loving care (see above for refinishing techniques.) The owner wrote "This chest belonged to my mother-in-law. We are not certain of its age. It was presented to her as a gift before she was married which was in 1941 or 1942. We do not know is it was new then or not. You will see in the pictures that the top has water damage. The end pieces of the lid are warped and the legs appear to be rotting or coming apart in places. There is a brass strip about 1/2 inch wide around the top inside edge. The tray or drawer that should have been inside is missing. The markings on the underside of the chest are Serial #1492 254-X. The little brass plate of the man is still intact on the lid. "

1950s Cavalier Chest

Here are some photos of a Cavalier Chest from the 1950s.

Jennifer's Cavalier Chest

Here are some photos of a very old chest that I believe to be from the period 1924-1928. Our friend Jenifer from Massachusetts wrote: "The bottom has a stenciled mark 42-WAL. I have the chest hidden, since my 2 yr. old's eyes just LIT up when he saw it - he was quickly banished from the area!) "

The Appliques are Quite Unusual



This is the oldest label that I have seen

Here are some more photos that were sent to me recently.

Here are some photos from a family who found a Model 123 in very poor condition and then gave it a loving restoration. Thanks, guys!

Before, After and Manufacturer's ID

Here are some photos of a 1932 Cavalier Chest in the Jacobean mode, sent in by our reader leanne, who writes:

"... I bought this chest from a barn sale for $30 in Lynnfield, Mass. The back legs need to be repaired but I fell in love with it anyway. The one with my son is when he was 2 and 1/2 yrs taken on 7/18/06 just so you can tell the size of it. ..."

  

  

Leanne's 1932 Cavalier Chest

For a while, the Cavalier Company made a whole line of bedroom furniture.

Here is an early set with a four-poster bed! Thanks to our reader Pam, we have the following nice photos:

The Early Cavalier Bed Set

This is a very nice set from the mid 1950s showing the influence of Scandinavian design

Very nice cedar-lined drawers



I really like the little "tuffet" seat for the vanity bench





The little Cavalier Medalion is inside the drawer



This is a detail from the mirror support

Here is a very unusual and highly detailed table made by the Tennessee Furniture Company. It was sent by our reader Kim (from Ohio) who writes,"...I've attached a photo of one of two end stands I recently inherited. The metal Cavalier tag is located in the drawer (pattern no. 5809). What's unique is that the end stands can be used from the front or back - the drawers pull out either way, and there's knobs on both the front and back. I've stripped the paint off of one and plan on stripping the other (when I get the gumption). I love the acorn finials too...".

Cavalier End Table #5809

Recently, we heard from Coleen:

...Hello,
I came across your site while surfing the net. I acquired a Cavalier chest that was my grandmothers after she passed away a couple of years ago. I was wondering if you could advise me how to date the chest or what to look for to do that. I am attaching a picture I took of it. I believe it to be in the 1950's sometime, but not sure. It is different than most I have seen on your site, since it has a more pointed, squared lid and body. Any information or other sites you could direct me to for help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you much, Colleen
...

My guess is that this chest dates from the mid to late 1950s

Jim sent us some very nice photos of a 1940s chest that had belonged to his grandmother. The exterior of the chest could use a little "amalgamating" (see above), but it is in fine shape for a 55-60 year old. It is remarkable that the interior label has been preserved intact. Note that the figures from a wedding cake have been preserved in the chest. This is a very nice piece.

Chris from Indiana sent us these photos of a very unusual chest that he found in Delaware. It has an electric clock built into the lid! This chest is in very good shape and has all the labels. This was a nice find. By the way, it looks like the cord needs to be replaced on that clock!

The Chest With a Clock, Possibly for Short-term Hopes...





The labels are Complete, Dating this Piece from the 1930s

Miss Rusty writes to show us some photos of a chest made from Tennessee Red Cedar that was constructed in Rockford, Illinois (just West of Chicago) by the Continental Desk Company. They seem to have emulated the products of the Cavalier Corporation. The owner says that she has had it for quite some time and that it was "old" before she got it. This chest looks like it might be from the 1930s.

Ms. Michelle, from Minnesota found another cedar chest made by the Continental Desk Company. This one includes the application for the Moth Insurance Policy.

One of our readers sent these photos to us. After some consideration, we decided that this was not a Cavalier chest, although the veneer is quite nice. First, the interior drawers used woods that were not Tennessee cedar and the chest does not have a combination lock. Cavalier chests of this period with Art Deco motifs always had a combination lock.

Our reader Kathi from Kansas sent us some pictures of a chest with a Cavlier tag that has us stumped -- the chest has been restored, but evidently looked like this originally. Kathi writes: "... This Cedar chest belonged to my grandparents who were married in 1916 in St. Louis, MO. It has the metal Cavalier Furniture Tag, but it seems different from any of the others in your web site as it is painted on cedar. When we got it, the finish was a very dark black and crackled, but as we removed the old varnish, we found the black painted design which wasn’t visible before. Do you have any idea what style this is? Each of the black areas is outlined by a thin carved line. In one of the corners on the top, the carver goofed and re-did the carving, and you can still see the original carved line, so I am sure it was all hand carved and painted. Thanks for putting this on the website, maybe someone will recognize it. I really don’t know if someone did the detailing work of incising the wood and painting it after it was bought, but the way it fits with the detailing, raised wood areas, etc. makes me think it came that way from the factory. ...

The Cavalier Tag



Detail from Kathi's Cavalier Chest



Simiar incised detail on an unpainted Cavalier chest







More views of the cedar chest

Analysis: We here at Jitterbuzz are puzzled. Our guess would be that someone "customized" this chest, possibly in the 1940s or 1950s. I don't think that the Tennessee Furniture Company would have sold a chest with some sort of mistake -- they were perfectionists! On the other hand, I really LIKE the treatment shown here. This is a great way to bring the Jacobean style into harmony with Style Moderne. However, wedon't want you to do anything irrepairable to your Cavalier Chest, either.

If you send me a picture of your chest, I will be glad to put it on the website.

We got this from Sean, a reader from Ohio:

Columbus, Ohio -After an intense bidding war, a 1930s cedar chest, which normally sells for approximately $300, brought the astounding winning bid of $23,000 during an estate auction in June.

The estate belonged to Tillie E. Coleman, a local aficionado of antiques and collectibles who had attended auctions during much of her adult life. The auction, conducted by Mike Brandly, CAI of Columbus, drew over 400 bidders from four states.

1938 Magazine Ad for Cavalier

The bidding war began when two 1930s cedar chest produced by Cavalier reached the auction block. After receiving an opening bid of $75, two bidders, both friends of Coleman, began competing for one of the chests, eventually driving the price to $23,000.

Neither chest was "terribly uncommon," Brandly said. "They sell normally anywhere from $150 to $300."