Toronto - Few, if any, furniture historians, museum directors, or high end antique dealers consider Victorian furniture as great furniture. This attitude is gradually changing as time goes on, and as the good is separated from the bad in this era of mass production, which saw a vast number of pieces produced in every conceivable size, shape and style. The literature on Victorian furniture is highly interesting. Most of the books and articles start out objectively by stating that in some ways Victorian furniture is to be criticized, but in some ways it has artistic merit.

    First, what we sell, however beautiful, is fundamentally unnecessary. Second, we sell almost exclusively to the rich, or near rich. Third, a comprehensive knowledge, built up over a long period, is generally necessary to buy or sell expensive antiques.

    This is the open-minded or objective approach for which scholars are supposedly noted. But then, almost without fail, the real feelings of the writers come through and it becomes clear that most believe Victorian furniture is a mixed bag, much of which is just tolerated. To be fair, this, prejudice is changing and many now consider some Victorian pieces to be of great value. Like the Victorian homes, the "finest" Victorian furniture was very large and very thoroughly decorated. This gave an air of permanence and solidity to the furniture, and the "antique" motifs connected it with the splendours of the past.

    Fortunately, there were other popular styles of furniture. The second group is well decorated but smaller furniture, and includes products of J.H. Belter and Co., whose designs are now very well received. Many of the surfaces had large and deep designs such as grapes, carved into them.

    Probably its chief appeal at the present time is that it is quite reasonable in price. It is significant to know that $50 would buy a good piece of this furniture in the 1960s, such as a desk, or chest of drawers. Today the price would be closer to $800 to $1,000 for the same item. Poor second-hand furniture declines in price as time goes by. Antiques go up, and Victorian furniture follows antique furniture in its price pattern. A very significant reason for discussing Victorian furniture is that there is a lot of it to be had and in another 100 years we shall probably see the better pieces fetching the high prices that the 18th Century furniture brings today.

    To summarize what I have said so far, there are three general types of Victorian furniture: 1. Very large and highly decorated (carved); 2. Smaller but highly decorated (carved). 3. Smaller and almost completely undecorated. The first category does not appear on the market often, as it stays with the home, even when sold, as it is too heavy and difficult to move, and not adaptable to a smaller home.

    The second category appears more and more on the market, and brings progressively higher prices.

    The third category appears in great volume in auctions and in antique shops. The better auctions handle it in tremendous quantity.