Thomas Elfe

Born and trained in London, he immigrated to America in the 1740s, settling permanently in Charleston, South Carolina.

[2] Trained as a cabinetmaker by his uncle, he emigrated from England in the 1740s to Virginia[3] and, around 1746, settled in Charleston (Province of South Carolina).

In October 1747, for example, he advertised in the South Carolina Gazette for a pair of large carved and gilded wall sconces, valued at £150.

[note 1][4] Recognized as a "master" of the craft, he took on one or two apprentices[6] and entrusted them with carpentry and furniture repair and construction tasks.

[6] As an established furniture maker, the business flourished in this booming economy, and led to the success and profitability of Thomas Elfe's carpentry workshop.

[9] Covering several accounting years, it shows that, between 1768 and 1775, Thomas Elfe, accompanied by several employees, produced over one thousand five hundred pieces of furniture, including finely detailed cabinets.

[17] Thomas Elfe, who owned them as slaves, employed them in various tasks, including cleaning and minor furniture repairs.

The chain started with Jeremiah Sharp sawing the mahogany,[6] while a second group of carpenters, including Thomas Ralph,[20] prepared the cypress used for the furniture's structure.

[21] By using this method of subcontracting, Thomas Elfe reorganized the manufacturing system in the workshops, while other famous cabinetmakers in London were also trying to do the same at this time.

[22] To date, no piece of furniture has been found bearing the customary label in Thomas Elfe's name.

[23] Some exceptional features common to several pieces of furniture recently found in Charleston clearly indicate that they were made by the same cabinetmaker.

[23] For example, the frette - an ornament formed by half-timbers drawing broken lines on a flat surface that intersect - is repeated on many of these pieces.

[23] Although it is impossible to attribute this technique - which was common in his day - to him, its constant use on the furniture found in Charleston suggests that these pieces are the work of Thomas Elfe, to the exclusion of almost all other craftsmen.

[24] A description of his furniture store in the South Carolina Gazette of September 28, 1747, placed his main workshop "near Doct.

[24] Thomas Elfe's house at 54 Queen Street, which he designed and built in 1760, still stands in Charleston.