Victorian furniture refers to furniture made during the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901, a period of rapid industrialisation, growing middle-class prosperity and a remarkable variety of revival styles. Early Victorian furniture continued the solid, rounded forms of the late Regency, while later decades saw Gothic, Elizabethan, Rococo, Renaissance and Louis XVI revivals, alongside the reforming influence of the Aesthetic and Arts and Crafts movements.
Mahogany, walnut and rosewood were the most fashionable timbers, often enriched with carving, marquetry, veneers and brass fittings. Mechanised production made furniture more affordable than ever, but the best Victorian pieces from makers such as Gillows, Holland & Sons and Howard & Sons remain of outstanding quality. Typical forms include balloon-back chairs, chesterfields, loo tables, chiffoniers, davenports, wardrobes and large extending dining tables. Victorian furniture is valued today for its solid construction, practicality and craftsmanship, and many pieces suit modern interiors well.
