A trade label is a printed paper label fixed to a piece of furniture, clock, mirror or other object by its maker, retailer or repairer, giving the name and address of the business. Labels were usually pasted inside drawers, on backboards, under seats or behind mirror plates, where they were protected from wear.
Trade labels appear on English furniture from the eighteenth century onwards, though they are rarer than many collectors would wish, since most makers did not mark their work and many labels have been lost. A genuine label can identify the maker, retailer or locality of a piece and help to date it, especially when trade directories record the years a business traded at a given address. Labelled furniture from respected makers commonly commands a premium, and labels are also found on mirrors, barometers, upholstered furniture and Victorian and Edwardian pieces from retailers such as Maples & Co. Because labels add value, they have occasionally been copied or transferred from other pieces, so collectors check that the paper, printing, glue and ageing are consistent with the object, and that the style of the furniture matches the firm's known work.
