Description: From majestic carved chairs and handsome cedar desks in Victoria's banks to bookcases in grand country residences and stately furniture that is still used in Government House today, Made to Order celebrates the colonial furniture made by Melbourne firm Geo. Thwaites & Son. For three decades following the discovery of gold, Melbourne gave rise to gothic-revival style buildings with elaborate decorative furniture to match. The first choice in cabinet makers was George Thwaites who supplied furniture to the homes of the Melbourne establishment, and the new governmental, commercial and bank buildings. Made to Order provides a fascinating insight into colonial Melbourne and features an extraordinary range of furniture that provides a testament to the quality of the Thwaites' workmanship.
Review Quotes: "A carefully researched history of a skilled, free-settler family whose design skills, workmanship and control over the quality of their work gave both style and class to those enriched by the seemingly unlimited discoveries of gold in nineteenth-century Melbourne." --John Hawkins, JB Hawkins Antiques