09/05/2026
Thomas Day is likely best known for his Empire style furniture pieces with the thick framing, clean lines, and graceful curves of his creations. As discussed previously, American versions of Empire style were frequently more toned-down in style than their European counterparts. However, an independent furniture movement grew in central Europe after the fall of Napoleon in 1815. Catering more towards middle class buyers, this German furniture style was also a more toned-down descendant of Empire with clean shapes and proportions, but also less Greco-Roman ornamentation and more furniture built for family life. German style was always present in some form in the United States, but it reached new popularity with an increase in German immigration in the 1830s.
Thomas Day, as shrewd a businessman as he was quality craftsman, created furniture for multiple income brackets as well. Some pieces, like the sofa pictured here, bear striking resemblance to both American Empire and Biedermeyer styles. We may never know if Thomas Day was aiming to create an American Empire or Biedermeier piece (or perhaps a mix between the two) with furniture like this, but it nevertheless shows how styles influenced each other over time and how identifying particular styles can be a difficult undertaking.
