Thomas Day - People and Places
Item
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Title
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Thomas Day - People and Places
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Trade
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Cabinetmaker
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Home Location
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Milton, North Carolina
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Notes
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Thomas Day (c. 1801–1861) Cabinetmaker, Milton, North Carolina
Thomas Day, a free man of color from Milton, North Carolina, became the most successful cabinetmaker in North Carolina, during a time when most Black Americans were enslaved and free Black people were severely restricted in their movements and activities. Born in Virginia and educated by private tutors, he apprenticed under his father before establishing his own shop, which by 1850 had grown into the largest furniture business of its kind in the state.
Day's style is characterized by undulating shapes, fluid lines, and spiraling forms, blending his own unique motifs with popular classical designs to create a look distinctively his own. He is the only documented American cabinetmaker known to offer clients both architectural elements for their Greek Revival homes and furniture incorporating the same classical motifs. His clientele included two North Carolina governors, and he was commissioned to furnish interior woodwork at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
