The Townsend and Goddard families were two Quaker families that were part of a large cabinet making community centered in the Easton's Point neighborhood of Newport, Rhode Island.
Twenty-one members of successive generations of these two intermarried families worked as cabinetmakers over a period of one hundred and twenty years, primarily during the 18th century.
The furniture of the Goddard-Townsend family of makers is characterized by a number of unique features. Some of which are a stylized carved scalloped shell, a Queen Anne slipper foot cabriole leg and an open talon ball and claw foot.
Goddard-Townsend furniture is featured in many major museums, and many pieces have sold at auction for record setting prices.
Here are some examples of replicated Goddard-Townsend pieces made by Michael Torrente.
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