From: Gary Tefft / locustent@aol.com
Location: Menomonee Falls, WI
Date: 20 Sep 1999
Time: 23:43:30
I put about all that I know for sure in a reply on March 2, 1999, which can be viewed by clicking "Search" and typing in a search word, like "furniture".
Oh, all right. I know that some people still won't actually do the search, so here it is: "
There were two successful furniture factories in Red Wing, The Red Wing Furniture Company and The Red Wing Manufacturing Company. They started in the late 1870's/early 1880's. They each enjoyed a prosperous business until early in the twentieth century. Around the mid 'teens, they combined due to the decline in the advantage of small, local manufacturers and they closed sometime in the 1920's. During those last years they made the Red Wing Cabinets, which were on the same order as the more well known "Hoosier" brand. My memory tells me that the metal tag on these said "Red Wing Cabinet" or "Red Wing Kitchen Cabinet", but not " Red Wing Cabinet Company". I'm almost positive that there was never any such company name in use.
There were a number of styles of these cabinets. Some more fancy than others, but none incorporating anything as deluxe as spoon carving. They are quite desirable among Red Wing collectors.
My Great Grandfather (my maternal Grandmother's Father) was a German imigrant master cabinet maker, He came to Red Wing in 1883 to work at the Red Wing Manufacturing Company. My mother has the "top-of-the-line" dinning room table that was his wedding gift to my grandparents in 1898. My brother has the Buffet (china cabinet). Bonnie and I have a nearly identical Buffet and a total of about about nine commodes, three and four-drawer dressers and acheval or "gentleman's" dresser from a style shown in a 1900 catalog. (Two of these originated with my grandparents). But, we don't have a "Red Wing Cabinet".
There was a cabinet advertised in the RWCS Newsletter a few months ago. If my memory serves, the style was quite similar to the one in your auction. This one appears to be in excellant condition, it should bring a good price...Won't you let us know what the final bid ends up being?
-Gary-