Without using much in the way of ornament, the cabinetmaker responsible for this cupboard had to rely on fundamentals for the success of this design: pleasing proportions between the many rectangular components and a balance of vertical and horizontal elements. The cupboard would have provided for display and storage in a dining room or kitchen.

Adapted from Lonn Taylor and David B. Warren. Texas Furniture: The Cabinetmakers and Their Work, 1840–1880. Vol. 1, rev. ed. Austin, Tex.: University of Texas Press, 2012.