The 1772 and 1786 Philadelphia price lists specify, for the majority of forms recorded, two price scales depending on whether the object was fashioned of imported mahogany or indigenous black walnut, the difference being 25 to 40 percent greater for the former.  Not only was mahogany the more stylish, it was also preferred, being easier to work, worm-resistant, and less likely to warp or crack. On occasion black walnut was substituted, presumably for reasons of economy. The Bayou Bend dressing table, with its well-executed ornament and figured facade, belongs to a small group of richly carved Philadelphia furniture crafted of native wood.

Book excerpt: Warren, David B., Michael K. Brown, Elizabeth Ann Coleman, and Emily Ballew Neff. American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection. Houston: Princeton Univ. Press, 1998.