Thomas Day (cabinetmaker)

For other persons named Thomas Day, see Thomas Day (disambiguation).
Thomas Day
Born1801
Dinwiddie County, Virginia, U.S.
Died1861 (aged 59–60)
Milton, North Carolina, U.S.
Occupation(s)Cabinetmaker, farmer
SpouseAquilla Wilson (m. 1829)
Furniture attributed to Day, North Carolina Museum of History.

Thomas Day (c. 1801–1861) was an American furniture craftsman and cabinetmaker in Milton, Caswell County, North Carolina.[1] Born into a free African-American family in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, Day moved to Milton in 1817 and became a highly successful businessman, boasting the largest and most productive workshop in the state during the 1850s.[1]: 1, 8, 21, 23 [2][3] Day catered to upper-class white clientele and was respected among his peers for his craftsmanship and work ethic.[1]: 27 [2][4] Day came from a relatively well-off family and was privately educated.[1]: 2, 5, 7  Today, Day's pieces are highly sought after and sell for high prices; his work has been heavily studied and displayed in museums such as the North Carolina Museum of History.[5][6][3][7] Day is celebrated as a highly skilled craftsman and savvy businessman, specifically in regards to the challenges his race posed to his success in the Antebellum South.[7][2]: 35, 58 [6][8]

  1. ^ a b c d Barfield, Rodney (2001). "Thomas and John Day and the Journey to North Carolina". The North Carolina Historical Review. LXXVIII: 1.
  2. ^ a b c Phillips Marshall, Patricia (2001). "The Legendary Thomas Day: Debunking the Popular Mythology of an African-American Craftsman". The North Carolina Historical Review. LXXVIII: 35, 53, 55.
  3. ^ a b Rogers, Patricia Dane (February 13, 1997). "Carved in History: A Success in an Unlikely Time and Place". The Washington Post. ProQuest 1455127510.
  4. ^ Prown, Jonathan (1998). "The Furniture of Thomas Day: A Reevaluation". Winterthur Portfolio. 33 (4): 215–229. doi:10.1086/496752. JSTOR 1215182. S2CID 161421039.
  5. ^ Bass, Debra D. (February 19, 2000). "Famed Black Craftsman's Work on Display: Thomas Day Established Himself as a Respected Businessman Despite his Race". The News & Record, Greensboro, NC. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  6. ^ a b Kuebler-Wolf, Elizabeth (2012). "Review, Thomas Day: Master Craftsman and Free Man of Color". The Journal of Southern History. 78: 169 – via EBSCOHost.
  7. ^ a b McDonald, Glen (May 16, 2012). "The Extraordinary Thomas Day". The News & Observer [Raleigh, NC]. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  8. ^ "Black Man Made Priceless Furniture". The Baltimore Afro-American. July 20, 1929. ProQuest 530763690.