One of America’s first great art forms was furniture. Over the century from the period just before the American Revolution to the full flourishing of the Republic in the decades before the Civil War, American architecture and furniture alike demonstrated the importation, adaptation, and transformation of inherited European forms. Aside from being one of the largest and most refined collections of early American furniture in private hands, the works included here from the collection of George and Linda Kaufman exemplify American craftsmanship at its highest quality and offer vivid lessons in the evolution of national and regional tastes during this highly productive period of our nation’s development. In addition, the Kaufman collection offers a marvelous opportunity for comparing the different tastes and achievements from the great regional centers of production, such as Boston, Newport, Philadelphia, and New York.