John Ragatz & Son Furniture Drawings

John H. Ragatz's furniture making firm was located at 212 Pear St. or 219 So. 11th St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The exact dates of the business are unknown, but it probably existed from ca.1870 to ca.1920. 

The collection consists of rendered drawings or photographs of furniture done by Ragatz or someone else working in his shop. A wide variety of furniture types are depicted, including chairs, screens, benches, couches, sideboards, bureaus, tables, and wall cabinets. Many revival styles are represented. Some of the drawings are in color, with the remainder done in pencil or ink. Some contain descriptive text. For example, a chair or sofa could be made with mahogany, gold (presumably gold leaf or gold paint), or Circassian walnut.  One of the screens featured panels "as per accompanying pamphlet," with heraldic design panels at the bottom, and claw feet. A few of the illustrations of screens contain notes about using antique leather and studded nails. Ragatz showed a sideboard designed for a Mr. Haupt both with and without a mirror, depending on whether he used an overlay as a way to conceal or reveal construction details. Many of the drawings bear prices, notes on scale, dimensions, and numbers. The numbers suggest that while Ragatz did custom work, he may have offered the same piece of furniture to other customers or carried some standard stock. Holes in the corners of the drawings indicate that they may have been mounted at some point or were part of a portfolio.