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THE SHOP OF ROBERT STEWART: WORK AND WEALTH IN THE ANTEBELLUM NATCHEZ FURNITURE TRADE BY CANDICE ROLAND CANDETO The life and work of antebellum cabinetmaker Robert Stewart (1796–1866) spanned one of the most contentious periods in American history in one of the country’s most complex places: Natchez, Mississippi, a river town of great diversity and incredible wealth. For planters whose riches grew in sugar and cotton fields elsewhere, Natchez was a social center where large, fashionable homes communicated success. In furnishing these homes, and others from all levels of Natchez society, Stewart played a significant role in shaping the community. His imported and locally made pieces created a unique material culture that speaks to the town’s distinct identity—influenced by geography and slavery—as well as its deep connection to the Northeast and the rest of the Atlantic world. Stewart’s early life largely remains a mystery. Born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, he likely learned cabinetmaking from a relative. 1 As a young adult, he set out with his brother, Miller, for the southwest, eventually landing in Natchez by 1818, when he first advertised his trade. 2 Throughout the 1820s, Miller remained a partner in his brother’s Natchez store, R. & M. Stewart, but was also listed in Cincinnati directories as operating a furniture business in that city. 3 Miller died in 1831, and four years later Robert announced that he was closing his brother’s business. 4 Robert’s connection with Cincinnati persisted, however, and throughout the antebellum period he sold furniture from Cincinnati makers like Mitchell & Rammelsberg to Natchez customers. Undertaking, traditionally associated with cabinetmakers because of their manufacture of coffins, played an important role in Stewart’s business. Coffins of varying quality, from “plain pine” for the enslaved to cherry cases lined with fine textiles, provided the artisan with a constant revenue stream, with receipts noting yellow fever epidemics, natural disasters, and war. Undertaking allowed him to — 142 —