author
Frances Clary Morse
Best known for a richly illustrated classic on early American interiors, this Worcester writer helped turn antique furniture into a serious subject of popular history. Her work blends careful research with the pleasure of looking closely at old objects and the lives around them.
1 Audiobook
Furniture of the Olden Time
by Frances Clary Morse
About the author
Frances Clary Morse was an American writer and researcher best known for Furniture of the Olden Time, first published in the early 1900s. Available library and catalog records consistently tie her to that landmark book, which explores early American furniture, household objects, and interiors with unusual depth and enthusiasm.
Reliable biographical details are limited, but sources connect her with Worcester, Massachusetts, and with a family interested in gardening and history. She is also associated with the Worcester Garden Club, and museum records show that she traveled in East Asia in 1899 and compiled photographic albums from that trip.
What makes her stand out as an author is the way she treated domestic objects as part of everyday history, not just decoration. Furniture of the Olden Time remained in print for years and is still read by collectors, design enthusiasts, and readers curious about how earlier American homes looked and felt.