author
Frederick Litchfield
1850–1930
Best known for lively, practical books on furniture, pottery, and porcelain, this late Victorian and Edwardian writer helped make decorative arts history accessible to general readers. His works blend collector-friendly advice with a broad curiosity about design, craftsmanship, and taste.
2 Audiobooks
Illustrated History of Furniture: From the Earliest to the Present Time
by Frederick Litchfield
Illustrated History of Furniture, fifth ed. From the Earliest to the Present Time
by Frederick Litchfield
About the author
Frederick Litchfield (1850–1930) was a British writer on furniture and ceramics whose books were aimed at readers curious about the history of decorative arts. Library and catalog records consistently associate him with subjects such as furniture history, pottery, porcelain, collecting, and art objects.
He is best remembered for Illustrated History of Furniture, first published in the early 1890s and reissued in later editions, and for Pottery and Porcelain: A Guide to Collectors. His bibliography also includes works such as How to Collect Old Furniture and Antiques, Genuine and Spurious, which suggests a long-standing interest in helping readers recognize style, workmanship, and authenticity.
What makes his writing still appealing is its mix of reference value and enthusiasm. Rather than treating design history as something remote or academic, he wrote in a way that invited ordinary readers and collectors to look more closely at the objects around them.