In the early 1730s Fredericksburg became the most prominent town in the Rappahannock River region of southern Virginia. In tandem with its beautiful setting, the key factor to the town’s prosperity was the highly navigable river - offering superb opportunities for trade. By 1740 a colonial elite of well-to-do merchants and landowning planters had settled there, their wealth derived from tobacco production supplemented by investments in the profitable iron industry.

Entrepreneurs like Scottish-born cabinetmaker, James Allan, were quick to realise the opportunities available. He settled in Fredericksburg during this period and began producing furniture for the area’s increasingly wealthy and socially ambitious population. And like other master craftsmen of the time Allan was able to secure the services of apprentices, journeymen and, more importantly, highly skilled indentured craftsmen who had been formally trained in the master cabinet shops of Europe and had arrived in America to seek their fortune. They brought with them the latest European styles - knowledge and skill combining to offer a highly desirable package to the nouveau riche of Fredericksburg. Their highly accomplished work is evident in the region’s legacy of beautifully designed and richly carved furniture.