Thomas Elfe Thomas Elfe Elfe was born in 1719 in London, England. He was an accomplished and prolific furniture and cabinet craftsman of the American colonial period. Elfe, a contemporary of Thomas Chippendale, was considered Charleston's best furniture craftsman of the eighteenth century. His working career spanned almost thirty years from about 1746 to 1775. At one point in his career his personal worth was a fortune of over 6,200 English pounds. Local Charleston historian and one time director of the Charleston Museum, E. Milby Burton (1889–1977), attributed Elfe as the craftsman of some of the finest nationally acclaimed furniture produced. Burton's
Jacob Cress Jacob Cress Jacob Cress (born 1944 in Norton, Virginia, United States), better known as Jake Cress, is a furniture maker in Fincastle, Virginia who is known for his interpretations of classical 18th century furniture. He considers himself to be a cabinet maker and not an artist. He also builds normal classical furniture, miniature furniture, and carves boxes, as well as decorative pieces. He also restores furniture. Additionally, he builds more modern pieces like country tables and desks. Cress works with mahogany, walnut, and cherry woods. His animated works include "The Decorator," "Alladin's Lamp," "Hickory Dickory Dock Clock," "Self-Portrait," and "Clock