Trade literature making advertising claims, give instructions in using products, provide testimonials from satisfied customers, and include detailed descriptions of sale products. Trade catalogs first appeared in the 18th century, with the expansion in trade, commerce and consumption. The distinguished English cabinet maker, Thomas Chippendale published a book of his designs in 1754, entitled "The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director" and regarded as the "first comprehensive trade catalogue of its kind". The designs were regarded as reflecting the current London fashion for furniture, and set the standard for his competitors in the market. Chippendale followed this up with a virtual reprint in
Robert Erickson (furniture designer) Tor is now a full partner in the business of Erickson Woodworking. His work is part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Yale University Art Gallery and Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Racine Museum of Art. http://artgallery.yale.edu/collections/objects/57188 Robert Erickson (furniture designer) Robert Erickson (born Lincoln, Nebraska 1947) is an American furniture designer and woodworker in Nevada City, California. He is a studio maker, who custom designs chairs and other furniture. His work is in several U.S. national collections. After leaving University of Nebraska with an English degree in 1969, Erickson traveled to Druid