The Furniture History Society was founded in 1964 to study furniture of all periods, places and kinds, to increase knowledge and appreciation of it, and to assist in the preservation of furniture and related records. In its first year it had 333 members, 285 in Great Britain and 48 abroad, with the membership becoming increasingly international. The Society's interests included furniture; its patrons, design, manufacture and arrangement; interior decoration and planning; the social and economic background; and relevant aspects of the history of architecture, textiles and metalwork.
Since 1965 the Society's journal, Furniture history , has been issued annually to members and the Furniture history society newsletter has been published quarterly. The Society has also published special volumes for sale both to its members and to the public: these include The Dictionary of English Furniture Makers 1660-1840 , edited by Geoffrey Beard and Christopher Gilbert, 1986; Printed Furniture Designs Before 1650 , by Simon Jervis, 1974; and Pictorial Dictionary of Marked London Furniture by Christopher Gilbert, 1996. Other activities have included an annual symposium, lecture and foreign tour; study weekends; conferences; and visits.
From the guide to the Furniture History Society: records, 1964-2000, (V&A Archive of Art and Design)
