Expert: Eileen Cronk - 10/29/2008

Question
Hello,

I'm trying to do some research on this new desk that I bought. It has a sticker that says Mahogany Association Inc. #132. I just want to find something on this company, so I can figure out the time frame this desk was made.
Do you know where I would look?

Thank you,
Theresa

Answer
Hi Theresa
Nice to hear from you.
Fred Taylor the American furniture expert here at AllExperts wrote this about the Mahogany Assoc.

"The “Mahogany Association” was not a company but a reaction to events. Around the turn of the 20th century aniline dyes were introduced into the American furniture market. This new tool for coloring wood produced some very confusing results. With anilines almost any wood could look like almost anything else. The most common use was to make secondary woods like gum, poplar and birch look like more expensive woods such as walnut and mahogany.
 As the furniture industry got organized early in the century a number of promotional organizations took form. One of the umbrella groups was the Hardwood Manufacturers Association based in Memphis, TN. It had several “service bureaus” within it to promote different woods. Among them were the  Oak Bureau and the Gumwood Bureau. In addition there was a separate American Walnut Manufacturers Association based in Chicago, the Northern Hard Maple Manufacturers in Oshkosh, WI and the Birch Manufacturers, also in Oshkosh. And of course there was the Mahogany Association in Chicago. It issued decals to manufacturers who could certify that their products were indeed made of “real” mahogany and not a substitute. The number 155 is the number assigned to the manufacturer who was a member of the Association but I have not found that identifying list in many years of looking. The Mahogany Association was discontinued in 1969."

I also found this site of interest.

http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/forums/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread_sho...

Hope this helps
Kind Regards
Eileen