George A. Schastey

Facade of the George Schastey & Co. showroom, 1681–1683 Broadway, near West Fifty-Third Street (ca 1885) (actual location of the Broadway Theatre)

George A. Schastey (1839–1894) was an American Gilded Age cabinet maker and decorator.

Childhood

Schastey was born in Merseburg, Germany (then Prussia), and immigrated to New York with his family in 1849. He was apprenticed as an upholsterer, and served in the Civil War.^[1]

After the War he worked for a number of cabinetmakers, including the Herter Brothers. He opened a factory of his own in 1873. He created lavish interiors for the wealthy in New York as well and in San Francisco on Nob Hill. His clients included the "Big Four" railroad magnates, Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, Jr., Charles Crocker, and Henry E. Huntington. He designed the William J. Graham House in Reno, Nevada.^[1]

Schastey's work is exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum in New York, and Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, among others.^[2][3]

Gallery

• 
  Schastey’s newly constructed manufactory, located at 228 West Fifty-Third Street, on a trade card, 1876–79
• 
  Patent model for adjustable reclining chairs, 1873
• 
  Dressing table, 1881-1882
• 
  Architectural woodwork, panelong and furniture designed by Schastey, 1881-1882
• 
  Panel, 1881-1882
• 
  Side chair, 1881-1882
• 
  Large cabinet, 1884-1885

References

1. Johnson, Ken (January 7, 2016). "Peeking Into the Gilded Age at the Met". New York Times. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
2. Metropolitan Museum Unveils Luxurious Historic Interior from America's Gilded Age, ArtfixDaily, November 23, 2015
3. "Artistic Furniture of the Gilded Age". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved June 3, 2016.