neat and plain aesthetic

We attended an interesting series of lectures on a set of early American chairs from the "neat and plain" aesthetic movement. This was an interesting style that strongly contrasted with the ornate French Rococo style that was so prevalent in Europe at the time. The neat and plain aesthetic was popular in the manors of England  from whence it spread to the landed gentry of colonial America. The style focused on clean, graceful, functional lines, along with strength and quality craftsmanship. The American Revolution was not just a philosophical and economic revolution, but a social revolution as well.