A rich vocabulary of ornamentation is represented by early fancy furniture.  While the ornamental painter might bring to a commission the skills of a fine artist, ornamental painting on furniture was not a lucrative profession.  As new routes of transportation opened up by the 1820s, the great demand for fancy chairs resulted in marketing and production innovations.  With this increased demand, it is easy to see how stenciled patterns superseded the more exacting and time-consuming freehand decoration.  Even Thomas Sheraton acknowledged that "stenciling is the cheapest and most expeditious method of decorating".

Stencils began to appear soon after 1815 and gained immediate success for decoration.  Both high style and venacular furniture incorporated stenciling into a variety of ornamentation.  Stencils permitted a more rapid decoration of running borders and other repetitive designs.  Central motifs could be stenciled, and the only details needed to be hand-painted.  Stencils were also used to simulate the ormolu (gilt or bronze metallic material) mounts and gold striping of Empire furniture.

The introduction of bronze powders and different colored varnishes as well as other powdered metals such as brass, zinc, aluminum, silver and gold created a whole new aesthetic for ornamental painters.  Stenciled  furniture involved a base coat of paint overlaid with a coat of binder such as a varnish and turpentine.  When dried to the tacky stage, a stencil was laid flat on this surface.  Metallic powders were then brushed onto the stencil using small velvet or leather pads.  Several stencils might be used to achieve a single design, each adding different details to the overall design.

Technological advances on many fronts abetted the rapid style changes of the nineteenth century. About 1815 stencils made their appearance, and this American innovation permitted more rapid decoration.

In the case of gilding, less costly bronze powders were substituted for gold leaf. The introduction of powders and different colored varnishes, as well as other powdered metals such as brass, zinc, aluminum, silver and gold, created a whole new aesthetic for ornamental painters. Suites of stenciled furniture, including bedsteads, window cornices, dressing tables, wash stands and accessories began to appear and gained immediate success, captivating urban and rural homeowners.

Decorating furniture with bronze powders involved painting a base coat of paint, usually white, yellow, vermillion, green, tan or black, overlaid with a coat of binder such as varnish and turpentine. When dried to the tacky stage, a stencil was laid flat on the surface. Metallic powders were then brushed onto the stencil using small leather or velvet pads. Several stencils might be used to achieve a single design, each adding different details to the overall design. After all stencils were applied and the varnish dried, details and shading were added. When dry, the whole was given a final coat of varnish.

Painted, decorated and gilt bed and window cornices were available in this country by the 1790s, when the resurgence of stylish painted furniture occurred. By the late 1820s many were stenciled, produced by the same workshops that turned out stencil-decorated furniture. There is a group of very fine NY state examples with stenciled landscape scenes that were done in the 30s.