A History of Sideboards

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In the 18th century, dining rooms were furnished with long serving or "slab" tables. They often had marble tops and were actually used to cut and serve foods. By the end of the 18th century, the sideboard had largely replaced the slab table as the place for serving food in America's fashionable dining rooms. Having first appeared in the 1770s in England, sideboards were featured in the London 1788 book of prices, the same year that Hepplewhite illustrated a sideboard in his Guide. The sideboard had ample storage, with drawers and compartments behind matching doors, yet still offered the convenience of a serving piece. The compartments and drawers were used to store silver flatware, holloware and other serving pieces used in the contemporary dining room.