Although simple in form, this Baltimore wardrobe is enriched with a complexity of materials. Flat panels of lively figured maple veneer are set off by carved mahogany capitals and paw feet. While the wardrobe retains the light/dark contrasting woods of earlier Federal furniture, the absence of brasses and intricate inlay, as well as a ramped-up monumentality, indicate that John Needles followed the general American shift toward heavier, plainer Empire-style furniture during the first half of the 19th century. The wardrobe descended through the maker’s family and was donated to the Museum in 1961.