This is an Empire Loveseat made by Karges Furniture Company. Karges Furniture in Evansville, Indiana has been making beautiful, hand-crafted furniture for over 100 years. In 1886, Albert F. Karges, a first-generation German immigrant, invested $600 and began making moderately priced bedroom furniture of solid oak and walnut. Now, more than a hundred years later, Karges remains one of only a few family-owned and operated furniture manufacturers in US.
The word Karges may not be familiar to many people. In fact, many furniture connoisseurs have never heard of it or Evansville, but an editor who recently toured the factory referred to Karges as: “The Last Great American Furniture Company”.
Karges has been doing just that for over a century which is why its reputation for delivering beautiful, high-quality furniture stands strong. The mission statement of Karges Furniture, in a word: Integrity. Maintaining integrity is a new challenge each day and their goal, simply, is to meet that challenge.
The furniture made by Karges is not mass produced. Karges furniture uses the tried and true finishing method of nitrocellulose lacquers as a final top coat. This could be high sheen lacquer that has been hand-rubbed to a high, medium or low gloss, or could also be a flat lacquer as is used over many paint finishes.