Belter, John Henry

orig. Johann Heinrich Belter

(born 1804, Hilter, near Osnabrück [Germany]—died Oct. 15, 1863, New York, N.Y., U.S.) German-born U.S. cabinetmaker and designer. Trained in Germany, he settled in New York City in 1833. There he opened a fashionable shop specializing in rosewood, walnut, and mahogany furniture. In 1856 he patented his invention of processing rosewood in many layers to achieve thin panels that, once shaped in molds through steam heating, could be finely carved. He opened a large factory in 1858, but soon competitive French imports and economic troubles associated with the American Civil War impaired his business, and the firm closed in 1867, a few years after his death.

Belter, (Johann Heinrich) John Henry (1804–63) furniture maker; born in Germany. He was apprenticed to a cabinetmaker in Württemberg, and was trained to be a carver of rich ornamentation. He emigrated to New York City (1844), married, and opened a furniture shop. He designed highly popular Victorian rococo furniture, and patented his invention (1856) for laminating rosewood in thin panels, steaming the pieces in molds, and carving them with fruit and floral motifs. By 1858 he had opened a large factory in New York City. Several years after his death, when there was less demand for his elaborate designs, the factory closed (1867).