IT is impossible to look through the books of Sheraton and Heppelwhite without noticing the extreme similarity of their simpler designs. The difference between the two men lies in the disposition of Sheraton towards experiment, his inclination to change with the times, and in the fixed parti pris of Heppelwhite, the settled determination upon a certain style of sitting-room and bedroom furniture, and the resolve not to depart therefrom. Heppelwhite is limited, Sheraton is versatile and a man of periods. The tendency of Heppelwhite is on the whole towards angularity and straightness. Sheraton shows far more love of contrasting curves and flat fronts. This is even to be noticed in the plainer furniture. He gives us corner basin-stands with rounded or serpentine fronts to a larger extent than his rival. Moreover, Sheraton has the art of making his furniture far more attractive upon paper. If he pulls out a drawer to show its interior fittings, that drawer casts its proper shadow across the front, not, however, disguising what lies within its field. The shadow is transparent and true, and the details within it can be observed almost as well as when they are in the light.

The fact is, Sheraton is a much better artist than Heppelwhite, and has absolutely no cause on that score to be jealous of him. It seems probable that the commercial success of the single-aimed Heppelwhite was the envy of the many-gifted Sheraton, who, as Adam Black said, by attempting to do everything did nothing.