Job Townsend

American cabinetmaker

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July 14, 2026

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Job Townsend (1699–1765) was a prominent American cabinetmaker in Newport, Rhode Island, during the 18th century. He was a key figure in the renowned Goddard-Townsend group, known for their exquisite case furniture.12

Townsend's work, often characterized by block fronts and carved shell motifs, reflected the graceful style of English cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale. While only one piece definitively bearing Job Townsend's label exists—a desk-bookcase at the Rhode Island School of Design—other pieces, including a chest of drawers and a dressing table, are attributed to him. His brother, Christopher Townsend, and five of Job's sons also became cabinetmakers, continuing the family's legacy of fine craftsmanship.1

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Goddard Family
…younger brother James worked for Job Townsend. Shortly after they married Townsend’s daughters, John established his own workshop, and by the 1760s he had become Newport’s leading cabinetmaker, being commissioned by such eminent early Americans as Gov. Stephen Hopkins of Rhode Island and the famous philanthropist Moses Brown. In contrast…
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…younger brother James worked for Job Townsend. Shortly after they married Townsend’s daughters, John established his own workshop, and by the 1760s he had become Newport’s leading cabinetmaker, being commissioned by such eminent early Americans as Gov. Stephen Hopkins of Rhode Island and the famous philanthropist Moses Brown. In contrast…
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Townsend family
Job Townsend (1699–1765) and his brother Christopher Townsend (1701–73) were the first generation involved in cabinetmaking. Job’s daughter married John Goddard, then his apprentice and the first of the Goddard family associated with the Townsends. The only known piece bearing Job’s label is a desk-bookcase…
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Job Townsend (1699–1765) and his brother Christopher Townsend (1701–73) were the first generation involved in cabinetmaking. Job’s daughter married John Goddard, then his apprentice and the first of the Goddard family associated with the Townsends. The only known piece bearing Job’s label is a desk-bookcase…
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