The French polishing process wasn’t widely used in the UK until the 1851 Great Exhibition in London where it was introduced to a very receptive public. French Polishing was so well received that its qualities helped to define the Victorians optimistic tastes for the bright, fashionable and new.

French Polishing is a lengthy and skillful process of applying shellac in a particular way to the surface of prepared wood. First a level coating of shellac is applied. This is then burnished with a cloth pad soaked in alcohol and shellac, sparingly lubricated with raw linseed or poppy oil. Finally a soft, cloth covered pad dampened with alcohol is drawn lightly and speedily across the surface to remove the oil leaving a very smooth surface. This process enables a very high shine of a characteristic lustrous quality to be produced on the furniture’s surface. As the process is time consuming and very skillful it is greatly valued in high quality furniture.

Speedier processes were developed through the Victorian and Edwardian periods with shellac as the principle ingredient. The addition of other additives allowed the finish to be laid as a self-levelling varnish applied manually with a brush. This is known as spirit varnish.

An immense quantity of furniture was produced in the Victorian and Edwardian periods eclipsing all produced in earlier periods. This fashionable furniture was finished with either French Polishing or with other shellac based manual processes of varnishing. This is the finish that is most commonly encountered by the restorer and conservator and so a working knowledge of the shellac processes is essential.