The historical kinship of wardrobes dates back at least to medieval times when they were used for even more practical purposes than storage of clothing.

Cultures and countries have contributed along the way to the French armoire, Dutch kas, German schrank, English ambry or press, and ultimately the kindly but distinguished wardrobe.

Furniture historians note the wardrobe with three or four drawers, and upper section of shelves and double doors covering at least the shelves if not the whole arrangement, as known in America as early as the 17th century.

However it was fairly uncommon among English colonists who instead preferred various chests.

Many accounts note that the French once used their armoire wardrobes for storage of arms and armor before they were finally converted to hold clothing. Other historical references suggest early wardrobes were simply open-shelved cupboards with doors added.

“Differing and sometimes quite arbitrary translations have helped confuse the issue” concerning wardrobes according to Noel Riley, author of the comprehensive book “World Furniture.” “Early invoices and household accounts juggle such words as ambry, aumbry, aubrie, cupboard book-press and press.”Riley offered that the aumbry was the most frequently used term for a type of wardrobe in England of the 1500s. It described a piece with several compartments and hinged doors which could be used as a sort of safe.During the 17th century Europeans acquired more and more clothing and material goods and lived in homes where no closets existed. The result was built-in cupboards and the widespread construction of wardrobe-like structures for further storage.

Throughout the 1600s the standard wardrobe emerged. There were variations depending on regional and ethnic background, and depending on economic class. But most followed the form of a few shelves and a few drawers behind two large doors. The variations came not as much in style and structure as in decoration and ornamentation.

“For the poorer families plain board might do, but as families prospered they were able to indulge in quite elaborate wardrobes,” notes John Bowman author of the book “American Furniture.” The wealthy could afford ward-robes with “intricate carvings, inlaid panels, turned elements, expensive woods, andÑat least in the case of the Dutch and GermansÑcolorfully painted surfaces.”

Thus at the end of the 17th century and the start of the 18th century, wardrobes were available for a practical storage function and as a cultural status symbol as well.

In Colonial America during the 18th century a great many wardrobes were imported from the native countries of various settlements. In other cases they were crafted and embellished in the New World as close to existing examples as possible. In some examples not only were the outside decorations striking, but those who followed the Dutch kas models even included tiles or ceramics inside the structures.

In later years the established wardrobe would be depicted in George Hepplewhite’s legendary “The Cabinet-Maker and Upholster’s Guide” of 1788, and a few years later in Thomas Sheraton’s “Drawing Book” for fashionable furniture makers. In 1793 Sheraton illustrated a wardrobe with doors above the drawer sections, and a middle shelf section with ends for the hanging of coats and other garments.

The Federal Period in America, which began as the Hepplewhite and Sheraton guides were published and continued into the 19th century, clothes presses and wardrobes continued to be popular. Homes of that era still had few closets, and hooks were often provided in shallow openings for the hanging of nightclothes. Meanwhile wardrobes frequently had full-length doors, and sometimes came with sliding trays and space for attaching coats and dressing gowns.

Even during the creative Federal Period wardrobes often held to the same basic two-part design with drawers in the lower section and shelves in the upper section, all firmly protected behind double doors.

An 1806 receipt from a furniture maker to Baltimore merchant William Patterson refers to an elegant mahogany clothes press with “two wings.” It highly likely the wings reference dealt with a wardrobe similar to that depicted in still another cabinetmaker’s guide of the day, Searer’s “London Book of Prices” which illustrated what was then termed a “wing clothes press.” A similar Federal wing ward-robe is now in the collection of the Maryland Historical Society.

From 1815 through the mid-century mark some excellent Biedermier wardrobes were produced in regions of Austria and Germany. These stylish pieces were often made to fit the decorative scheme of other furniture and were sometimes placed in hallways and living rooms as well as bedrooms. During that same period cabinetmakers in Europe as well as America experimented with various woods for strong standing wardrobes, sometimes using cherry walnut or mahogany for the exterior and pine or popular for the interior. Additionally makers began more extensive use of placing the wardrobes on ball feet, and further use of brass fittings and locks.

Wardrobes enjoyed a resurgence of popularity during the Victorian era, but then the wood of choice was most often oak. The fine pieces were eventually produced in factories in the east and Midwest. With one to two drawers beneath their long doors they often stood six to seven feet tall. Because of their size and weight many Victorian wardrobes were made to be disassembled for moving.

In 1895 Montgomery Ward and Company offered a special listing of wardrobes in their furniture catalog as well as a number in their regular mail-order catalog. They were described as being of solid oak, strong and well made. The large doors of one were described as “neatly carved, with good gloss finish.” Mailing weight was 125 pounds and each had a retail price of around $7.

Today leading auction galleries including Skinner’s Inc., in Boston are among the many marketplaces for elegant wardrobes of the past. Selections range from fruitwood armoires made by immigrants from France, to Pennsylvania-German walnut schranks, and cherry wood kas crafted in the Hudson Valley of New York.