View source for What-not

{{short description|Open shelf unit for display of ornaments}}
{{Hatnote|This article is about the item of furniture. For the Muppet Show characters, see [[Whatnot (Muppet)]]. For the English word or phrase, see [[wikt:what not|what not]] and [[wikt:whatnot|whatnot]] at Wiktionary. What Not is also a novel by [[Rose Macaulay]].}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
[[File:Stuffed birds on etagere in Lyford House.jpg|A corner what-not|thumbnail|right|240px]]
A '''what-not''' is a piece of [[furniture]] derived from the [[France|French]] [[étagère]] which was exceedingly popular in [[England]] in the first three-quarters of the 19th century. It usually consists of slender uprights or pillars, supporting a series of shelves for holding china, ornaments, trifles, or "[[wikt:what not|what nots]]", hence the allusive name. In its English form, it is a convenient piece of [[drawing room]] furniture, and was rarely valued for its aesthetic.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

== See also==
* [[Encoignure]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
'''Attribution:'''
*{{EB1911|wstitle=What-Not|volume=28|page=576}}

{{EB1911 article with no significant updates}}

[[Category:History of furniture]]
[[Category:Furniture]]
[[Category:19th century in England]]
[[Category:English furniture]]


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