This review examines the development of the furniture conservation profession from its origin to the early years of the emerging discipline by examining selected relevant literature. Furniture repair and restoration traditionally has been the domain of trained joiners and cabinetmakers. Its strong ties to traditional woodworking have been elemental in shaping the profession as it emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s in Europe and the United States. From the end of the nineteenth century onwards, in a parallel development, furniture repair also became a popular pastime with amateur woodworkers. Influenced by progress in research, developments in philosophy and ethics, and by treatment strategies of allied conservation disciplines, furniture conservation became an established professional field.