Eliakim Smith was one of the most skilled cabinetmakers in the rural Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts. A variety of furniture forms, including chests-on-chests, desks-and-bookcases, and high chests of drawers were made by Smith or those that worked in his shop. The objects have histories in Hadley, Northampton, and other towns around Springfield, Massachusetts.

While it is unknown where Smith trained, he adopted the more urban Boston traditions of craftsmanship, as seen here in the stylized flame finials and molded drawer sides.