CHAIRS THROUGH THE AGES
It was not until the 16th century that chairs came into popular use. Previously chairs were reserved for kings and those of authority (the chair recognizes...). Common folk sat on stools, benches and storage boxes. Their early chairs were of simple design, had a back, sometimes arms and upholstery.
Ancient - Decorated with ivory or ebony, often carved and gilded.
Gothic - 1100-1400 -Pointed arch and carved ornament. High backs reserved for the rich and mighty.
Tudor
- 1500-1550 - Oak was the primary wood; carvings of roses and foliage.
Jacobean - 1600-1700 -Mortise and tenon technique, legs low and braced, metal strapping, walnut curves and scrolls and upholstery of brocade, velvet and needlepoint.
Renaissance - walnut and chestnut woods, inlay and veneers, velvet upholstery.
Louis XIII -ebony, bone, metal and ivory inlay, silk and velvet brocades, gold fringe and gilt.
William
and Mary - comfort important, thus contoured backs; lacquer, marquetry,
painting and rich needlework materials were used.
Queen Anne - 1700's- smaller, simpler, narrower. Legs terminated in club, hoof or spade foot. Drop in seats popular.
Louis XIV - Tortoise-shell veneer, brass inlays, tapestries.
Louis XV- Rococo - luxury, glitter, frivolity - doves, cupids, women, silks and mother-of-pearl, lacquer.
Chippendale
- mahogany, backs were pierced splats with square tops, angular legs, and
seats that widen toward the front.
Adam Brothers - Small, straight tapered legs, some oval backs, low relief carvings of urns and fans, wool plush, heavy silks and brocades.
Louis XVI - emphasis on vertical and horizontal lines, legs straight, tapered and fluted.
Sheraton - Satinwood inlay, low relief decorations of rosettes, ribbons and bell flower; beginning of the Windsor chair.
Hepplewhite - Light and delicate look, but sturdy. Rounded back and decorated with wheat, feathers or ferns. Painted fruits and flowers on black laquer. Exotic woods were used for inlay and marquetry. Legs slender and tapering. Wing chairs!
Empire - Back to classical age with stark frames and ancient mountings of winged figures, helmeted warriors and cameo medallions, vivid colored upholstery.
American Categories 1600-1940:
Colonial (1620-1775)- Oak, pine, maple, cherry construction. Slat backs with seats of rush or splint; adapted by the Shakers.
Revolutionary,
Federalist and Empire (1775-1850)- Windsor style and rocking chairs with
arms and rounded tops. Spindle backs, high upholstered backs and tapered
square legs.
Neo-classical style - Victorian - Fringes, velvets, carvings, bent woods, padded seats, upholstered arms.
Modern - Recliners, molded plastic.
A Pictorial Archive of Woodcuts & Engravings, Harold H. Hart, 1977, Dover Publications
Other Furniture Resources consulted for this exhibit..
Picture History of Furniture
Frank Davis, 1958, Macmillan Company
Three Centuries of Furniture in Color
H. D. Molesworth & John Kenworthy-Browne, 1969, Viking Press
Sotheby’s Concise Encyclopedia of Furniture
Christopher Payne, 1989, Harper & Row
Collection Encyclopedia of American Furniture, Volume I
The Dark Woods of the Nineteeth Century
Robert W. & Harriet Swedberg, 1991, Collector Books
Furniture 2 Smithsonian Illustrated Library
Prepared by the Cooper Hewitt Museum, William C. Ketchum, 1981
WMHS has on display:
Late 19th Century Walnut chair with burl veneer inlay, with cane seat covered with leather.
Late 19th Century Child’s Rocker with a cane seat
Early colonial copy chair with woven rush seat
Early 1900's Doll Chair
Teeter Toter Child’s Chair
1940's Potty Chair
Outhouse Seat for child
1940's Curved back chair with spindles
1930's Child’s High Chair
1940's Bent back chair with spindles
Dining Chair with leather seat
Late 1800's High Chair with tray
Square seat chair - plain construction
1930's Unusual Child’s Chair
Twig Chair made in the Adirondacks
B Manchin 4/2006