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| ISBN-13: | 9780486158037 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Dover Publications |
| Publication date: | 10/12/2012 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 208 |
| File size: | 16 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
Read an Excerpt
Windsor Chairs
An Illustrated Handbook
By Wallace Nutting, Victor M. Linoff
Dover Publications, Inc.
Copyright © 2001 Dover Publications, Inc.All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-486-15803-7
CHAPTER 1
Transitional Corner Chair
Peculiar in that the comb, usually attached with a splat, is a true WINDSOR comb, and has two spindles running down to the seat, thus suggesting the true WINDSOR. Shown as a connecting link. Nothing below the back is at all WINDSOR-like.
Date: 1710-1730?
Owned by the METROPOLITAN MUSEUM, New York.
* * *
The Windsor Chair
A WINDSOR chair, even to a person who does not know it by name, is perhaps more suggestive of pleasant reflections than any other article of furniture. No doubt its origin was humble, though a king George is reputed to have discovered it at Windsor and made it popular — a mere legend.
The WINDSOR chair is said to have been known by 1700, but that date is not supported by evidence. The earliest specimens in America are of about 1725.
The WINDSOR has held its popularity steadily for two centuries in its original or debased forms. No other style of furniture has been so persistent and kept its quiet place while other styles came and went.
The reasons are obvious. The WINDSOR is comfortable, and thus escapes a charge to the contrary made against most styles of antique furniture. To be sure, a common wooden seat is not inviting, but when properly shaped it becomes easy. And there is no objection to a cushion, used of old more commonly even than now. A cushion is more sanitary than upholstery, as a cushion admits of beating and airing.
The WINDSOR is the lightest of chairs, considering its durability. It is easily moved. And it is low in cost — at least, when new.
The common kitchen chair is really a WINDSOR reduced to its lowest terms. The Concord wagon seat, so common in the last generation, had a true WINDSOR back.
The final merit of the WINDSOR is its beauty. Though its lines are so simple, it is at its best very dignified, attractive, and decorative. Indeed, so far have some admirers of it gone that they place it in a parlor. It really is appropriate in some form in almost any room except the parlor, in an eighteenth or nineteenth century house.
CHAPTER 2English Double-back Arm WINDSOR
Condition: Fine and original.
Merit: The English WINDSORS lack grace. Observe how stubby and shapeless the arms are. The bow is very heavy without being stronger for its purpose than a lighter one. The splat is peculiar to the English type.
In fact the spindles in the English chair were added to increase the comfort of the sitter and enhance the "sack back" effect. The American saw no reason for not making all spindles with no splat.
The legs are a very poor feature in English WINDSORS. They are too nearly vertical and start too near the corner of the seat for strength or beauty, and their turnings are very clumsy.
Date: Early type, though continued in England to a middle or even late period.
Occurrence: Very common in England.
Owned by WALLACE NUTTING, Cutler-Bartlet House, 32 Green Street, Newburyport, Mass.
CHAPTER 3Short Arm, Heavy Rail Bow-back
Condition: The bow is restored, and also the feet behind.
Merit: Very high. The shape of the arms is fine, both as to their sharp outward turn, or ramp, and the carved knuckle. But both are rather heavy. The turnings are the Pennsylvania type with ball ends, and are not so graceful as the northern type.
The seat is perfect, being saddle-shaped, not only as seen in the picture, but, as looked down upon, the front edge is also "scrolled," or cut in a double saddle curve from the center each way.
Owing to the sharp incut or "ramp," at the sides of the seat, the front arm spindles must slant sharply to keep behind the incut.
It is easy to see in the heavy arm rail of this chair how closely it resembles a roundabout chair rail.
Date: Very early.
Occurrence: Very rare.
Owned by WALLACE NUTTING, Hazen Garrison House, 8 Groveland Street, Haverhill, Mass.
* * *
The Heavy Rail
The arms in the heavy type of WINDSOR chair are continuous with a level semicircular back rail which is reinforced in the back by a second piece placed over the joint of the two parts, to unite or splice them. In the chair opposite this work is so nicely done that no joint appears. A handsome molding ends the center splice on each arm — a kind of step-down.
CHAPTER 4High Bow-back, Light Arm
Condition: Good; apparently original.
Merit: Very high. This chair is very simple and belongs to the lighter type of bow-backs. The special merit is the great height of the back above the seat. It thus answered as a head rest, a rare thing in a plain bow-back, but common enough in comb-backs. It is surprising that not more chairs of this sort were made; for by their great rarity we judge they were always relatively scarce. There is a pleasing enlargement of the bow just before its tenon enters the rail. The chair is a notable example of the grace obtained through sheer simplicity.
Yet it fails in some particulars. It should have been planned to have nine long spindles, and thus arrange the side spindles nearer together and afford a gradual fan space, avoiding in part the present uneven spacing.
The turnings are good, but not so deep as the best. The turned arm spindles match the legs.
Date: Early, but we cannot assign it the earliest date, as the chair shows progress through a period of refinement to a light type.
Occurrence: Extremely rare. It is almost impossible to discover such chairs out of collections. The writer has not seen one on sale for several years. The comb-backs are much sought, but this chair is still more a "find."
Owned by the METROPOLITAN MUSEUM, Bowles Collection.
CHAPTER 5Nine-spindle, Comb-back WINDSOR
Condition: Fine and apparently original.
Merit: Very high. The comb is fine, with nine spindles, the ideal number in this type. The legs are turned in the early Pennsylvania style, and the middle stretcher is good. The arms are simply scrolled on the outside.
Date: Early.
Occurrence: Rare.
Owned by ARTHUR LESLIE GREEN, Weaver House, Newport, R. I.
* * *
The Ideal WINDSOR Arm Chair
The writer has never seen it. In a settee the best ten legger in this book fairly reaches the mark of an ideal. The earliest type of bow (otherwise round or hoop) back side chair shown is also ideal. Some of the fan-backs also leave little to be desired. But the ideal WINDSOR Arm Chair should have:
1. Beautiful, heavy, deep-cut vase-turned legs with stretchers of a bold, heavy character in the bulb, and with a good rake to the legs.
2. A finely saddled seat, of large size.
3. Arms with fine, sharp ramp and with large, well-carved knuckles.
4. A nine-spindle comb running up through a double bow and crowned by a finely shaped rail with nicely spiraled carved ears.
CHAPTER 6Nine-spindle, Comb-back WINDSOR
Condition: Five long spindles had to be renewed; the sides of the feet were mended where rockers had been, but legs were not spliced, being of original length.
Merit: Very high. The chair is large, dignified, and finely symmetrical. The comb is high, and ears are exceptionally fine. The seat is very good; the turnings of the feet terminate like those of the love seat shown.
The "blunt arrow" style.
Date: Early, Pennsylvanian.
Occurrence: Rare of this size and symmetry.
Owned by WALLACE NUTTING, Cutler-Bartlet House, Newburyport, Mass.
A notable feature of this chair is that the front legs are set in five inches from the side of the seat, which is more than twenty-five inches wide.
Comparing the chair opposite with that on the previous page, this chair is somewhat larger. The shaping of the arms here is the same but wider. Both are chairs of much dignity. Notice that the spindles here are not set so near the edge of the seat. This is a merit as it adds to strength. Both chairs have their legs well and properly set in on the seat. In the previous chair, however, they do not completely pierce the seat. Both methods were followed. It was simpler to run the leg away through the seat.
CHAPTER 7Braced-back, One-piece Back and Arm
Condition: Very fine and original.
Merit: The highest, because it lacks no feature whatever, of its style. Practically perfect in its period (except as to its seven spindles), in arms, seat, splay, style, and almost perfect in the leg turnings. If the smallest part of turning in the vase had been slightly smaller, we could see no way of improvement. An earlier chair would have heavier bulbs.
Date: Early.
Occurrence: Very rare in a form so perfect.
Owned by WALLACE NUTTING, Cutler-Bartlet House, Newburyport, Mass.
This chair, like all of its style, is open to the objection that the arm almost always breaks at the sharp bend. Yet the type is graceful and light. Of course the arm is not so handsome as the knuckle arm, and this style the writer has never seen with a knuckle.
It will be noticed that chairs with brace backs are not so likely as plain-backed chairs to have nine plain spindles, because the two raked bracing spindles require space. The ideal chair would have eight or nine spindles and the braces, like some in this book.
* * *
The Comb-back Chair
This variety is more eagerly sought than any other, because it combines many lines of beauty, and by the fireside it speaks much of "old forgotten far off things." We may be sure that its great height of back was used to drape a shawl to serve as a protection against draught, and that it succeeded the clumsy settle, which was difficult to move, and always in the way. The literature of the home will not be complete until a proper tale is written centering around a comb-back chair.
CHAPTER 8Bow-back, Knuckle-arm WINDSOR
Condition: Good and apparently original.
Merit: Moderate. This type is good, the weight is slight, and so easily moved. The turnings are good but not fine; the knuckles and the spindles well shaped. The seat, as often in this type, is too shallow from front to back, as if for use at a dining table. The seat lacks a chamfer on the under side and so appears heavy, and the spindles are too few.
Date: Early.
Owned (but not on view) by WALLACE NUTTING, Framingham, Mass.
Chairs of this style are very common without the knuckle and are the lightest of the arm chairs, as well as the strongest for their weight. This is probably what the old inventories refer to as the "sack-backt" chair.
The spindles were not in the early period turned in a lathe, but were shaved in a vise or whittled by holding in the hand and working each way. Hence was naturally developed the bulb in the spindles, so marked in this example. The bulb necessarily came below the middle as a long, slender taper was required above, to slide through the arm rail. The type once established was then used for side chairs.
The knuckle was almost always formed by glueing a piece to the under side of the rail. This method was more economical of wood than to work the knuckle out of the solid.
In this particular chair the arm rail is bent and therefore small. It requires, to be in good taste, small knuckles, such as on page 24. The dainty little knuckles are wonderfully attractive. The arm ends are also sometimes wrought in this type as three open fingers.
CHAPTER 9Comb-back, Heavy-arm WINDSOR
Condition: Feet pieced.
Merit: High, for general appearance and grace. The back and arms are excellent, but the gap between the long and short spindle is unnecessary, and the under body turnings are not choice. Observe that the knuckle is all cut on the thin arm, and lacks the fullness of the preceding knuckle.
Date: Early to middle period.
Occurrence: Unusual.
Owned by WALLACE NUTTING, 32 Green Street, Newburyport, Mass.
* * *
Footstools
The WINDSOR type, or "stick leg," was well adapted for footstools. The earliest simple stools in America apparently had a boot-jack end leg made in one piece. But with the WINDSOR style came the stool, which was either round topped or oval, with a thinned edge to give a light effect. Footstools were in very common use partly as convenient seats for children, but principally because the floors were so cold that as soon as one sat down a stool was the first thought. The cellars were cold of necessity, to preserve the winter's food.
Little opening for artistic designing was afforded in the short-legged stool, but one of a real udder shape is highly amusing. The cow's udder was the obvious model, and with reason, for the legs got thickness of wood where they needed it and the stool was elsewhere lightened.
CHAPTER 10Bow-back Arm WINDSOR
Condition: Fine and apparently original.
Merit: Very high for its type. The turnings are very good; possibly not so massive as the very earliest, but closely approaching them. The stretchers are the earliest sort. The knuckle is very handsomely carved. The seat is 18¼ inches high in front. The back 44¼ inches high.
Peculiar in the feature of stopping the arms on the bow and having no arm rail to run around the chair. This of course adds to comfort by affording the long spring of the back spindles as in the side chair. The feature is shown in several instances in this book on fan-back arm chairs, but this is a rare feature in the bow back with arm and no arm rail. The method of construction, however, is not secure. The junction of bow and arm must be weak unless as elsewhere in this book the bow is enlarged to receive the arm. One also feels that nine back spindles instead of seven would materially enhance the chair's merit, for in that case the spindles could have been a little lighter. The arms also lack the grace of a ramp, and are almost straight.
Date: Early.
Occurrence: Extremely rare.
Owned by CLEMENT C. LITTLEFIELD, Newfields, N.H.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Windsor Chairs by Wallace Nutting, Victor M. Linoff. Copyright © 2001 Dover Publications, Inc.. Excerpted by permission of Dover Publications, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
DOVER BOOKS ON FURNITURE,Title Page,
Copyright Page,
Introduction to the Dover Edition,
Selected Bibliography and Further Reading,
Acknowledgement,
How To Use This Book,
Transitional Corner Chair,
English Double-back Arm WINDSOR,
Short Arm, Heavy Rail Bow-back,
High Bow-back, Light Arm,
Nine-spindle, Comb-back WINDSOR,
Nine-spindle, Comb-back WINDSOR,
Braced-back, One-piece Back and Arm,
Bow-back, Knuckle-arm WINDSOR,
Comb-back, Heavy-arm WINDSOR,
Bow-back Arm WINDSOR,
Light Comb-back,
Open-hand Scroll Arm Bow-back,
Low-back Arm WINDSOR,
Bow-back Arm WINDSOR,
Heavy-rail, Nine-spindle Comb-back,
Heavy, Nine-spindle Comb-back WINDSOR,
Comb-back Arm WINDSOR,
Comb-back, Heavy-Arm WINDSOR,
Triple-back Arm WINDSOR,
Double Comb-back WINDSOR,
Triple-Back WINDSOR,
Comb-back WINDSOR,
Comb-back, Short-arm WINDSOR,
Comb-back, Short-arm WINDSOR,
Braced-back, Bow, Mahogany-arm WINDSOR,
Round-back Arm Chair with Comb,
Comb-back, no Outside Spindles,
Braced, Fan-back Arm WINDSOR,
Fan-back Arm WINDSOR,
Short-arm, Fan-back WINDSOR,
Short-arm, Fan-back WINDSOR,
Bow-back WINDSOR with Arms,
Kinked, Bow-back Arm WINDSOR,
Comb-back WINDSOR,
"Duck-bill" Joint, Turned-back WINDSOR,
Bow-back Arm WINDSOR,
"Sheraton" Square-back Arm WINDSOR,
Writing-arm WINDSOR,
Writing-arm WINDSOR,
Light Writing-arm WINDSOR,
Writing-arm WINDSOR,
Writing-arm WINDSOR,
One-piece Back and Arm Baby's High Chair,
The Quest and Value of WINDSORS,
Baby's Bow-back High Chair,
Baby's Bow-back High Chair,
Baby's Bow-back High Chair,
Baby's Bow-back High Chair,
Bab'sy Comb-back High Chair,
Baby's Comb-back High Chair,
(a) - Baby's High Chair, Sheraton Scroll Back,
(b) - Baby's High Chair,
Baby's High Chair,
Twin Babies' High Chair,
Child's Comb-back,
Cradle with Bamboo Turning,
Low Child's Chairs,
Braced Bow-back WINDSOR,
Braced Bow-back, Carved Bow,
Braced Bow-back WINDSOR,
Braced Bow-back WINDSOR,
Braced Bow-back WINDSOR,
Braced Bow-back WINDSOR,
Braced Bow-back WINDSOR,
Braced Fan-back WINDSOR,
Fan-back with "Horns",
Fan-back WINDSOR,
High Fan-back WINDSOR,
Round-seat Fan-back,
Fan-back WINDSOR,
Fan-back WINDSOR,
Braced Fan-back WINDSOR,
Braced Fan-back WINDSOR,
Pennsylvania Fan-back,
Fan-back WINDSOR,
Fan-back WINDSOR,
Fan-back with Comb,
Bow-back, Seven-spindle WINDSOR,
Nine-spindle, Bow-back WINDSOR,
Curved Stretcher Bow-back,
Nine-spindle, X-Stretcher WINDSOR,
Braced Circular-back, Arm WINDSOR,
"Sheraton" Back, Double-rail WINDSOR,
Cut-arm, Bow-back WINDSOR,
Heavy, Low-backed WINDSOR,
Double Turned-Rail Comb-back,
Bow-back WINDSOR,
Flat-spindled or "Sheraton" WINDSOR,
One-piece Bow-and- arm Comb-back,
Ten-legged, Triple-bow-back Settee,
Three-bow-back, Eight-legged Settee,
Scroll-back, Ten-legged Settee,
Ten-legged, Heavy Low-backed Settee,
Six-legged Settee,
Comb-back "Love Seat",
Low-back Love Seat,
"Sheraton" Back Late WINDSOR Settee,
Bow-back "Love Seat",
"Sheraton" Square-back "Love Seat",
High Desk, Turned-rail WINDSOR,
WINDSOR Three-legged Table,
WINDSOR Table,