Easy chair

Date1750-1770

OriginAmerica, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

MediumMahogany, oak, yellow pine, and tulip poplar; linen, wool, leather, and iron

DimensionsOH: 46 ¾”; SH: 11¾”; OW: 32”; SW: 29¼”; SD: 24

Credit LineGift of the Sealantic Fund

Object number1975-48

DescriptionAppearance: Easy chair with rounded crest, curved wings, and horizontally scrolled arms terminating in double C scrolls supported by a vertical cone; rounded front seat rail above front cabriole legs with carved shells on the knees flanked by scrolled knee blocks above ball and claw feet; rounded rear legs ending in stump feet rake back from seat rails.

Construction: Rake back rear legs rise up to form supports for stiles. Side rails (wider in front than in back) through-tenoned to rear legs and pegged from outside; tenoned to front legs and pegged twice from above. Rear knee brackets through tenoned to rear legs and pegged from outside. Proper right bracket also nailed 2 times to bottom of seat rail (three tiny upholstery tacks also present); proper left nailed 3 times to seat rail. Front ball & claw cabriole legs round through-tenoned vertically to curved front rail. Front and side knee blocks screwed to legs and rails. Rear seat rail tenoned to rear legs and pegged two times each side from rear. Tacking rail attached to stiles with half dovetails (proper left slants down on top side, proper right slants up on bottom side) secured with 1 nail each (proper left side possibly 2 nails). Stiles set into angled grooves in side seat rails, further attachment obscured by upholstery. Stiles tenoned into crest rail and pegged once per joint from rear. Strips of wood, the thickness of the wing panels at top and thin at the bottom, nailed to sides of stiles to ease transition between wing panel and sides of stiles (rather than wing panels set into notches in stiles). Wing panel curved at top to match the curving line of crest rail; wing panels nailed (very large nails, some t-head and some rosehead, so maybe not all original) to stiles 3 times each (lower nail missing proper right side). Serpentine cut vertical wing support through-tenoned to seat rail and pegged once from outside; also tenoned to wing panel and pegged (upholstery obscures whether it is through-tenoned). Horizontal arm rest support board tenoned and pegged to vertical wing board (with standard double-shoulder tenons) and to vertical arm support (single shoulder tenons). Top of rounded arm built onto horizontal support board with three more pieces: half-cone shape on outside, upper strip of wood, rounded on inner edge, and a strip of wood (for tacking or just to make arm thicker) on inside; all likely nailed/glued together. Vertical front of the arm rest made up of four more pieces: rounded front of arm rest nailed to horizontal half-cone, descends to seat rail, through tenoned and pegged; slanted top vertical board through-tenoned into seat rail, shares mortise with previous board (tenon is only 2/3 width of board, from side); vertical half-cone likely nailed to front edge of previous board and side rail; finally, a small chamfered bit of wood adds depth to upper outer section of vertical slanted board, glued or nailed in place.

Upholstery: The upholstery for the back and wing panels is largely intact. Back of easy chair has a foundation of closely interlaced canvas strips used as webbing; 5 vertical and 5 horizontal strips, secured with leather strips used as washers onto the upper surface of the rear seat, and likely also secured on front face of stiles and crest rail (obscured by other layers of upholstery). Foundation linen on back secured to front faces of stiles, front face of tacking rail, and top surfaces of crest rail. Wool stuffing covered by top linen attached to front faces of stiles, front face of tacking rail, and back face of crest rail.

On wing panels/arms 2 vertical strips and 5 horizontal also secured with leather washers on top surfaces of side seat rails, front faces of stiles, inner faces of wing panel boards. Foundation linen on sides secured on front faces of stiles, top surface of seat rails, inner surface of arm rest and arm support and top/front surfaces of wing panel and arm boards (where horizontal the tacking is on top surface, and where vertical it is on front face). No stuffing survives for the wings/arms. Fragmentary top linen secured in same locations as foundation linen except on outside of wing panel at top, while tack evidence suggests it was secured on the outside of the half-cone armrest. This chair never had tacking rails on the sides.

Outer linen is missing everywhere except proper left side where fragment is attached to top and front of wing panel supports.

Nail evidence suggests this chair originally had a stuffed roll along the front seat rail which was tapered toward the arms.

Materials: Mahogany primary; oak, yellow pine, and tulip poplar secondary; canvas strips simulating webbing; tacks; foundation linen; wool stuffing; top linen; leather

Label TextProduced in Philadelphia between 1750 and 1770, this easy chair still retains about 60 percent of its original upholstery. The back and wings remain intact with the exception of the top linen that once covered the outsides of the chair. The extant upholstery demonstrates the trim lines favored by eighteenth-century householders. Probably at the request of the buyer, the upholsterer finished the chair in plain linen, which was to be covered with a removable case or slip cover.