Backstool (side chair)

Dateca. 1765

MediumWalnut, oak, linen, hair, and silk

DimensionsOH: 40¼”; SH: 19½”; OW: 24”; SW: 24”; SD: 20”

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1982-188

DescriptionAppearance: Back stool with rectangular back with flat crest rail; upholstered back retains original foundation with eight tufts; seat frame upholstered over the rails, retains some of original foundation but not original top linen; straight legs, square in cross section, with beaded front corners; rounded side, medial, and back stretchers.

Construction: The front legs of this chair rise above the knee blocks to form upholstery peaks. The tops of the peaks were filed at an angle so that the outer corners were one and a half inches taller than the inner corners. The now shortened legs rake back in the back and are chamfer beaded on the outside front corners of the front legs. Round side stretchers are round-tenoned into the front and back legs; round medial stretcher round-tenoned into side stretchers; rear stretcher round-tenoned between back stiles. All seat rails tenoned into legs. One late 19th century curved triangular glue block attached with two screws. Glue and hole evidence remains in other three corners. Back tacking rail tenoned into back stiles. Crest rail mortised onto back stiles. Square upholstery blocks at crest corners (attachment obscured).

Upholstery: Front legs extend above seat rails, to form upholstery peaks, angled from 2 in. height at outside corners to 1 ½ in. height at inside corners. Seat webbing and foundation linen present. A single upholstery roll, 2¾ in. high tacked at the top of the outside faces of all three seat rails, filled with curled horsehair (rather than straw), and stitched to foundation linen/webbing; three horizontal rows of stitches secure stuffing and shape roll. Excess fabric at each corner tucked under to form a miter and stitched into place. Cavity formed by roll filled with horsehair. Top linen tacked to outside faces of seat rails. On the chair back, foundation linen applied without webbing. Square upholstery peaks project horizontally on corners of crest rail. In lieu of stuffed rolls, a one-inch thick cased pad stuffed with curled horsehair conforms to shape of back, and attached by stitched flaps tacked to the rear faces of the crest rail, stiles, and bottom rail of back. Stitched cord holds stuffing in place and indicates where decorative tufts would have been applied. Fragments of yellow silk trapped beneath forged tacks along the back faces of the crest rail and stiles and the bottom face of the rear seat rail document the original show material.

Materials: Walnut primary, oak secondary, webbing, tacks, foundation linen, hair stuffing, top linen, silk, silk threads (for tufts).

Label TextThough it has lost its original yellow silk-finish upholstery, the back stool has retained much of its linen and curled hair foundation. This chair illustrates both the creative ways upholsterers could approached new facets of their craft and how those attempts at solving new problems could succeed and fail. While the horse-hair stuffed case for the back of the chair worked well (with the upholsterer perhaps taking cues from slip-seat upholstery), the unusual single roll of horsehair that was meant to support the high profile of the seat but extended above the upholstery peaks did not stand up to use over time. The loose-weave foundation linen also contributed to the collapse of the seat.