Armchair

Date1760-1775

OriginAmerica, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

MediumBlack walnut and white cedar

DimensionsOH: 40 1/8"; OW: 31"; SD: 19"

Credit LineGift of Edward T. Lacy

Object number2007-119

DescriptionAppearance: Armchair with a serpentine crest rail, central carved shell and carved ears; interlaced pierced splat with carved volutes; trapezoidal seat with thumbnail molded edge; cedar slipseat; front skirt with central carved shell; front cabriole legs with shells carved on the knees and ball and claw feet; rear stump legs (pieced 1" from bottom); side rails tenoned through stiles; shaped arms with knuckle carved returns; arm supports of serpentine shape hollowed at front and terminate in a half-cylinder over seat rail attached to side seat rail from inside with two screws; thin strips of cedar nailed to inside of seat rails to hold commode (commode fittings now missing).

Construction: The side seat rails are through tenoned with double pegs to the stiles and tenoned with double pegs to front cabriole legs with shells carved on the knees and ball and claw feet. The front seat rail with central carved shell is tenoned and double pegged to the front legs. A thumbnail bead runs around the outer edge of the stiles and crest rail. The front and side seat rails with thumbnail molded edge are rabbeted to hold the tenoned white cedar slip seat frame. The back rail is tenoned and double pegged to the stiles which extend to form the stump rear legs.

The shoe is nailed to the upper edge of the rear rail. The stiles are tenoned to the serpentine crest rail (with central carved shell and carved ears); the pierced splat with carved ears is tenoned to the crest rail and the shoe.

The shaped arms are joined to the stiles possibly with screws from the rear covered with round plugs. The arm supports are inset, lap joined and screwed from the inside to the seat rails, and tenoned and pegged to the underside of the side seat rails.

Wooden strips that supported a chamber pot are nailed to the insides of the seat rails with wrought and cut nails.

A small metal plate with the number F-419 is nailed to the inside of the front rail and an identical one on the front rail of the slip seat.
InscribedRed museum type accession number on bottom of rear seat rail "30.958.68".
Paper jelly label inside rear rail inscribed "No.189".
MarkingsMetal tags nailed to inner front seat rail and to slipseat marked "F-419".