4-slat side chair

1750-1810

Measurements

39 in x 18-1/2 in x 17-1/2 in

Materials

Maple, rush (seat)

Credit Line

Historic Odessa Foundation, The David Wilson Mansion, Inc.

Accession Number

1971.606

Condition Notes

The front stretcher is worn from use and has split along the grain.

Provenance

Bequest of Dr. and Mrs. J. Newberry Reynolds to The David Wilson Mansion, Inc., in 1942.

Comments

The turned finials, arched and undercut slats that increase in size from bottom to top, front stretcher, and especially the baluster turning in the front legs combine to identify this slat-back side chair as a Delaware Valley product.  Not very noticeable but still an integral part of the design, the rear posts taper slightly.  Using a “strike pole,” the turner scored narrow lines around the rotating posts.  These scribe lines told him where to cut mortises for the slats and to drill holes for the rungs.  In this instance, the scribe lines mark the tops of the slats, although another turner might have them mark the bottom.  The top slat only is pinned into the post mortises.

The rush seat on this chair has a braided pattern that suggests it was replaced in the early 20th century.