When what to my wondering eyes should appear

.....but this lovely Victorian footstool in original tapestry and velvet fabric.

SHS Photo

Q.Where did it come from?
A.Five Star Antiques in Fort Atkinson Wisconsin
Q.How is it known that the fabric is original?
A.The sum total of the tacks that held this fabric and one other later cover coincide with the number of tack holes in the wood frame.    
Q. And how do I know it was manufactured during the Victorian era?
The proof is in the manufacturing techniques....which I will discuss in January.

And I will tie up all loose ends early in 2012 by completing my research on the Victorian reproduction of the Chippendale Ribbon Back Chair.

Can't wait!  

Theresa Haffner-Stearns

Yummy Furniture and Design

theresamhs@sbcglobal.net

608-345-7027

Connect with me at Facebook 

Link up at LinkedIn

Reupholstery 101

During the next days of this blog I will document the entire process of tearing down and re-upholstering this 19th century Chippendale style ribbon back armchair. 

Photo: SHS

What will be done?

The following items will be removed:

-The fabric seat covering and tacks that attach the fabric to frame.

-The fill (cotton, hair or other?) under the fabric. We will discover if it was it tied to the burlap spring cover. 

-The burlap cover of the springs and the tacks that attach it to the frame. Is the   cover burlap, the typical fabric for this job in the 19^th century?

-The spring tying twine and the tacks attaching the twine to the frame.

            -We will also examine the type of knot(s) used.

-The springs; we will measure them in the compressed state and released.

-What type of twine was used to attach the springs to webbing? (looks original) 

-The webbing in order of removal:

                    -Metal (not original)

                    -Nails that hold the metal webbing (not original)

                    -Vinyl "spacers" that shore up the jute webbing (not original)

                    -Tacks that hold them (not original)

                    -Jute webbing, measure

                    -Tacks that hold the jute webbing in place

Photo: SHS

   

*At all times I will look for original fabric fragments under any original tacks found.*

If you've ever wanted to learn how to reupholster a chair, this is your opportunity! Taking notes of the process of tearing down chairs and reversing them is how I learned to upholster.  

In these segments I will document both processes! After completely ripping down and documenting every tack, spring and fabric; I will completely re-upholster the chair from the webbing up!

This is the most time intensive part of this blog so bear with me. New posts will appear on Mondays and Tuesdays. If you have questions as we go, don’t be shy, my email address is at the end of every blog!

I should have some photos of the rip-down process posted later this evening.

Theresa

Yummy Furniture and Design

theresamhs@sbcglobal.net

Connect with me at Facebook 
Link up at LinkedIn

Where do you find yours?

A favorite topic among antique dealers, interior designers and collectors is often the story of the "the find". The who, what, when, where and why of acquiring an object can be evocative tale. If you are anything like me, getting up at 4 AM to arrive at a flea market before dawn is the beginning. If it ends happily, your car or van will be stuffed to the gills and everyone who came along will leave with something held tightly in their lap along with another object tucked in between their legs on the floor. 

Today I stopped by Linkedin to join the conversation started by Jason Fox on "Where do you get your antiques?"  I mentioned my favorite haunt was a place called the Perkiomeville Flea Market in Pennsylvania. Though I haven't been there in years, when I lived in PA it was a regular stop.

Now that I live in Wisconsin, I shop locally here as well; unless I am looking for something very specific. That's how I came upon my current subject of the blog chair. This Victorian era reproduction of an 18th century Chippendale ribbon back chair was discovered via a quick peek at my local antiques mall 5 Star Antiques in Fort Atkinson WI. 

Photo: SHS

I am never able to follow through on that "quick peek" promise to myself so it always turns into a long stop and look into every corner. Happily, my main interest is in furniture so I don't look in every smalls case. 

BUT, the trick to collecting is this; go armed with the knowledge of what you are looking at! 

As an ongoing student of antiques and material culture the book on my nightstand is almost invariably a text. A few of my favorites are Sotheby's Concise Encyclopedia of Furniture, American Furniture 1620 to the Present and Upholstery in America and Europe. With titles that include words like Encyclopedia one might think this is pretty heady stuff to read before you go to bed. But it is what I love, so it is neither heady or difficult to read. 

This is a detail shot of an empire period foot from my personal collection, and I love it!

Photo: SHS

Here is what I recommend to the novice. Establish a time-line in your head!  And start with something you love. 

Let's just say you are infatuated with round piano stools that sport glass ball feet. Research the form at your library and discover who made it, what materials they used, when and where it was made and think about why you collect it. (You can do this online if you use documented sources.)

You will discover these piano stools were all the rage in Victorian America, so many manufacturers (who) made them. What they were primarily made of would be a wood abundant to the manufacturer; at this time, mahogany, walnut, maple and other woods where readily available.  When has already been answered; and where is in all major manufacturing sites during this time. Pianos and their accessories were extremely popular items. It was a way of life for the family to spend time in the parlor every evening entertaining each other. Those who could afford them owned a piano. Why you collect them is a personal question for you to answer.

As you memorize this information, you will no doubt survey a broader field of information about furniture in the Victorian era. Now you have a starting reference point from which to build you antiques vocabulary. Where you go from here, depends on you. Move on to a period before or after your muse, staying focused on your field of piano accessories. It also helps if you stay on one continent as well.

Make notes of what you find and keep them close at hand. Draw details if necessary. 

Illustration by the author, Photo: SHS

Review them as often as you like. It's your hobby so move at your own pace. I studied this way for years. But it all came together when I took a university course in the history of American design. We moved through each period with painstaking accuracy. The knowledge from the course combined with what I already taught myself made it all click.

Of course you can choose to go on taking the advice of less knowledgeable friends and antique store owners. But don't whine if you spend too much money on a pretty object only to find it is an impostor! 


Collecting antiques is a way for many of us to interact with the decorative arts. It's a worthwhile endeavor that brings beauty and meaning into our lives. 

I received this vintage chair as compensation for an upholstery job. I have not researched its period yet, but it's value is not important to me. I love it!

Photo by the author

There is a reading list at the end of this post. If you are interested in a survey of all western and American periods of furniture, I highly recommend the first selection: Sotheby's Concise Encyclopedia of Furniture.

Happy collecting AND studying!

Theresa

Yummy Furniture and Design

theresamhs@sbcglobal.net

Connect with me at Facebook 
Link up at LinkedIn

Recommended Texts:
Payne, Christopher. Sotheby's Concise Encyclopedia of Furniture, New York, Harper & Row.

Fairbanks, Jonathan and Bidwell Bates, Elizabeth, American Furniture 1620 to the Present, New York, Richard Marek.
Cooke, Edward S. Jr., Upholstery in America and Europe from the 17^th C to WWI., New York, W.W. Norton & Co. 90.

This seat has Sprung!

As promised, today I will provide sketches of the upholstery methods of both seats; the blog chair with webbing, springs, fabric and padding plus the Chippendale Plate chair with the same materials minus the springs.

Here’s the construction of the blog chair. 

                          Illustration by the Author

The springs rest on woven strips of fabric called webbing which are stretched across the bottom of the seat frame. The springs are hand sewn to the webbing.  The springs are further held in place by being tied together by twine at the top.  Both the webbing and the twine are secured to the chair frame by tacks. This technique is called eight way hand tied springs after the number of times the twine passes over each spring. Over the top of the springs we usually find a coarsely woven fabric called burlap. On the blog chair the upholsterer used a piece of leftover fabric. This is the surface onto which the padding (curled hair, cotton) can be laid. Over the padding is stretched another piece of lightweight utilitarian fabric.  The decorative fabric would be installed on top of that.

Here is the construction of the Chippendale Plate chair.

                          Illustration by the Author

The seat is upheld by a series of webbing strips stretched across the top of the seat frame. A tightly woven fabric is tacked on top. Over that a layer of curled hair is packed and sometimes hand stitched into place. Finally another piece of utilitarian fabric is stretched over the hairs to further hold them in place and protect the bottom of the sitter from the sometimes itchy hair, which could poke through the final decorative fabric.

As you can see, the springs in the blog chair make the seat area thicker. 

                                   Photo by SHS

They are about 3” high and have padding on top. The seat looks more comfortable to sit on. However, having sat on it myself I discovered the springs provide little comfort at all. They have been compressed to the point of having no response to the weight of the sitter. So even though an upholsterer took the time to web, insert and tie these springs into the seat of my chair, the seat is still hard and uncomfortable.

This leads me to believe the springs were installed in the Victorian era. As Edward S. Cooke Jr. states about early spring use in the 18^th century; “another reason that early spring seats were not very comfortable was that upholsterers had few craft traditions to guide them in this area. They did not know how to overcome the shortcomings of springs or how to use springs to their best advantage.”(9)

Through personal experience I have come upon all manner of poorly installed springs in not only Victorian but contemporary furniture as well.  Their installation is tricky business, and requires a great deal of hand and wrist strength as well as hand-eye coordination.  I truly understand why early upholsterers had a difficult time catching on to this concept.

Today, the use of coil springs in upholstered furniture is the considered the mark of excellence.

Theresa

Yummy Furniture and Design

theresamhs@sbcglobal.net

Connect with me at Facebook 
Link up at LinkedIn

9. Cooke, Edward S. Jr., Spring Seats of the 19^th and Early 20^th Centuries, Upholstery in America and Europe from the 17^th C to WWI.,  New York, W.W. Norton & Co. 239

About American Rococo

What's not to love about Rococo?

Today scholars call the colonial American adaptation of Chippendale inspired furniture Rococo, after the French Rococo made in the early to mid 18th century.  This French style was a great source of inspiration for all of Europe. (4) The American adaptation occurred in America later that century; from approximately 1750-1790 (5) and the term rococo was adapted in the 19^th century. (6) 

The English furniture industry drew much inspiration from this French style during its golden age.  So it is only natural that the French influence is illustrated in plates 19 through 23 in the Director where Chippendale named the illustrations “French Chairs”. (7) 

Plate XX in TG&CMD

The Rococo style incorporates foliate (plant-like) and nature based forms carved into the furniture. While not obvious on these two chairs, the balance is always asymmetric. So I've added an image of an 18th century mirror, or "glass" where the effect is more easily seen.

In the chairs frames notice the “S” shape of the front legs of both French Chairs chair in plate XX. (Fig 4)  Then compare them to the photo titled "Chippendale style ribbon back armchair" in my first blog post and find that the shape of the front legs of both chairs is very similar. These legs are called cabriole and the curve an “S” curve.  Simple!

Other influences of Chippendale style are medieval Gothic and Chinese architecture and furniture.(8) Examples of these styles are found in TG&CMD on plates CVI for Gothic and CXXXII-CXXXVII for Chinese.  These influences play a smaller part in the American rococo style.   

The blog chair’s main stylistic influence is the French rococo, one of my yummy favorites! 

Hope your chairs "Roc", 
Theresa
Yummy Furniture and Design
theresamhs@sbcglobal.net
Connect with me at Facebook 
Link up at LinkedIn

Footnotes

4. Payne, Christopher, Sotheby’s Concise Encyclopedia of Furniture, Harper & Row, New York. 59

5. Kirk, John T. American Furniture, Henry N. Abrams, Inc. New York.  7

6. Payne, Christopher, Sotheby’s Concise Encyclopedia of Furniture, Harper & Row, New York. 59

7. Chippendale, Thomas, The Gentleman & Cabinet-Maker’s Director, Dover Publications, New York, Reprint 3^rd Edition. Plate XX                                                    

8. Payne, Christopher, Sotheby’s Concise Encyclopedia of Furniture, Harper & Row, New York. 78

A Man of Yummy Inspiration

We will determine if the ribbon back chair is an original 18th century Chippendale style chair made using a plate from Chippendale’s book, The Gentleman & Cabinet Maker’s Director as its guide; or if it is instead a fake or reproduction produced in a subsequent era. 

Unabridged -1966 Dover republication-Third Edition 

 

An introduction to Thomas Chippendale and the furniture he made is next, but first let’s clarify “fake” furniture:

Simply put, furniture made in the time period original to a style’s first appearance is considered a true period piece.  That which is made after the period no matter how exactingly it is produced is then called a reproduction.  If the reproduced furniture is acknowledged to be a reproduction, that’s okay.  ...But if a person attempts to pass a reproduction as an original, then the item is a fake!

Now about Thomas; Mr. Chippendale (1718-1779) (1)was a cabinetmaker who produced furniture for a wide variety of clients in 18th century England. His style became famous and subsequently synonymous with the golden age of English furniture (1740 -1780) (2) even though he was but one manufacturer in a thriving industry of proficient cabinetmakers making comparably styled and equally executed furnishings. 
Chippendale and his widow published his book illustrating the furniture he made and the styles contemporary to his time. His pattern book, The Gentleman & Cabinet-Maker’s Director was widely dispensed throughout Europe and the American colonies.  Cabinetmakers used the Director as a catalog to sell the items pictured to their clients.  At that time most furniture was commissioned rather than pre-made and sold at a store.(3)

(www.findagrave.com)

Chippendale outside the old Prince Henry's Grammar School in Manor Square, 

in his home town of Otley, near Leeds, Yorkshire

In short Chippendale's name became synonymous with this period of furniture because he published his design book. Little is known about Thomas Chippendale aside from the legacy of his work. His Director remains a seminal design text.

  
Theresa
Yummy Furniture and Design
theresamhs@sbcglobal.net
Connect with me at Facebook 
Link up at LinkedIn

Footnotes 

1. Thomas Chippendale, The Gentleman & Cabinet-Maker’s Director (Dover Publications, New York, Reprint 3rd Edition 1966) Back cover

2. John Kenworthy-Browne, Chippendale and his Contemporaries, London, (Orbis Publishing 1973) 3

3. Alexandra Alevizatos Kirtley, The 1772 Philadelphia Furniture Price Book, An Introduction and Guide, (Dept of Publishing, Philadelphia Museum of Art 2005) 17.
Kirtley explains that the name Cadwaleter (sic) and a brief description of a firescreen and frame was discovered on the inside front cover of the Price Book.  The Cadwaladers were known to have commissioned numerous pieces of furniture in Philadelphia in the 18th C. 
Joh T. Kirk, American Furniture, Understanding Styles, Construction and Quality, New York. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers. 115. Kirk explains that 18th c furniture buyers chose the different features to be incorporated into items they were purchasing. Thus the items were made to order.