Chairs

About Antique Chairs

No piece of antique or vintage furniture conveys as much personality and says as much about its owner as a chair, whether it’s a side chair in a hallway, a set of matching chairs in the dining room, or a unique rocking chair on the front porch.

The chair is as old as recorded history itself. The ancient Egyptians had stools, and even wooden folding chairs, with leather seats and fine joinery techniques. The Greeks and Romans came up with chair designs that are still in use today. And in China, fine woodworking and increasingly sophisticated joinery was the norm. The wooden chairs of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) were especially beautiful, with curved pieces carved from a single piece of wood to avoid seams...

At around the same time in Europe, Renaissance craftsmen were producing chairs with open arms and seats to accommodate the billowing women’s fashions of the day. Hard, wooden seats were still the rule, but upholstery was gaining in popularity.

By the 17th century, the chair was becoming something of a small throne, with open arms and legs (called a fanteuil in France), a high padded back (the arms and seat were often also padded), and lots of gilt wood. Wing chairs first appeared in France; intricately carved wooden chairs featuring cane backs and seats made their debut in the Netherlands.

With a taller back, designers turned their collective attention to the chair’s splat, the vertical piece that runs up the center. Woodworkers used the splat for carving, while artisans used it as a canvas for japanning, which was a European variation on Asian lacquerwork.

Chair designers went positively crazy in 18th century England and France. Chair backs featured elaborate scenes stitched into tapestries or stamped into leather. Chair legs were given a cabriole shape, resembling the hind leg of an animal, whose knees were ornately decorated and whose feet often ended in a claw clasping a ball. Upholstered armchairs were on the rise, thanks to the arrival on the scene of a London furniture designer named Thomas Chippendale.

Indeed, 18th-century England produced much of the furniture vocabulary that we still use today. Relatively simple Queen Anne side chairs, wing chairs, and armchairs were popular in the first few decades of the century, followed by more ornate Georgian pieces. That was the era when Chippendale made his mark, along with contemporaries like George Hepplewhite (who favored shields and medallions on his chair backs) and Thomas Sheraton (whose lattice backs presage those of Charles Rennie Mackintosh a century later).

Meanwhile, in the Colonies, Pilgrim chairs and William and Mary chairs sported lots of turned arms and legs (the sausage style was especially popular), as well as spindle backs. There were even chairs with wainscot. Queen Anne and Chippendale chairs in walnut, cherry, and maple echoed the prevailing winds in England. As America gained its independence, a newfound interest in classicism morphed into the Federal style, championed by furniture maker Duncan Phyfe.

The 19th century brought Victorian furniture to American shores, but there were indigenous designs, too. Chief among them were the Shakers, whose ladder-back, cane-seat rockers are contemporary classics. Windsor chairs were a British invention, but dispensing with the splat and building a low-back Windsor was a purely stateside contribution to the form.

Another 19th-century style of note was Biedermeier of Germany. Biedermeier chairs combined the klismos-style legs of the ancient Greeks with mahogany veneers and caned seats. It was also the century of Thonet, whose bentwood furniture designs have changed little in the 150 years since they were first introduced, and Stickley, whose Mission Oak chairs were a hallmark of the budding Arts and Crafts movement that greeted the 20th century.

Chairs evolved yet again with the arrival of Art Deco. Now manufacturing processes permitted designers to shape woods and materials to fit the prevailing aesthetic. Key designers included Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann and Maurice Jallot, who produced chairs upholstered in leather and fine fabric accented by exotic hardwoods.

Molded laminates, steel framing, and chrome also begin to enter the vernacular, as designers from Finland’s Alvar Aalto to the Bauhaus’s Marcel Breuer moved furniture design from Streamline Moderne to pure Modern. Other pre-war designers include Ludwig Mies van de Rohe, Jean Prouvé, and Eileen Gray, whose Bibendum chair is a cocoon of padded rings on a base of chrome-plated steel.

At mid-century, the husband-and-wife team of Charles and Ray Eames produced chairs of molded plywood and fiberglass for the Herman Miller Furniture Company. Some of these chairs were mounted to static metal legs, others were fitted to be compact rockers. A few years later, Scandinavian Arne Jacobsen designed the Series 7 Chair, whose single piece of molded plywood on a steel-tube base is a wonder of economy and style.

But perhaps the most influential chair designer of the mid-century-modern period was Hans Wegner. His JH 501, a low-backed teak-and-cane number, was so iconic (and imitated), it became known simply as The Chair.

About our sources | Got something to add?

▼ Continue reading

Interviews & Articles

An Interview With Eames Collector and Mid Century Design Aficionado Steve Cabella

As a teenager, I collected everything from vintage bicycles to Coca-Cola to Victorian stuff. Once I realized some o… [more]

Slat Back Chairs in Europe and America

A winter or two ago Connecticut basket-maker made a set of six three-slat side chairs from basket stock of ash and … [more]

Sources of American Chair Design in the Federal Period

It was the late R. T. Haynes Halsey who first noted that as early as 1775 there was a project in Philadelphia to pu… [more]

The Windsor, A Perfectly Designed Chair

If the Windsor chair had been invented in the 20th Century it would have been classified as functional furniture an… [more]

Two Centuries of Comfort

(American Collector Editor’s Note: Some three years ago Mr. Millar, a general collector of American antiques, becam… [more]

▼ Expand this section

Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)

Chipstone

Chipstone

This beautiful site showcases the collection of Stanley and Polly Stone of Fox Point, Wisconsin, consisting of earl… [read review or visit site]

EamesCollector.com

EamesCollector.com

Steven Cabella's personal homage to Charles and Ray Eames. This site is as clean and visually appealing as the Eame… [read review or visit site]

Work of Charles and Ray Eames

Work of Charles and Ray Eames

This Library of Congress microsite is an overview of the postwar modern design work of Charles (1907-78) and Ray (1… [read review or visit site]

Herman Miller Consortium Collection

Herman Miller Consortium Collection

This website showcases several hundred pieces of furniture, held by thirteen museums, that were designed for Herman… [read review or visit site]

Modernism

Modernism

An overview by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts of the design movements between 1880 and 1940 that comprised Moder… [read review or visit site]

LACMA Arts and Crafts

LACMA Arts and Crafts

This microsite from the LA County Museum of Art provides a good overview of the Arts and Crafts movement in Europe … [read review or visit site]


Got a site to suggest? Let us know.



Are we missing one? Tell us.

Top eBay Auctions  Help | Get weekly Chairs email

Sorted by        
Eames Rosewood Lounge Chair With Ottoman Herman Miller $3,400 Ends in 2 hours 15 bids 119 watchers
Huge 1890 Moose Antler Throne Chair !! No Reserve !!$1,030 Ends Sunday 17 bids 24 watchers
Mid Century Frank Gehry Cross Check Chair Eames Knoll $760.00 Ends Sunday 13 bids 40 watchers
Vinatge Arne Jacobsen Egg Chair Fritz Hansen Eames Era$610.00 Ends Wednesday 2 bids 47 watchers
Antique French Louis Xvi Fireside Carved Arm Chairs$599.99 Ends in 9 hours 1 bid 6 watchers
16109: Set Of 4 Kindel Regency Side Chairs$575.00 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 2 watchers
6 Mid Century Danish Modern Teak J L Moller Chair Eames$520.00 Ends Sunday 9 bids 77 watchers
Mid Century Danish Modern Walnut Lounge Chair Eames Era$500.00 Ends Sunday 20 bids 70 watchers
2 Dux Danish Lounge Chair Mid Century Modern Eames $407.00 Ends Monday 9 bids 165 watchers
Herman Miller Eames Rare Navy Blue Shell Side Chairs 4$405.00 Ends Monday 13 bids 51 watchers
Vintage Pr Of Warren Platner Bronze Armchairs Knoll Int$404.00 Ends Sunday 8 bids 44 watchers
Herman Miller Eames Design Walnut Stool $395.00 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 13 watchers
Eames Chair Armshell Rope Edge Eiffel Herman Miller $335.00 Ends Sunday 9 bids 47 watchers
Hollywood Regency Chippendale Faux Bamboo Arm Chairs$310.00 Ends in 42 mins 13 bids 43 watchers
Mid Century Danish Modern - Paul Laszlo Lounge Chair$305.00 Ends Thursday 14 bids 44 watchers
Mid-century Danish Modern Kodawood Chair Eames Plycraft$305.00 Ends Tuesday 9 bids 50 watchers
2 Antique Wood And Leather Chairs--griffin Enlay$285.00 Ends Sunday 18 bids 5 watchers
Heywood Wakefield Aristocraft Chair$275.00 Ends Monday 1 bid 11 watchers
Safari Chairs Mid Century Modern Arne Norell Style$250.00 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 8 watchers
Set Of Six Knoll Saarinen #72 Side Chairs Eames Era$222.50 Ends Sunday 6 bids 56 watchers
Pair Hollywood Regency Mid Century Slipper Chairs$202.50 Ends in 10 hours 2 bids 40 watchers
Hollywood Regency Pair Walnut French Chairs$202.50 Ends Wednesday 4 bids 33 watchers
Danish Chair Eames Knoll Panton Cone Herman Miller Vitr$202.50 Ends Thursday 2 bids 12 watchers
Eames Era Chair Paul Mccobb Planner Group Chair 1950's$199.00 Ends Monday 1 bid 16 watchers
Victorian Renaissance Jeliff Carved Walnut Chair 1860's$195.00 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 10 watchers
Neat Older Carved Oak Spinning Wheel Chair From Ireland$180.00 Ends Sunday 1 bid 13 watchers
Pair Dunbar Club Lounge Chair Wormley Paul Mccobb Eames$179.50 Ends Sunday 6 bids 58 watchers
Herman Miller Eames Dcm Chairs Knoll Panton Sofa Table$175.00 Ends Sunday 1 bid 27 watchers
Vintage Toledo Metal Furniture Drafting Stool Chair$167.50 Ends Sunday 18 bids 26 watchers
Set Of Two Hollywood Regency Carved Wooden Arm Chairs$150.00 Ends Thursday 1 bid 3 watchers
Eames Danish Modern Mid Century Walnut Z Chair Nr$149.99 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 15 watchers
8 Antique Solid Mahogany Chippendale Dining Chairs Nr!$141.02 Ends Sunday 3 bids 10 watchers
Antique Wood Adjustable Office Chair Oak Swivel Vintage$107.60 Ends Monday 18 bids 20 watchers
Set Of 6 Chairs, Eero Saarinen Collection For Knoll$102.50 Ends Sunday 2 bids 45 watchers
Antique Eastlake Style Platform Rocker$100.00 Ends Wednesday 1 bid 3 watchers
Antique Carved Empire Flame Mahogany Dining Room Chairs$100.00 Ends Tuesday 6 bids 12 watchers
Milo Baughman Scoop Chair Thayer Coggin $100.00 Ends Thursday 3 bids 28 watchers
Bassett Traditional Cherry Office Chair Leather Seat $99.99 Ends in 11 hours 1 bid 3 watchers
Mid Century Side Burgandy Eames Chair Herman Miller$99.99 Ends Sunday 1 bid 6 watchers
Luxe Hollywood Regency Ornate Brass Rococo Chair$99.99 Ends Friday 1 bid 8 watchers
Dylund Midcentury Danish Mod Rosewood Set Of 6 Chairs$99.00 Ends Sunday 1 bid 13 watchers
Vintage Kofod Larsen Danish Mod Rosewood Set 4 Chairs$99.00 Ends Sunday 1 bid 21 watchers
Antique- 1930s Wood High Chair Children's No Reserve$99.00 Ends Wednesday 1 bid 2 watchers
Vintage Paul Mccobb Planner Group Chair$90.00 Ends Sunday 5 bids 9 watchers
Vintage Eames Herman Miller Fiberglass Shell Arm Chair$89.95 Ends Sunday 1 bid 26 watchers
Antique Gilded French Louis Xvi Sofa Parlor Club Chairs$86.05 Ends Tuesday 12 bids 18 watchers
Knoll / Knollstudio- Saarinen Executive Side Chair $86.00 Ends Wednesday 5 bids 9 watchers
1950s Danish Modern Hans Olsen Teak Desk Chair Eames$82.00 Ends Thursday 12 bids 28 watchers
2 Antique 1880 Victorian Fancy Carved Parlor Chairs Nr!$82.00 Ends Sunday 8 bids 22 watchers
Antique Farmhouse Chairs In Barn Red Milk Paint,ca.1870$80.00 Ends Wednesday 1 bid 6 watchers
Vintage Stickley Bros Co Oak Arts & Crafts Arm Chair$76.00 Ends in 9 hours 4 bids 37 watchers
Herman Miller/george Nelson Chair/cream/rare/labels$75.00 Ends Wednesday 1 bid 40 watchers
Herman Miller Gray Fiberglass Stacking Shell Side Chair$71.00 Ends Sunday 3 bids 11 watchers
Antique Mahogany Edwardian Parlor Club Arm Chair Nores!$71.00 Ends Sunday 14 bids 13 watchers
1960s Italian Sculptural Lounge Rocking Chair Eames Era$66.00 Ends Tuesday 8 bids 44 watchers

»» Get our weekly Chairs email
Right now on eBay



Recent News: Chairs

Source: Google News

Hair the 'Old School' way
Nisqually Valley News, March 19th

“We went on a journey of finding antique chairs,” Moore said. Clients have donated most of the mirrors and the decor is elegant, yet simple...Read more

A home with an open door
Montgomery Advertiser, March 19th

By Deborah Hayes Moore • Special to the Advertiser • March 19, 2010 He travels the globe training pastors and laity in conjunction with his Leadership...Read more

David Linley gives tips on how to spot a good antique
Christian Davies Antiques (blog), March 18th

advice when it comes to purchasing period and revival antique bookcases, desks, tables and antique chairs in Lancashire, Cumbria and across the country...Read more

Polish cities using Euro 2012 to advertise themselves at MIPIM
Warsaw Business Journal, March 16th

As always, they have organized impressive displays, with stands involving comfortable antique chairs, chandeliers and models of large-scale development...Read more

Grant sews up future for tapestry kit firm
Halifax Evening Courier, March 12th

The next step is to start bespoke work, restoring antique chairs and, due to growing demand, produce the actual kneelers themselves with the hand stitching...Read more

How things have changed
Business Gazette, March 11th

The tavern has antique chairs and a bar; the kitchen has an 1860s-era stove; and the upstairs guest room has a chamber pot and wash basin, rather than a...Read more

Business Renovation
hitched, March 9th

And this time, no one could tell us what to put on the walls or that we had to be careful of the antique chairs. The space was ours to mold as we pleased...Read more

Battle of the Bratwurst
Phoenix New Times (blog), March 3rd

Haus Murphy's is cluttered with antique chairs and lace doilies, the walls taken over by German memorabilia and images of Bavarian castles...Read more

Chairs

See also

Tools