Posted 10 years ago
RJG
(4 items)
I just picked up this very old rocking chair. There is no hardware visible at all but 2 nails that are inside of the rockers which I believe are dowled onto the chair and then nailed. I don't know how old it is but its in really good condition. If someone could tell me anything about the time period that it was made or where, that would be great. I can't find another one like it thats survived. The seat is a wicker like material that is slightly worn but not bad. Any info is appreciated. It doesn't look like a childs chair but the seat only stands 14" off the floor. The dimensions are:
seat front 17", seat back 14.5", 48"H, front rockers 17 and 1/4", back rockers 13 and 1/2"
Thank you
ladder back
sewing/nursing (not positive on that)
This has been cut down re glued and some hero decided nails where they don't belong was a good idea. I could make an educated guess at where and when it was made but need to look a couple things up for comparison purposes. If this chair was original the rockers would not show marks from the saw blade, they would be evenly worn and smooth.
My neighbors have 8 to 10 of these rockers each on their front porches.
Any ideas on what time period? We also came up with the nursing/sewing rocker. I'm fairly certain of that.
Without measurements on your rocker, I'll take a S.W.A.G. by saying late 1920's from just looking at the pictures. The rockers my neighbors have (pre-1900) are quite small. At 220 lbs myself, I dare not sit in them fearing I'll owe my neighbor $700. New rockers here are $$$EXPENSIVE$$$. Hence, why they still have the old ones from their grandparents and so forth. I'm curious about yours, could you post the measurements of your rocker? =)
Tom61375, it is sturdy as my husband weighs 250lbs and it held up fine although it is low to the ground measuring 14" floor to seat. I've attached pics of the only visible hardware on it and a close up of the wicker work on the seat which is double layered on top and wraps around the bottom. By looking at it, we don't see anything that looks to be repaired or altered. It appears that this is the original height of the chair.
Interesting that the pictures of the saw marks on the rockers are gone and a blur of a nail replaces it. Those saw marks don't detract from it but they certainly will date it, within reason. The rockers were not at all evenly worn or they wouldn't have told a story. I am not being a nay sayer I am looking at what you post. The bottoms of the rockers you posted were thumpers.
@fhrjr2, I didn't look at all the pics until after your first post. With no wear on the rockers it's as if it was not used at all. The front legs tell a different story as all the finish is worn off, yet I couldn't see much wear on the back. I wonder if someone replaced those rockers at some point.
I'm really kind of new to collecting furniture and definately to antiques if this is one. So what time period do you think its from? I had posted pics of the rockers to see what y'all think about whether they were added later or original. I don't know how to tell.
Your original pictures say it has been reworked. With that being said, it doesn't matter how old the rest of the chair is because it isn't original. The value is what someone is willing to pay. I wouldn't date it because it has parts from different era's. You would need to date the parts individually to be honest about it. Although I think calling it pre war wouldn't be stretching the truth to much.
Thanks for all your input. I'll list on the free craigslist. lol