Posted 8 years ago
AnnaB
(85 items)
This was "donated" to me by someone cleaning out his barn. I've heard of fainting couches, but they look longer than this. What is it? A fainting chair? A fainting loveseat? Is it something old or a reproduction? I'd like to try and turn it into something usable - if this is not something valuable. If it is, i'd rather leave it for professionals to restore. Please help to ID this. I have more pics if different angles/views are needed. Thank you!
*Title updated
Hi, I don't think(?) they had fainting love-seats, but it makes for some good visuals. Anyway, It looks like a lovely piece when you look at it in the first photo. So glad you posted some closeups. If you have money to spend on a restoration - wood and upholstery, it would be something quite lovely. I don't know if it's old or not. Are there any labels or marks on the bottom.
If I had lots and lots of money I would restore it, and use a beautiful period fabric. Not quite a couch as you say, but perhaps a fainting chair. Love it.
Whatever it is, or is called -- it is beautiful! Can't wait to have the CW folks chime in on this.
I am wondering if it is a sette for women years ago when they had very full dress's and they could sit on it without dress getting crushed with arm rest on one side only ? I can't date it but reminds of a woman's parlor chair .
It looks a lot also like some of the chairs with tables attached called simply telephone stand and chair. They made some very decorative ones by a lot of furniture makers. It looks to be possibly from the 1940's. Its not a chaise lounge as it is too small. May also be just to fit a small bay window.
i was thinking 'parlor chair' to sit in while talking on the telephone.
1920s or 30s would be my guess.
Thank you all so much for the loves and comments. I didn't expect this would generate such a lively discussion =)
Gillian, no, i don't see any marks. I'm not sure how much i want to invest in its restoration until i have an idea what it is. How much is "lots and lots of money"? =)
MyFavoriteTreasures, thank you!
Thomas, Manikin, Bladerunner and Ho2cultcha, thanks a lot for the leads, i'll look them up and see what turns. It definitely makes sense that this would be some sort of a lounge or parlor chair.
I had my doubts about this piece because the ornate back is made from what looks like plywood (the second pic shows how the layers separated over time), and i didn't think plywood was used back then for something such as this piece. That's why i was leaning towards a reproduction...but now i'm not sure.
So cool ,do they call this a fainting chair because of corsetts?
Caperkid,
Found this on wiki...yes, it's one of the theories! =)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fainting_couch
Must have been hell to wear if you passed out after.
Caperkid yes women fainted due to corsets strung so tight and also very heavy dress's with many layers under them so heat also made them faint,
I am going to post a photo of My Great Grandmother in chair similar it was a parlor chair made for women when dress's were to big to sit in chair with 2 arms . This photo would be from very late 1800's to maybe 1900 and was photographers chair so can date earlier .
Torture device lol.
Yep good thing women's liberation happened and we burned those things lol
Caperkid and Manikin, i think fashion torture devices change, but never go away as long as there are people willing to wear them...high stilettos? =)
Mani, i'm looking forward to the photo of your Great Grandmother!
Gosh, I wish someone would clean out there barn and give one of these to me. I Absolutely love this!! Thanks for the post.
wpj, well, technically that person threw it in a pile of trash, i was just lucky to pass by and ask for it. Wishing you such lucky finds, too! You never know =)
Your chair will be newer than one my Great Grandmother is sitting in but principle is same Anna :-)
Here it is I posted it
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/176608-my-great-grandmother-in-one-arm-chair-la
AnnaB, That's a really incredible looking chair. Very beautiful and well worth restoring.
Thank you, Scott, very appreciated! I'm planning on doing this, just need to do a bit of research on it.
AnnaB!! I was researching something else, and accidentally came across chairs resembling yours -- the Fainting Chairs were all longer than yours, but I ran across some your size and they were referred to as "Bustle Chair", "Gossip Bench", and/or "Photographer Chair" -- hoping this gives you new leads to follow!!
I truly think yours is an antique "bustle chair"! Now I just need to find out what that means LOL
Lol you and me, both. Thank you for the leads! Manikin suggested above that it might be a photographer's chair, which seems to fit the description well. I'll look up those other terms. Thanks again!
The women often had large bustles on back of their dress's which took up a lot of room . I have never heard it called that however . Always heard it as a Womens parlor chair and they were also in homes . Yours looks to be from 1920-1940s so idea was taken from the one arm chair for womens dress's to have room and hang over edge .
bustles
https://www.google.com/search?q=godey+women+prints&rlz=1C1CHWA_enUS653US653&espv=2&biw=2033&bih=996&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi96PuYtfDJAhXFMj4KHbCCAZYQ_AUIBygC&dpr=0.75#imgrc=CKHmHPY6q6iyLM%3A
Thank you, Manikin! So essentially it's the same thing just different terms, it appears...Shall i mark it solved?
Thanks, Manikin; stepped away so I could watch a video on youtube "how to sit while wearing a bustle" --geez, as much as I'd like to "go back in time" to the old days, I don't think I'd want to have to wear that darn thing. Or a corset either, for that matter. At any rate, Bustle Chair and/or Photographer Chair seem to fit the bill on this one.
I believe it is solved since I gave you a photo of my Great Grandmother in one and how she sat to allow large dress overflow . She did not have a huge dress was a homemade dress by her . But wealthy ladies wore those huge gowns daily and or were worn for special occasions .
https://www.google.com/search?q=photos+of+victorian+ladies+sitting&rlz=1C1CHWA_enUS653US653&espv=2&biw=2033&bih=996&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiAg7fLu_DJAhXGFz4KHWzVCZYQsAQIGw&dpr=0.75#imgrc=kO9QNXJI1VlmyM%3A
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/254242341438405251/
https://nbwomensfashionarchives.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/p1-54-1.jpg
Awesome! Thank you Manikin, MyFavoriteTreasures and all so much for helping out with this one!