Side Chair

Period1790 - 1810

MediumMahogany, mahogany veneer, and ash

Dimensions39.5 × 21.25 × 21.5 in. (100.3 × 54 × 54.6 cm)

ClassificationsSeating Furniture

Credit LineGiven in memory of Mrs. J. Amory Haskell by Mr. and Mrs. Amory L. Haskell, 1944

Object number1937

DescriptionOne of four. The side chairs feature open shield backs with oval splats interlaced with a forked upright element hung with festoons of drapery that centers a plume of feathers. The seat is upholstered over the rails, and square tapered front legs splay slightly at the feet.
Curatorial RemarksIn addition to these four chairs, Mrs. J. Amory Haskell owned eight other side chairs and two arm chairs of identical design that were also sold in 1944. Six of the side chairs possibly from the Haskell collection were advertised in The Magazine Antiques for September 1977, 310. Although the design of the back is often associated with New York City makers, similar chairs were made in Charleston, SC, and in Massachusetts.NotesThese four chairs were placed on loan to the Association by Mrs. J. Amory Haskell on 16 October 1934. The loan book contained the following entry, "4 Hepplewhite, sometimes called Duncan Phyfe, from the family of Commodore Bainbridge, who was gr. grandfather of Geo. Taylor, Middletown, N. J." Within this entry is enough truth to give these chairs a central New Jersey connection. Commodore William Bainbridge (1774 - 1833) was born in Princeton, Mercer County, a son of Dr. Absalom Bainbridge (1742 - 1807) and Mary Taylor. His mother was a daughter of "Squire" John Taylor (1715/16 - 1798) of Middletown, Monmouth County, and George Taylor (1684 - 1758) was his great-grandfather. Absalom Bainbridge became a physician. Both the Taylors and the Bainbridges sided with the British during the Revolution. So early in 1777 Dr. Bainbridge and his family left Princeton for New York City, where he practiced medicine until his death. Absalom and Mary Bainbridge were interred in a vault in the yard of Trinity Episcopal Church. Young William is presumed to have been sent to live with his grandfather Taylor in Middletown, with whom he stayed until going to sea in 1789 at the age of fifteen. Writing about Bainbridge in an 1837 memoir, Dr. Thomas Harris recounted that "John Taylor, Esq., of Monmouth county, New Jersey, his maternal grandfather, a citizen of wealth and respectability, requested and obtained permission to superintend the education of William." Taylor sold his large house in Middletown in 1782, spending the last years of his life in Perth Amboy. William Bainbridge joined the United States Navy, rising to the rank of Commodore. During his long military career which was notable for its many victories, he commanded several famous naval ships, including the USS Constitution. He saw service in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812. Bainbridge was also in command of USS Philadelphia when she grounded off the shores of Tripoli in North Africa, resulting in his capture and imprisonment for many months. In the latter part of his career, he became a U.S. Naval Commissioner. William Bainbridge died in Philadelphia on 27 July 1833. He was interred in the cemetery of Christ Episcopal Church. Sadly, provenance for the chairs from the Bainbridge family to Mrs. Haskell is lacking. In all likelihood, they were owned originally by Absalom and Mary Bainbridge of New York City. Whether they descended to one of Commodore Bainbridge's five children or in another branch of the family is not known. The set was returned by the Association to the Haskell estate on 6 March 1944, and sold as part of the Haskell Collection on 19 May, Part II, lot 542. The sale catalog did not mention their Bainbridge connection. The four chairs were bought in for the Association for $1,120 by Mr. and Mrs. Amory L. Haskell, a son of Mrs. Haskell.

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