Arm Chair
Periodca. 1735
MediumMaple, and oak
Dimensions43.25 × 20 × 15.6 in. (109.9 × 50.8 × 39.6 cm)
ClassificationsSeating Furniture
Credit LineBequest of Mrs. Mary Hartshorne Noonan, 1979
Object number1979.12
DescriptionAn imposing arm chair with curved and molded rear stiles that continue into the crest rail. A leather upholstered panel held in place by two rows of brass tacks forms the back. The carved arms end in a slightly splayed volute shaped hand rest over baluster turned supports which continue into the front legs, that are also baluster turned above and below the front stretcher. The leather seat is upholstered over the rails, and also ornamented with two rows of brass tacks. A turned tripartite front stretcher features a reel flanked by two ball elements. It attaches to the front legs with conical shaped terminals. The other three stretchers are of simple rectangular form. The arm chair has been shorted by the loss of its feet that were presumably ball shaped.Curatorial RemarksAt the time the arm chair was sold in January of 1953, the old leather upholstery had been either covered over or replaced by a tapestry weave fabric. Mary Hartshorne Noonan had the chair repaired and reupholstered in leather. The feet, which were presumably ball feet, are missing. Iron brackets have also been installed many years ago where the arms meet the rear stiles to strengthen that joint.NotesThe imposing arm chair was made in Boston about 1735. This bustling colonial port city had developed a specialized furniture trade by that time which exported chairs of this type in large numbers throughout the American colonies and Caribbean until about 1750. Part of the success of these chairs can be credited to the comfort afforded by their backs, which were curved to a body-conforming shape, high enough to support shoulders, and upholstered for pliant support. Boston chairs introduced a more comfortable form of seating than most urban Americans had enjoyed previously. Leather, which was cheaper in the 18th century than cane or fabric, was an inexpensive material consistent with mass production. When William Hartshorne (1678/9 - 1747/8) died at his estate called Portland in Highlands, Monmouth County, he left to his widow Elizabeth the use of a number of items during the time that she remained a widow, including "Seven Leather Chairs." They no doubt represented the then-typical set of six side chairs and one arm chair. This supposition is confirmed in an inventory dated 29 November 1750 of the household goods given for Elizabeth's use by her late husband. That enumeration includes "Six Leather Chairs at £2.8. To An Arm'd Do 12/," all of which were valued together at £3:0:0. This arm chair is presumably the "Arm'd Do." At the time that Elizabeth Hartshorne's inventory was taken, her possessions were located "at the Dwelling house of Robert Hartshorne at Portland." The arm chair remained there through five more generations, descending to Richard Hartshorne (1900-1958). It was sold by him in a Parke-Bernet auction in New York on 23 January of 1953. Richard's older sister, Mary Hartshorne Noonan (1897-1978), purchased the remarkable family heirloom, had it repaired and reupholstered, and then left it by bequest to the Association. It is entirely possible that William Hartshorne acquired his Boston leather chairs through a New York merchant. But early consumers in Monmouth County had direct access to New England markets through the trading activities of Thomas Holmes, a merchant in Middletown and Shrewsbury who had arrived in the area by 1725. Holmes first partnered with William Hartshorne who owned the vessels Portland and Mary, both of which Holmes commanded. The captain made frequent trips by boat to New York, and occasionally to other destinations from New England to the Caribbean. He took local agricultural products on commission, sold them, and then when asked brought back such items as his customers requested, settling the difference in cash. Holmes often maintained record of these trading transactions in small pocket notebooks. In July of 1735, this ambitious trader organized a voyage from Monmouth County to Boston. He kept track of the venture in what he titled "The Boston Book." Among those who consigned local products was William Hartshorne. He shipped 16 barrels of flour, 130 bushels of rye, 20 bushels of corn, 200 pounds of gammon (a cured pork product), and 1 firkin of butter weighing 50 pounds. Hartshorne's goods sold for £130:2:0, which, after deducting commissions and expenses such as wharfage, left a sizeable net profit of £114:16:0. While the chairs are not mentioned in this particular transaction, it establishes a link through which local farmers could obtain manufactured goods and luxury items directly from such distant markets as Boston. One chair maker there named Samuel Grant charged 26 shillings each for leather chairs in 1732. So a set of six side chairs and one arm chair would have cost wholesale roughly £10, well within Hartshorne's substantial buying power.
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