Side Chair
Period1775 - 1800
MediumMahogany, and hard pine
Dimensions37.5 × 16.5 × 20.75 in. (95.3 × 41.9 × 52.7 cm)
InscribedA faded handwritten cloth label is glued to the inside of the rear seat rail and reads, "Mrs. J. A. Haskell." A second paper label reads, "Gift of Mrs. J. Amory Haskell."
MarkingsMarked "I" on the inside seat rail
ClassificationsSeating Furniture
Credit LineGift of Mrs. J. Amory Haskell, 1936
Object number1983.426
DescriptionOne of two, the second assigned accession number 1983.425. An open back with a bow shaped crest rail features tabbed and scrolled ears, and a symmetrical splat combining pierced and scrolled elements. The slip seat rests on plain undercut rails with molded upper edges that are through-tenoned and pinned to the rear stiles. Squared front and rear legs, molded on the two front corners, are braced with plain rectangular front, side, and rear stretchers. The rear legs are chamfered between the seat rails and the stretchers.Curatorial RemarksMany furniture historians believe that chairs of this general design made in America were based on Plate 9 from "The Cabinet and Chair-Maker's Real Friend and Companion, or, the Whole System of Chair-Making Made plain and easy" by Robert Manwaring, a book published in London in 1765. And the majority of those American chairs are typically attributed to Massachusetts, as have the Association's two examples. A reassessment is in order. There are a few features of the pair that set them apart from their Massachusetts counterparts: first, the side seat rails are through tenoned into the rear stiles and pinned, a shop practice most commonly associated with Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley; second, the unusual placement of the front and rear stretchers instead of a more typical "H"-shaped assembly with a medial stretcher; and third, the undercut seat rails. The design of the open work splat compares favorably to New York chairs of the period, such as accession number 1936. The maker of the Spotswood chairs, however, simplified the pattern by eliminating the central diamond motif. Given their mix of New York and Philadelphia area influences, plus their particular construction details, in all likelihood the chairs were made in central New Jersey.NotesAssociation accession records describe these chairs as follows, "2 Chippendale slip seats, side chairs, ears go up, open splat, straight legs, 4 plain stretchers (from Spotswood Church)." St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Spotswood, Middlesex County, still possesses a third chair from this set. A historic photograph of the chancel of the church taken before alterations that were carried out in 1896 show two of these chairs - one against the back wall of the chancel to the right of the altar, and another behind the right column of the chancel arch. See image detail. St. Peter's erected their first church between 1757 and 1759, with further enhancements including the sale of pews in 1761. But the interior remained generally bare until 1816, when it was "finished in a very neat & convenient manner under the direction of Oliver Johnston Esq." Despite periodic repairs, the building became unsafe and was taken down in 1849. It was replaced between 1849 and 1851 with the present Gothic Revival edifice designed by noted architect Frank Wills of New York. So then comes the question, when did St. Peter's acquire these handsome eighteenth century chairs? The Association's two examples are numbered I and VIII, indicating that they came from a larger set. However, they still could have been given to the church in the eighteenth century to serve as part of its early chancel furniture, or more likely after the renovations of 1816. By that time, chairs in the Chippendale style would have been considered out of fashion for style-conscious home use. At any rate, they are certainly out of character design-wise with the Gothic Revival furnishings of the 1850s and later.
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