Mahogany upholstered reclining armchair.
Identifier
FPF362
Title
Mahogany upholstered reclining armchair.
Date
1850-1865
Description
Mahogany upholstered reclining armchair.
Full Description
This reclining armchair has a high waisted upholstered back which has a curved top and is flared at the corners. Mahogany armrests terminate in carved scrolls and rest on down-swept supports. The mahogany sides are heavily carved in the neo-Grecian manner with quarter fans, stylised anthemion, foliate scrolls and roundels, while the inner faces are upholstered. The upholstered sprung seat is rectangular. The chair is raised on mahogany legs which at the front are square at the top, carved with lotus flowers and leaves, and turned below with rings and inverted balusters, terminating in brass caps and castors. The back legs are flared, with scrolled feet fitted with brass caps and castors. The chair back reclines via a hidden ratchet and spring mechanism which is operated by a button in the right-hand arm. The upholstery has been replaced and covered in a green leatherette, with buttoning in the back and seat; there are remnants of original crimson leather under the fretwork on the side of the chair.
This would have been a very expensive chair when new. A similar chair pattern is illustrated in W. Smee & Sons’ Designs for Furniture (1850-55) (Joy, 1994). The firm had a reputation for making good quality furniture and exhibited at the 1862 London Exhibition and the 1867 and 1878 Paris Exhibitions. This chair has an associated date of 1856, although the source is not known.
An early example of a reclining armchair, c. 1813, by William Pocock, is illustrated in Rudolph Ackermann’s The Repository of Arts, Literature, Commerce, Manufactures, Fashion and Politics, March 1813, pl. 49 (Edwards, 1998-1999). Between 1827 and 1863, more than twenty British patents were granted for improvements to reclining chairs. In 1830, one of the most well-known reclining chair businesses, George & John Minter of Princess Street, Soho, London, received a patent for a ‘fully automatic’ reclining chair, and in 1845, the same firm issued new models built with a crank in the arm to turn an Archimedes’ screw which controlled the angle of recline. In the latter part of the 19th century, adjustable-back easy armchairs and leather-covered and buttoned reclining chairs in mahogany, oak, or walnut finish were sold as ‘club, reading room or boardroom chairs’ (ibid.).
George Hunzinger, one of the most successful American innovators, designed a number of patented folding, rocking, and reclining chairs. In February 1866, he patented a reclining chair mechanism based on a ratchet built into the arms that were linked to pivots on the back rails. By lifting the arm and repositioning the ratchet, the back reclined at various angles (ibid.).
This would have been a very expensive chair when new. A similar chair pattern is illustrated in W. Smee & Sons’ Designs for Furniture (1850-55) (Joy, 1994). The firm had a reputation for making good quality furniture and exhibited at the 1862 London Exhibition and the 1867 and 1878 Paris Exhibitions. This chair has an associated date of 1856, although the source is not known.
An early example of a reclining armchair, c. 1813, by William Pocock, is illustrated in Rudolph Ackermann’s The Repository of Arts, Literature, Commerce, Manufactures, Fashion and Politics, March 1813, pl. 49 (Edwards, 1998-1999). Between 1827 and 1863, more than twenty British patents were granted for improvements to reclining chairs. In 1830, one of the most well-known reclining chair businesses, George & John Minter of Princess Street, Soho, London, received a patent for a ‘fully automatic’ reclining chair, and in 1845, the same firm issued new models built with a crank in the arm to turn an Archimedes’ screw which controlled the angle of recline. In the latter part of the 19th century, adjustable-back easy armchairs and leather-covered and buttoned reclining chairs in mahogany, oak, or walnut finish were sold as ‘club, reading room or boardroom chairs’ (ibid.).
George Hunzinger, one of the most successful American innovators, designed a number of patented folding, rocking, and reclining chairs. In February 1866, he patented a reclining chair mechanism based on a ratchet built into the arms that were linked to pivots on the back rails. By lifting the arm and repositioning the ratchet, the back reclined at various angles (ibid.).
Condition
The ratchet mechanism is broken.
The chair is possibly missing a sliding foot-rest and may have had a book rest.
One of the castors on the back legs is broken but is likely to be original to the chair; the others have been replaced.
The chair is possibly missing a sliding foot-rest and may have had a book rest.
One of the castors on the back legs is broken but is likely to be original to the chair; the others have been replaced.
Materials
Mahogany.
Beech.
Upholstery.
Steel.
Beech.
Upholstery.
Steel.
Physical Dimensions
H. 111
W. 79
D. 89
W. 79
D. 89
Provenance
In the Collection prior to 1993.
Notes
ed. E. Joy, Pictorial Dictionary of British 19th Century Furniture Design, Woodbridge, rev. ed. 1994, pp. xxix, 265.
C. Gilbert, Pictorial Dictionary of Marked London Furniture 1700-1840, London, 1996,. p. 338, figs. 649-651.
C. Edwards, ‘Reclining Chairs Surveyed: Health, Comfort, and Fashion in Evolving Markets’, Studies in the Decorative Arts, Fall-Winter 1998-1999, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 32-67.
C. Gilbert, Pictorial Dictionary of Marked London Furniture 1700-1840, London, 1996,. p. 338, figs. 649-651.
C. Edwards, ‘Reclining Chairs Surveyed: Health, Comfort, and Fashion in Evolving Markets’, Studies in the Decorative Arts, Fall-Winter 1998-1999, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 32-67.
