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About Fred Taylor
Expertise
I will attempt to answer questions about American antique furniture, including construction details, style, period, manufacturers, care, repair and storage. I do not have any background in appliances, musical instruments, sewing machines, lighting and clocks and will not respond to quesions about those items.

Experience
I ran an antique furniture restoration business for twenty years. I am a nationally syndicated columnist on the subject of antique furniture for such publications as Antique Week and New England Antiques Journal. I have produced one video on the subject of furniture identification and my book "HOW TO BE A FURNITURE DETECTIVE" is now available.I have also published articles in Antique Trader, Chicago Art Deco Society, Northeast Magazine, Victorian Decorating and Lifestyles, Professional Refinishing, Antiques and Art Around Florida and Antique Shoppe. You can visit my website at www.furnituredetective.com

Education/Credentials
BSBA Finance, University of Florida, MBA Finance, University of Florida

You are here: Experts > Hobbies > Antiques: UK > Collectibles-General (Antiques) > Can you ID this chair?

Collectibles-General (Antiques) - Can you ID this chair?

Expert: Fred Taylor - 11/2/2009

Question

chair

Hi -

My mom has owned this chair for years. She thinks it is circa 1918, and it was always called a Morris chair by family members, although it doesn't look like any of the photos of Morris chairs that I've been able to find online.

The footrest pulls out from underneath the chair. I do not know whether the upholstery fabric is original, or whether it was re-upholstered at some point in time.

I would greatly appreciate any information you can give me about the chair, including an estimated value.

Thanks!
Patti

Answer
Patti - 1918 sounds like a good time frame for this chair. It might even be slightly earlier. It appears to be made of birch with a mahogany finish. That is called “simulated mahogany” and was correctly explained in the 1902 Sears catalog as being both stronger and less expensive than genuine mahogany.

The chair is technically a "Morris" chair with the added feature of being a platform rocker. William Morris, an English designer of the mid 19th century and one of the founders of the Arts & Crafts movement working in London, pirated the design from a local chairmaker and called it the "Morris" chair. It didn't become widely popular until the turn of the 20th century, mostly in America. The signature feature of the Morris chair is the reclining back. Earlier Morris chairs had a reclining back supported by a rod across the back. This one has friction latches operated from the seat. These chairs are the progenitoras of all modern recliners.

The upholstery fabric is not original. The original fabric was probably oilcloth, a type of cotton or muslin fabric impregnated with asphaltum to be waterproof. It served the same function as vinyl fabric today.

The pull out footrest is a nice feature.

The chair would sell at auction in the $200-$300 range in good condition.

Thanks for writing.

Fred Taylor
www.furnituredetective.com

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