AboutFred 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
Question Hello,
I found a partial label on an old rocker I bought at a thrift shop. "M**n Bro's Manufacturers" I'm wondering if you might be familiar with a company that might have made these. The torn label makes the full name impossible to read. It is armless and light with a bit of an S curve to the back pieces. Also has curved & twisted, outward leaning braces between seat & back. The bottom and back are not solid and have small holes all the way around....could it have been wicker?
Thank you for your time.
Rob Dryden
Answer Rob - I could not match up M*nn Brothers with anything in my reference library. The curved pieces that connect the seat and back are called "hip rests" and were originally an element found in Rococo Revival chairs of the mid 19th century. They helped control the hoop skirts of the day.
The holes indicate the chair once originally had hand woven cane in the seat and back, not wicker, which is a separate subject.The chair appears to be from the early 20th century and would be considered a nursing or sewing rocker. Here is what it probably looked like originally.
Interesting chair. Chairs like this in good conditron sell in the $50-$100 range at auciotn. It would cost a small (or medium) fortune to have it recaned as it originally was. A good upholstery job would do nicely and make the chair quite comfortable.
