1988.B.76, Rocking chair, New York, unknown maker, 1900-1920

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The rocking chair is one of the few furniture forms that is uniquely American in origin. At the turn of the century, urban elites like J. Pierpont Morgan and Alfred G. Vanderbilt outfitted their camps or rural retreats with rustic furniture like this rocking chair. Gnarled assemblages of branches, sticks, and bark functioned as statements on a simple and unpretentious way of life and appealed to tourists on wilderness excursions. Some pieces were produced by individual makers, while others were made in factory settings and sold, via catalogues, to consumers across the country as pieces suitable for indoor or outdoor use. The maker of this rocking chair fashioned exuberant arcs and loops of maple, hickory, and willow consistent with both rustic and late Victorian tastes. Probably designed for use in a hunting lodge or rural retreat, this chair successfully combines "rustic" design with physical comfort.

Adapted from

Charles Venable, DMA unpublished material.
Samantha Robinson, Label copy [1988.B.76], 2014 .

NOTES

provenance form in TMS changed to comply with Guidelines and Procedures for Provenance Display
Venable catalogue essay added to TMS as a text entry
I accidentally created this note when one already existed for this object. I've taken the info from Sam's note, dropped it here. Sam's note needs to be deleted, this one needs to be rerouted with the updated information
A Vogue for Rustic CC added
DMA unpublished material = Document entitled "Bybee Collection Label Copy" found in the Collections Records Object File (1988.B.76), author likely Charles Venable

Catalogue essays

The Faith P. and Charles L. Bybee Collection of American Furniture

Early 20th century rustic rocking chair

A Vogue for Rustic

Artist/designers

Cultures

Geography

Process/materials

Historical periods

Individuals

Subject terms

RELATED OBJECTS

PROVENANCE

Early 1980s-1988: The Faith P. and Charles L. Bybee Collection, Houston, Texas

From 1988: Collection of the Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Faith P. and Charles L. Bybee

Notes:

The main source for this provenance is Charles L. Venable, American Furniture in the Bybee Collection, (Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, published in association with the Dallas Museum of Art, 1989), 162-63.

AUDIO ASSETS

VIDEO ASSETS

IMAGE ASSETS

WEB RESOURCES

ARCHIVAL RESOURCES

FUN FACTS

TEACHING IDEAS

RULES

Apply to objects where number equals 1988.B.76

General Description

The rocking chair is one of the few furniture forms that is uniquely American in origin. At the turn of the century, urban elites like J. Pierpont Morgan and Alfred G. Vanderbilt outfitted their camps or rural retreats with rustic furniture like this rocking chair. Gnarled assemblages of branches, sticks, and bark functioned as statements on a simple and unpretentious way of life and appealed to tourists on wilderness excursions. Some pieces were produced by individual makers, while others were made in factory settings and sold, via catalogues, to consumers across the country as pieces suitable for indoor or outdoor use. The maker of this rocking chair fashioned exuberant arcs and loops of maple, hickory, and willow consistent with both rustic and late Victorian tastes. Probably designed for use in a hunting lodge or rural retreat, this chair successfully combines "rustic" design with physical comfort.