1988.B.69, Side chair, Philadelphia (?), 1735-1760


GENERAL DESCRIPTION  
Made of maple with a heavy ball stretcher in front, rush seat, and a careful gradation of back slats, this side chair is a particularly well-preserved example of a popular type. Because of its well-liked style, relative comfort, and affordability, chairs such as these were made well into the early years of the 20th century and can be found in a number of collections, both public and private. Centers of production included the Delaware River Valley of Philadelphia and South Jersey, but this type of chair shows a strong European influence as well. By grafting the ball-and-ring stretcher of fashionable New England chairs onto a local tradition of Germanic slat-back chairs, Philadelphia chairmakers were able to more effectively compete in the marketplace. 

Heather Bowling, Digital Collections Content Coordinator, 2016. 

Drawn from
  • Mabel Crispin Powers, "The Ware Chairs of South Jersey," Antiques, Volume 9 (May 1926): 307-311.
  • Richard H. Randall, Jr., American Furniture in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 1965, 178-79.

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

Catalogue essays

Artist/designers

Cultures

Geography 

Process/materials

Historical periods

Individuals

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RELATED OBJECTS 

PROVENANCE 
Until 1970s, early 1980s-1985: Unknown owner, probably Houston, Texas

1970s, early 1980s-1985: The Faith P. and Charles L. Bybee Collection, Houston, Texas

From 1985: Collection of the Dallas Museum of Art, purchased from 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), 40-41.

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Apply to objects where number equals 1988.B.69

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General Description
 
Made of maple with a heavy ball stretcher in front, rush seat, and a careful gradation of back slats, this side chair is a particularly well-preserved example of a popular type. Because of its well-liked style, relative comfort, and affordability, chairs such as these were made well into the early years of the 20th century and can be found in a number of collections, both public and private. Centers of production included the Delaware River Valley of Philadelphia and South Jersey, but this type of chair shows a strong European influence as well. By grafting the ball-and-ring stretcher of fashionable New England chairs onto a local tradition of Germanic slat-back chairs, Philadelphia chairmakers were able to more effectively compete in the marketplace. 

Heather Bowling, Digital Collections Content Coordinator, 2016. 

Drawn from
  • Mabel Crispin Powers, "The Ware Chairs of South Jersey," Antiques, Volume 9 (May 1926): 307-311.
  • Richard H. Randall, Jr., American Furniture in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 1965, 178-79.

Fun Facts

Archival Resources

Web Resources
 

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

Catalogue essays

Artist/designers

Cultures

Geography 

Process/materials

Historical periods

Individuals

Subject terms

RELATED OBJECTS 

PROVENANCE 
Until 1970s, early 1980s-1985: Unknown owner, probably Houston, Texas

1970s, early 1980s-1985: The Faith P. and Charles L. Bybee Collection, Houston, Texas

From 1985: Collection of the Dallas Museum of Art, purchased from 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), 40-41.

AUDIO ASSETS 

VIDEO ASSETS

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Objects
number
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1988.B.69
tags
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*Decorative Arts and Design
Philadelphia (Pennsylvania/United States): TGN: 7014406
stretchers (furniture components): AAT: 300189548
chairs (furniture): AAT: 300037772
rushwork: AAT: 300044068
maple (wood): AAT: 300012236
source file
object_notes_2_d-0102.xml.nores