GENERAL DESCRIPTION
By attaching side panels to straight-back chairs, easy chairs were developed in Europe during the 17th century as a means to protect the sitter from cold drafts. In both Great Britain and Colonial America, such chairs were expensive pieces of furniture due to the high cost of upholstery fabric. For those few who could afford such luxuries, easy chairs were usually placed in a bedroom and were often fitted with chamber pots beneath their cushions.
Rear curved legs are typical of English easy chairs and are sometimes found on elaborate Philadelphia and Charleston chairs; however, the vertically rolled arms, distinctive ball-and-claw feet, and use of eastern white pine indicate this chair was made in New England. It is the only known example with rear cabriole legs.
Adapted from
- Kevin W. Tucker, DMA unpublished material, Label text (1985.B.25), 2006.
- 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), 32.
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
- fun fact Sources
- Unauthored, undated typed document from the Collections Records Object File (1985.B.25). Cover page of this document (that is found in so many of the other Bybee files, has a cover page that reads: Material from: Johnathan Fairbanks's files On two articles he wrote for Antiques in 1968/69
- Notecard with handwritten note and attached upholstery samples taken from the chair, Collections Records Object File (1985.B.25)
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RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 1950s: John Walton, Inc, Riverside, Connecticut
1950s-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), 33.
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FUN FACTS
- It was intended that this easy chair be seen from the back and side as well as the front, and it was meant to be placed well out in a room as it was used in the Faith P. and Charles L. Bybee residence.
- An easy chair was an expensive item of furniture in the mid-18th century; with the added refinement of shaped rear legs, this must have been an extremely costly item.
- This particular chair has been reupholstered at least six to eight times.
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General Description
By attaching side panels to straight-back chairs, easy chairs were developed in Europe during the 17th century as a means to protect the sitter from cold drafts. In both Great Britain and Colonial America, such chairs were expensive pieces of furniture due to the high cost of upholstery fabric. For those few who could afford such luxuries, easy chairs were usually placed in a bedroom and were often fitted with chamber pots beneath their cushions.
Rear curved legs are typical of English easy chairs and are sometimes found on elaborate Philadelphia and Charleston chairs; however, the vertically rolled arms, distinctive ball-and-claw feet, and use of eastern white pine indicate this chair was made in New England. It is the only known example with rear cabriole legs.
Adapted from
- Kevin W. Tucker, DMA unpublished material, Label text (1985.B.25), 2006.
- 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), 32.
Fun Facts
- It was intended that this easy chair be seen from the back and side as well as the front, and it was meant to be placed well out in a room as it was used in the Faith P. and Charles L. Bybee residence.
- An easy chair was an expensive item of furniture in the mid-18th century; with the added refinement of shaped rear legs, this must have been an extremely costly item.
- This particular chair has been reupholstered at least six to eight times.
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
- fun fact Sources
- Unauthored, undated typed document from the Collections Records Object File (1985.B.25). Cover page of this document (that is found in so many of the other Bybee files, has a cover page that reads: Material from: Johnathan Fairbanks's files On two articles he wrote for Antiques in 1968/69
- Notecard with handwritten note and attached upholstery samples taken from the chair, Collections Records Object File (1985.B.25)
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 1950s: John Walton, Inc, Riverside, Connecticut
1950s-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), 33.
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