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Side chair. Black-painted maple, oak, leather, linen. Arched, molded crest. Canted back with molded serpentine stiles. Leather upholstery on seat and back bordered by a double row of decorative brass nails. Front stretcher with central ball and ring turning and urn-shaped side turnings. Side and back stretcher. Rests on block and baluster-turned front legs and plain raking back stiles.
Boston chairs
leather
maple (wood)
oak (wood)
linen (material)
Chair
Chair, Side
Chair, Side
"Cherished Possessions": One of the most successful early industries in Boston, Massachusetts, was chair making. This chair, with its original leather seat and back, molded stiles and crests, and turned front legs, is a typical example of an early eighteenth century Boston-made chair. Locally, these were simply known as leather chairs. Outside of New England, however, they were called Boston chairs, an indication of how successfully they had penetrated other markets. Mass produced and cheap, they were affordable for people all over the colonies.
Label on front seat rail: This chair belonged/to Gov. Shirley--bought of/[ ] James of Cambridge [ ]/[ ]
Unknown
43 3/8 x 18 3/8 x 19 (HxWxD) (inches)
Gift of Margaret Pertzoff
1988.138
Massachusetts (United States)
Boston (Suffolk county, Massachusetts)
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