Side chair
Label Text
During the time Washington spent in Philadelphia before and after the Revolution and during the Presidency, he came to appreciate the quality, style, and affordable price of the furnishings produced by its artisans. Pierced "slat-back" chairs were among the most popular offerings of Philadelphia cabinetmakers in the late eighteenth century. Washington may have purchased chairs such as this one to serve as plain but fashionable seating throughout the less formal rooms at Mount Vernon.
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Date1780-1800
Geography
Made -
United States
Medium/TechniqueMahogany (primary), white pine, tulip poplar, black cherry (corner blocks), yellow pine (slip seat)
DimensionsOverall (H x W x D): 37 5/8 in. x 20 7/8 in. x 20 1/8 in. (95.58 cm x 53.04 cm x 51.13 cm)
Credit LineAcquired through the generosity of Mr. & Mrs. Andrews of Raleigh, N.C. in memory of their mother Mrs. A.B. Andrews, former Vice Regent for North Carolina, 1925
Object numberW-101/A
DescriptionSlat-back side chair with three serpentine-top, pierced cross-slats below a matching crest rail, serpentine-front seat frame beaded along its top edge, and molded, tapering square front legs beaded on their outside corners joined by H-mounted stretchers and a rear stretcher mounted higher between the rear legs. Crest and slats with a central pierced ellipse-with-leaves motif flanked by leaf piercings, those on the crest rail pointing downward and those on the slats pointing upward. Molded crest rail and stiles with rounded backs; slats flat on both sides. Raked-back rear legs; all legs chamfered on the inside corners. Quarter-round corner blocks. Other terms for this design include: ladder-back.
Trapezoidal slip-seat frame upholstered in green haircloth; a black synthetic spun-bonded textile covers the bottom of the slip-seat.
Published ReferencesHelen Maggs Fede, Washington Furniture at Mount Vernon (Mount Vernon, Virginia: Mount Vernon Ladies Association, 1966), 28-30.
MarkingsChiseled on the inside of the front and back seat rail: "IIII".
Chiseled on the slip-seat frame: "V".
Written in script in white chalk on the proper left seat rail "W. NO. 8."
Written in ink on a piece of masking tape on the proper left front corner block: "H".
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