In the early nineteenth century, cabinetmakers and their customers referred to high-back, upholstered armchairs as lolling chairs, intended for "lolling" or reclining in a relaxed posture. Antiquarians later dubbed them "Martha Washington" chairs, perhaps in honor of their regal simplicity and distinctly American form. This chair is a fine example of a design favored in Massachusetts. It has no associations with the Washington family.