Bow-back Windsor armchair, 1785–95
Made in Lisbon, Connecticut
White oak, chestnut, hard maple, 38 5/8 x 17 1/4 x 20 in. (98.1 x 43.8 x 50.8 cm)
Mabel Brady Garvan Collection
1930.2377
The first Windsor chairs were made in England as garden furniture, but by the second half of the eighteenth century American craftsmen transformed them into stylish and affordable furniture for the home. Their aesthetic appeal today stems from their rigorously simplified designs. On this example, the daring construction of the continuous bow-back is a great achievement of the Windsor chairmaker's craft. The spindles have swelled turnings at the center, characteristic of Connecticut Windsor chairs.
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