RARE NEW ENGLAND WRITING ARMCHAIR

By JUBILEE P. REID

Original Publish Date: August 10, 2023

Beside the newly painted mural of the Starr Mountain range in the entryway of the McMinn County Living Heritage Museum, sits a unique hand-painted writing armchair. This incredible piece of craftsmanship was created in New England between 1790 and 1825. Constructed of maple and pine, this chair is 45 inches tall and has a 35 by 22-inch oval curved writing arm on the right side. A large drawer underneath the seat still has its original brass lock, and a smaller drawer under the writing arm has its original brass knob. This armchair, which was assembled entirely by hand, is in excellent condition with no damage except for tack marks on the seat where a cushion was attached more than once in the past.

Vivid designs painted in red, green, and gold are on all sides of the chair. Flower garlands and butterflies adorn four sections of the chair while meticulously grain-painted wood and painted inlay decorate the uprights and other parts of the chair. Grain painting is a method of imitating wood grain on a surface to make it appear as a higher quality or more expensive wood; this practice was popular in the 19th century. The medallion in the center of the chair’s back consists of two swans facing each other under a circular pointed design.

When this chair was appraised in August 1984, nearly forty years ago, the appraiser believed it to be a precursor of the Hitchcock chair and noted multiple combined furniture styles in it such as Sheraton and early Empire. The appraiser also labeled this writing chair as being “definitely of museum quality” referring to it as “beyond rare” and “one of a kind.”

Hitchcock chairs were produced by Lambert Hitchcock (May 28, 1795 – April 3, 1852) between 1826 and 1840. He operated a factory in Riverton, Connecticut which mass-produced affordable chairs. Hitchcock chairs often had motifs stenciled and painted on them. By the late 1820’s the factory was producing over 15,000 chairs a year. However, the appraiser said the museum’s chair was most likely a forerunner of the Hitchcock chairs, predating them.

This lovely piece of historic craftsmanship was donated to the museum by Mrs. Kenneth Higgins. With the two drawers for storing stationery supplies and detailed motifs, this armchair would have been a striking addition to any upper-class drawing room.