A black walnut compassed armchair made in Philadelphia c. 1755 was placed on loan earlier this year at Stenton Museum. Compassed armchair in a ground floor room at Stenton. Private collection. The reasons for the loan are varied and are touched upon in auction catalogue essays for related armchairs - including that for the armchair … Continue reading A Venerated Armchair, Part 1
Woodworking
1 Couch & Couch Bed & Cushions
Rush-seat couch. Made in southeastern Pennsylvania, c. 1755. Maple, oak, yellow poplar, black walnut, bull-rush. Dietrich American Foundation collection. In 1997 the Dietrich American Foundation placed a rush-seat couch on long-term loan to Stenton Museum. It resides in the room on the ground floor called "the Back Dining Room" in the 1752 probate inventory of … Continue reading 1 Couch & Couch Bed & Cushions
Crafting History: Philadelphia Woodwork and Furniture in Context at Stenton
On Tuesday, October 3rd at 1:00 Stenton curator Laura Keim and I will be leading a virtual tour and discussion at Stenton in Germantown, Philadelphia. Exterior front facade of Stenton's main house, 1723-1730. Image courtesy of Stenton Museum. Stenton house, built for James Logan (1674-1751) and his family, was completed in 1730 and has been … Continue reading Crafting History: Philadelphia Woodwork and Furniture in Context at Stenton
Windsors in the Dietrich American Foundation
My recent article on furniture in the Dietrich American Foundation is now available on line. It can be seen here. I want to make a correction to the previous post about the over-size high-back Windsor armchair in the Foundations collection. It has been on long-term loan to Stenton where I examined it several years ago. … Continue reading Windsors in the Dietrich American Foundation
A Philadelphia High-Back Windsor Armchair
High-back Windsor armchair, Philadelphia, Penn., 1765-1775. Artist unknown. Yellow poplar seat and medial-section of arm, Maple legs and stretchers, Hickory crest rail, Mahogany arms, arm supports, and short spindles behind the arm supports. H. 43 3/4", W. 32 1/4", D. 26" Dietrich American Foundation. The armchair has been on loan to Stenton since 1971. The … Continue reading A Philadelphia High-Back Windsor Armchair
In Proportion to the Trouble 