Page 11 - 0417

April, 2017 The Antique Shoppe Page 11
knife, whittling out legs and spindles around mid century and the legs of the and bent to form the popular hoop back different locations.
from green limbs and implanting them in American Windsor became tapered with seen on many models. The key to the Almost any of these variations may
a thick plank for the seat. It’s actually a ring turnings, faux bamboo turns and construction was that all of the wood used have additional support in the form of
little more difficult than that but it makes simpler stretchers. was uncured green stock. Then as the spindles rising from a rear extension of
a good story. The “stick’ chair quickly Soon the chairs were exported wood dried and shrank it became secured the seat or from a ball extended from the
made its way to the Colonies in the throughout the Colonies and local in place by the grip of the shrinkage. The seat edge. These chairs have the name
1730s where Windsor construction was variations abounded as craftsmen set grain of the plank seat in 18th and early “brace” added to any other name.
initially centered around Philadelphia. to work providing a local supply of 19th century Windsors invariably ran A couple of key differences between 19th
And almost immediately the chairs, the simply made chairs. The design from side to side rather from front to back century chairs and 20th century Colonial
like the Colonists who made them, took of the chair was such that almost any as is seen in modern chairs. Revival models make identification easy.
on American forms that differentiated local material was adequate. The seat While local variations of the Windsor Newer factory made Windsors tend to
them from their English origins. The commonly consisted of a single thick continued, by the 1820s most production have all components made of the same
very earliest American Windsors had plank of soft wood such as pine. It was of the chairs had settled into a factory wood, a hardwood. And the seats in
laboriously carved and turned cylinder often “scooped” and shaped for added environment and several basic forms modern chairs are usually made of two
and ball legs, similar to other chairs of the comfort. Some early models also had became the norm. But as you might or more pieces of wood glued together to
first half of the 18th century. But demand rush seats. The legs and spindles were expect with such a widely manufactured form the seat surface and the grain of the
for the chairs and the necessity of easier made of a hard wood such as ash, oak, and distributed product, the same form wood runs from front to back, not side to
production finally prevailed over tradition birch or maple that could be steam heated was often called by different names in side like the wood in early Windsors.

Laura A. Collum
MORE ANTIQUES

NAUTICAL ITEMS,
NW PINELLAS & INSTRUMENTS, CIVIL
SCIENTIFIC
W. PASCO CO. WAR GUNS, SWORDS &
MEDICAL ITEMS,
AMERICAN FURNITURE,
DECOYS, QUILTS
Hudson • Clearwater

Belleair Bluffs Located at
580A Indian Rocks Rd.
Largo Belleair Bluffs
Florida 33770
Palm Harbor (727) 581-6585 www.collumantiques.com
or 442-9969
2
Email: collumantiques@verizon.net These chairs are (L-R) Hoop-back or Sack-back,

Hoop-back or Loop-back and Fan-back or Rod-back.
JEWEL ANTIQUE MALL Here are the Most Rod Back/Arrow Back- These are
Common Forms variations of the fan back chair. The rod
...at Bison Storage back features fairly straight stiles and
and Their Names spindles that sometimes intersects a lower

Low Back- The low back Windsor has a crest rail. Then a secondary set of spindles
Antique & Estate Bought semi- circular horizontal crest rail above above the lower crest, along with the stiles,
Dealer Space Available relatively short spindles. The crest rail supports a top crest rail. The spindles are
also serves as the armrest. This style is often swell turned or faux bamboo turned.
“Quality Dealers with Quality Antiques” But not all rod backs have the second crest
VINTAGE, CONSIGNMENT Unique Items generally called a “captain’s” chair and rail. The arrow back chair has slightly
& ANTIQUE FURNITURE, Arrive Daily 727-585-5568 is the model most frequently seen with a
COLLECTIBLES, GIFTS writing surface attached to one arm. backward leaning stiles and flattened
& JEWELRY 2601 Jewel Road spindles that may come close to a point at
20% OFF Belleair Bluffs, FL 33770 Hoop Back - There are three common
Located in Bison Plaza ANY 1 ITEM versions of the hoop back. One is a either the top or bottom.
2152 Drew Street discounts. Limit one coupon per visit. variation of the lowback with a hoop
Not valid with other coupons or
Clearwater, FL Excludes jewelry, previously discounted Mon-Sat 10-5, Sun 12-5 Visit Fred’s newly redesigned website
items, storage supplies & storage units.
Mon-Fri 9-5, Sat 9-3 LEN & JAN SPENCER, Managers added above the crest rail. The hoop at www.furnituredetective.com and
727-461-3676 5 janisbspencer@aol.com 4 terminates in the crest rail somewhere check out the new downloadable
short of the armrest portion. This is also “Common Sense Antiques” columns
called a “sack-back”. Another type hoop in .pdf format. His book “HOW TO
StarboaRD HOme Discover our eclectic chair has a continuos hoop that rises BE A FURNITURE DETECTIVE” is
now available for $18.95 plus $3.00
above tall spindles and terminates on
selection; from
shipping. Send check or money order
antiques industrial each side of the seat. This is also called for $21.95 to Fred Taylor, PO Box 215,
a “bow-back” or “loop back”. Yet
furniture gifts decoR & coastal to another version has the hoop supported Crystal River, FL 34423
midcentury
Fred and Gail Taylor's DVD,
international on the ends by vertical spindles to form "IDENTIFICATION OF OLDER &
& shabby chic. the armrests on each side before the hoop
rises high in the back. This is called a ANTIQUE FURNITURE", ($17.00 +
“continuous” armchair. $3.00 S&H) are also available at the
same address. For more information
31003 US Hwy 19 N Fan Back- The fan back is a side chair, call (800) 387-6377 (9AM-4PM
Palm Harbor typically with two stiles, heavier than Eastern, M-F only), fax 352-563-2916,
(727) 888-3320 the other spindles, rising vertically on or e-mail info@furnituredetective.com.
each side of the seat. The gently curved, All items are also available directly
almost straight, horizontal crest rail sits
Open Mon-Sat 10-7 atop these stiles and is also supported from the website,
Sun 12-5 6 by smaller spindles. www.furnituredetective.com