Eighteenth Century Windsor Chair - A Child’s Windsor Chair with the Gothic Arched Back in Yew Wood

Eighteenth century Windsor chair. Difficult to date exactly since this type was made for a long time, but probably late in the century and continuing into the early nineteenth century. The simple stickback without a splat, and the saddle seat are typical of the earlier types. The curving arm supports are also interesting, since during and after the Regency period turned arm supports became the fashion. This indicates that this chair may be earlier. However, this design appears in Gillows’ cost books in the early nineteenth century both in mahogany and an elm and cherrywood combination.
Elm and cherrywood.
A child’s Windsor chair with the Gothic arched back in yew wood. Although the arm supports and legs bear fairly representative nineteenth century turning work, the crinoline stretcher and well shaped splat make this a nicely proportioned and well made chair.
A Windsor chair of c.1760. The seat would be very ample and the chair of bold proportions. Note the curving crinoline stretcher between the front legs  a feature usually associated with better-made chairs.
A comb-back Windsor chair of approximately 1780. Note the well-shaped saddle seat and the leg turning which is emphasized at the lower part. Many American Windsor chairs are of this design.
Price Range: Single $30  $40
(Yew not often found in this design)
Also, sets of this type are not usually found.
A fairly typical Windsor chair of the nineteenth century. The proportion and the turning of legs and arm supports are altogether heavier. There are still reasonable numbers of these chairs in existence and their very strong construction, particularly when yew is used, makes them very durable and utilitarian antiques.
A fairly common type of low-backed Windsor used for dining purposes. Note the turned arm supports which indicate nineteenth century origins.
Another simple variation of a type which was made during the latter half of the nineteenth century. In this case there is no left arm since the chair was made for an Officers’ mess where the facility to rise, wearing a
sword, without picking up the chair as well was a considerable advantage.
A mid-nineteenth century Mendlesham chair of c.1830, a Suffolk variation of Windsor designs rather allied to Lancashire chairs in the decoration. Highly priced in East Anglia.
A late nineteenth century development of the Windsor chair. Rather ornate with heavy turning; simpler versions were common in schools and offices or institutions until recently.
The Smoker’s Bow, a chair very common in offices and public houses from the end of the nineteenth century onwards. A large heavy chair which will stand considerable abuse. The horizontal hoop is no longer made by
bending the wood but is constructed from several pieces shaped on a band saw and screwed together. In early Windsor chairs this method of forming the hoop was adopted, but not always by using screws; the upright spindles did this.

CHAIRS  country and kitchen : wooden seated, 1860-1930
This section also includes chairs for institutional and office use, made in large quantities by mass-production methods. On the whole they are more durable than rush-seated chairs and tend to be perennially favourite types such as the Windsor which is still going strong. In the mid- and late 19th century large quantities of simple chairs were produced for the expanding markets available: some of them were of attractive design and are now coming to be appreciated as cheap, pleasant and functional chairs.
Starting with the Windsor, which goes back to the mid-18th century (see Price Guide to Antique Furniture) some forms of chair have been produced over very long periods. The illustration shows a typical 19th century Windsor with robust baluster turning (look at the arm supports) and a curved, or ‘crinoline’ stretcher. This stretcher adds more value than an ordinary, turned one. Manufacturers’ catalogues show such chairs up to the 1914-18 war. Later versions tend to be less robust, however. 1830-1920
The ‘Windsor’ chair remained in use and manufacture throughout the period, as indeed it still does. Above are some straightforward mass-produced Windsors as retailed by almost every department store and furnisher.
1860-present day Wheelback arm, spoke-back arm.
A version of the wheelback, without the two diagonally-sloping extra spindles of 218 and 219. The turning of the legs is elegant and lacks the extra turned collars which embellish the later types and make them look more mass-produced.
Windsor chairs from the Maurice Adams’ catalogue of 1926, showing how the wheelback form is virtually unchanged from the previous examples from a catalogue of 1908. The wheelback ‘carver’ shown below, has slightly more robust baluster-turned legs but the single chair is no different from the 1908 version. The cabriole-legged wheelbacks follow an earlier 18th century design, with ‘crinoline’ curved stretchers. The arm chair has the curved support to the arm as against the later, turned armed support on the turned-leg
chair.
Cabriole-leg single chair and turned-leg arm chair.
Two of the most commonly-produced kitchen, country, office or institutional chairs throughout the period. On the left a single chair, usually in beech or birch with an elm or beech/birch seat. On the right, a stick-back with broad top rail, of slightly Windsor derivation. 1860-1930
The smoker’s bow is now a popularly-hunted chair, fetching as much as 120 for certain versions in London. Good examples with opulently-turned fat baluster legs, like the one illustrated, are still to be found for much less  around 90 each  and thin, lesser versions for about 60. 1850-1940
A late 19th century chair which is a cross between a Windsor and a kitchen or office chair. It is very ornate, as the turning and the fretting of the centre splat show. There are still plenty of them about, although there has tended to be a drain of all these types of chair, particularly the Smoker’s Bow, to the export trade. 1850-1940
A typical kitchen armchair of the 19th century, on turned legs, much beloved of schools and other institutions up to the present day. Usually made in birch or beech and stained or varnished a dark colour. Sometimes the seat is made of elm. When stripped of stain or varnish to their natural colour, these chairs are often a pleasant golden brown.
Another 19th century country or kitchen chair, with a pleasantly arched and spindled decoration in the back. The seat is made of elm and the rest a pleasant, golden-coloured beech. The design was used for a long time; Shoolbred had it in 1876 and Skull in 1913. 1850-1920
A very pretty late 19th century chair with a seat which has been recovered. Usually these chairs had an impressed plywood seat, with a pattern embossed by pressure in it, usually finished in a lighter colour than the background. 1870-1900
A Worksop chair with robust baluster-turned legs and characteristic notched curved ends on the top rail. A fine example of this type of chair.

CHAIRS — children’s high
Here of course, one cannot judge a chair by its correctness of proportion as against the adult equivalent. Instead the test has to be how successfully the maker has elongated the piece while keeping in sympathy with the style of his period.
In this fine child’s oak chair the maker has got it just right. The design calls for stability and he has achieved it without losing the feel of the heavy panelled back. The simple turning on the front legs and the low stretcher work very well. As these chairs were very popular before the war one should always look at them very closely. Second quarter 17th century .
At first sight a late seventeenth century style but the outline of the splat and the shape of the turning suggest a later date. Lacks the stability and balance of the previous example, but then chairs of this period,
dependent on turning, were rather square. Arms are good. 1690-1720.
A Hepplewhite design in which the back with its careful moulding and well-balanced splat is much more successful than the heavy front legs. The sweep outwards at the bottom gives an improved line. c. 1780
A strange crude little high chair which gives problems of dating. The dished seat suggests a Windsor chair origin but the scratch moulding and the crude little inset cross pleads for an earlier date. The top rail argues for an early nineteenth century date, as does the exaggerated chamfering of the side rails. Probably early 19th century.
(far right) Very much the traditional Windsor design, good rake to back legs gives feeling of solidarity. The back is well made and the splat fits in well. Early 19th century.
Very appealing little piece, partly because it is a child’s chair but also because of the generous sweep of the arms. Well turned front legs, the only drawback is the absence of a splat.