XVII
CHAIRS
NO ARTICLE of furniture is more easily placed in its rightful period by the study of its type than is the chair. No piece of furniture is harder to find at present than early chairs, particularly those of the first quarter of the eighteenth century.
The early seventeenth century chair, a seat of honor given to the lord or master of the house, has been shown in the wainscot chair presented, as typical. Until the first quarter of the eighteenth century, chairs were practically devoid of comfort, but with the decided change that came at the beginning of the century, curves took the place of straight lines, especially in chairs, and something better was provided.
The Dutch influence that came into England with William III is very noticeable in the early Queen Anne chairs, and to the Dutch is due the beautiful lines of those of the Queen Anne and Chippendale periods produced by English workmen. The Queen Anne influence produced the cabriole leg with different styles of feet, the majority in the South showing the pad foot. Due to the strength of construction, more examples of the Chippendale period are found than those of the last quarter of the eighteenth century. Richard MacGrath, of the period in South Carolina, it is recalled, was making carved chairs "with commode fronts and pincushion seats," and also described as "splat backs, with hollow slats."
Southern-made chairs of the Chippendale leg, and claw-and-ball foot. The Hepplewhite chairs are easily distinguishable by period are rarely found with the cabriole
Top—Seventeenth centnry turned chair
Center—Turned chair known as a carver chair
Bottom—Turned chair of Dutch influence
