Incollect Magazine - Issue 4

Incollect Magazine 97 2023 1. On Beakes, see Jacquelann Killian, “United by Water: Cabinetmaking Traditions in the Delaware River Valley, 1670–1740” (MA thesis, University of Delaware/Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, 2015), 145–66. 2. The signed Beakes chest on which the foot restoration was based sold at Sotheby’s, New York, The William K. du Pont Collection: Important Americana from Rocky Hill , January 22, 2021, lot 7. 3. On line and berry inlay, see Wendy A. Cooper and Lisa Minardi, Paint, Pattern & People: Furniture of Southeastern Pennsylvania, 1725–1850 (Winterthur, Del.: Winterthur Museum, 2011), 12–14, 16–19, 70–78. 4. Benno Forman, “‘Crookt Foot’ and Slat-Back Chairs: The Fussell-Savery Connection,” Winterthur Portfolio 15, no. 1 (Spring 1980): 41–64. 5. Prices of Cabinet and Chair Work (Philadelphia: James Humphreys Jr., 1772), 9. have added significantly to their original expense. The Philadelphia chair with Gothic style splat in figure 9 has upholstery stretching over the seat rail and held in place with two layers of brass tacks. It is one of only a few known examples of Philadelphia chairs that survive from this time period with over-upholstered seat rails. Originally, the chair was part of a set, with the Roman numeral “IV” chiseled into the rear seat rail. Even more lavish is the back stool (Fig. 10), a rare form of side chair in which everything but the legs is upholstered. This form was described in the Philadelphia price book of 1772 as a “Chair Frame for stuffing over back and seat, with Marlborough feet [straight legs].” Its base price, in mahogany, was 1 pound and 5 shillings. 5 The pierced brackets on the legs would have been an additional cost, but this was a relatively minor expense in comparison with the multiple yards of fabric needed to cover the chair. Guided tours of the exhibition All Sorts of Chairs and Joiner’s Work are available by appointment; contact info@historictrappe.org to schedule. This article is the ninth in a series featuring the Dietrich American Foundation’s collection, intended as a type of crowd sourcing exercise, where responses and information shared by readers can inform the research. New information will be provided over the course of the series. Contact details are in the author bio below. For information about the Dietrich American Foundation, visit dietrichamericanfoundation.org. Left, Fig. 9: Side chair, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1765–75. Mahogany, pine. H. 38½, W. 24, D. 20¾ inches. Collection of the Dietrich American Foundation (8.1.2.1152). Photo by Gavin Ashworth. Right, Fig. 10: Back stool, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1765–1775. Mahogany, oak, pine. H. 37¾, W. 24, D. 24½ inches. Collection of the Dietrich American Foundation (8.1.1.1190). Photo by Gavin Ashworth. Lisa Minardi is the executive director of Historic Trappe. Tom Stokes is the curatorial intern at Historic Trappe and archives assistant at The Carpenters’ Company of the City and County of Philadelphia. Please send comments/queries to info@historictrappe.org.