Side Chair

Unidentified maker, New York City
Date: c. 1765
Maker: Unidentified maker, New York City
Dimensions: 38 1/2 H x 21 1/2 W x 17 1/2 D
Materials: Mahogany, sweet gum
Marks: Incised on seat frame: VIII; paper label inside back: Tweddle Building Albany: NY 3 Chair; marked on seat frame: II
Credit: Gift of Miss Emily Watkinson Rankin and Edward Elmendorf Rankin in memory of their mother, Catherine Bogart Putnam (Mrs. Edward W.) Rankin
Accession Number: 1955.56
Comments: This chair style is one of the most readily identifiable forms of colonial New York furniture. It has the assertive proportions, dense dark mahogany, robust rococo carving, and bold gadrooning under the front seat rail of the best New York furniture. The design is derived from similar chairs made in the British Isles; the proportions and design elements resemble English and Irish furniture of the 1740s.