One of Two Slat-back Side Chairs

Maker(s) unknown

Delaware Valley, 1740–70

Maple with rush seat

Sewell C. Biggs bequest; 2004.168–.169

Side chairs and armchairs made of lathe-turned supports were among the earliest furniture forms made within the American colonies. There were many chair-makers in the towns along the Delaware River, and they built and distributed this type of furniture throughout the Mid-Atlantic. Local craftspeople made turned chairs of this form well into the 1800s.