Magically, A Twin Appears
So, y’all remember Kenny, and the FABULOUS chair he gifted the Cross House.
Tooooooooo delicious. And such a rare design. I have no idea what style this is.
After I blogged about the Kenny chair, Lynn contacted me. She thought she had…drum roll, please…a matching chair in storage!
I gasped! I exalted!
Lynn wrote: “My father told me that this was his great grandfather’s chair and it came with him from Germany. I hesitate to say this is factual because other ‘family stories’ have turned out not to be true so I take it with a grain of salt.”
She then unearthed the chair from storage. And sent images.
I gasped! I exalted!
While upholstered differently, WE HAVE A MATCH!
Incredible!
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That really is amazing! I hope it is finding it’s way to the Cross House.
Verwunderlich! Amazing!
Wow. I believe the Germany story. Now if only you could document a link that both of these chairs are “related” and sometime in the last century were separated.
I think you should consider having yours re-upholstered just like Lynn’s chair. That could be original upholstery and is much more attractive than the nails. The cording also enhances the scallops on the back. I wonder if under the upholstery the back might be carved or some very attractive wood veneer.
Could they be 19th century Biedermeier chairs? Or maybe Eastlake? They are almost a cross between the two.
I find the way that people reupholster the same chair frame fascinating. Both chairs have been reupholstered, each with different things done that are not true to the frame.
The back of Lynn’s chair looks more like it was upholstered on top of the original upholstery. It may be actually channeled rather than having the channeling implied by the welting.The fabric has been attached beyond the area where tacks should be, covering some of the show wood. The seat is in a different fabric and may follow the original style because it does not cover the seat rails, (the wood between the legs). Kenny’s chair does cover the show wood on the leg rails.
If Lynn’s chair has the fabric on top of the original, pulling that layer off will reveal how it was upholstered when made. The show wood may extend between the upper and lower sections of the back, too. It is also possible that there is show wood, maybe even carved and incised, on the top back rail. Only careful removal of the upholstery would tell. If there is show wood below that the owner would like to reveal, the removal of the tacks would have to be done in a way that minimizes the damage.
Unfortunately, when show wood is upholstered over, there is often a lot of tack damage to the show wood that takes time to repair. More occurs if the tack aren’t pulled one by one rather than ripped out.
I’d love to see a picture of Lynn’s chair after someone has pulled the fabric off of the back to see what is underneath.
Wow, that’s a remarkable story!
Serendipity, thou art Ross!
Hi this is Lynn. I have had this chair for some years. The seat has original upholstery and the top section I reupholstered before I had any clue about how to do it. When I took it out the other day I noticed a gap in the black fabric on the underside and I could see it is stuffed with hay and horse hair. When I actually get some time, I will reupholster it correctly and keep the original fabric in place. I think I did keep it on the upper section. My cousin restores antique furniture for a living at a small St. Louis shop and I will be consulting with him when I do take this on as he does EXCELLENT work. I was stunned when I saw Ross’ chair and had to respond! Since my chair is a family heirloom, I won’t be parting with it but am looking forward to my husband’s retirement so we can move and I will at last be able to display all my antique family furniture! Current house is just too small. My father’s ancestors were from Bavaria so this chair may be from there. Will comment in the future when I find out more information.
Hello Lynn, imagine having the exact chair as the one gifted by Kenny. Wow! These chairs have survived voyages, and have witnessed family goings-on.
Wow – such a treasure. What are the odds? 🙂
Wow! So cool that it shows the amazing detail that went into upholstering Victorian furniture. Most of that detail is lost over the years.
It is upholstered right. It looks so nice when you don’t just put cloth on a chair. piping and pleats go a Long way.