A Good Ebonised & Tartan Upholstered Victorian Armchair in the Howard Style c.1880
SOLD
Origin: English
Period: Late Victorian
Provenance: Unknown
Date: c.1880
Height: 32.5 inches
Width: 27.5 inches
Depth: 34 inches (all at extremities)
The country house upholstered armchair or easy chair in the manner of Howard & Son, being coil sprung and horsehair stuffed, on ebonized and turned legs with brass seed collars, fully reupholstered in Warwick’s ‘Bainbridge Loom’ monochrome coloured tartan with single piping, the whole on the original brass casters surviving from late Victorian England.
The condition of the chairs is fantastic, having been fully reupholstered. All of the original horsehair and innards to the upholstery has been retained. The ebonized wood, probably beech, is sturdy and strong with a very small amount of old woodworm. It proves wonderfully comfortable with the low deep seat typical of the style.
Howard and Sons of Berners Street in London were the foremost upholstery maker of the nineteenth century, regarded in the same way as Gillow were for cabinet furniture. Howard and Sons were such an important company that they collaborated with Gillow on several important projects and may have even manufactured pieces of upholstered furniture for Gillow as well as other important makers such as Maple and Co. In 1866 George Howard Patented something that would secure his family's company a place in history, he patented the 'Elastic Seat'. His patent totally re-designed the inside workings of traditional upholstery, creating the superior seat, is what they are now widely known only for. A good maker in the Howard style would have made this chair and the quality of the turnings and finish make it nigh on as good as a Howard stamped armchair but without the larger price ticket.
Very stylish indeed.
Period: Late Victorian
Provenance: Unknown
Date: c.1880
Height: 32.5 inches
Width: 27.5 inches
Depth: 34 inches (all at extremities)
The country house upholstered armchair or easy chair in the manner of Howard & Son, being coil sprung and horsehair stuffed, on ebonized and turned legs with brass seed collars, fully reupholstered in Warwick’s ‘Bainbridge Loom’ monochrome coloured tartan with single piping, the whole on the original brass casters surviving from late Victorian England.
The condition of the chairs is fantastic, having been fully reupholstered. All of the original horsehair and innards to the upholstery has been retained. The ebonized wood, probably beech, is sturdy and strong with a very small amount of old woodworm. It proves wonderfully comfortable with the low deep seat typical of the style.
Howard and Sons of Berners Street in London were the foremost upholstery maker of the nineteenth century, regarded in the same way as Gillow were for cabinet furniture. Howard and Sons were such an important company that they collaborated with Gillow on several important projects and may have even manufactured pieces of upholstered furniture for Gillow as well as other important makers such as Maple and Co. In 1866 George Howard Patented something that would secure his family's company a place in history, he patented the 'Elastic Seat'. His patent totally re-designed the inside workings of traditional upholstery, creating the superior seat, is what they are now widely known only for. A good maker in the Howard style would have made this chair and the quality of the turnings and finish make it nigh on as good as a Howard stamped armchair but without the larger price ticket.
Very stylish indeed.