Side Chair

Unknown

1795–1800 · Maple, ash · The American Wing

This chair is thought to be from a set of twenty-four oval-back chairs that the Salem merchant Elias Hasket Derby (1739-1799) ordered from Philadelphia in 1796. The elliptical shape of the chair back is derived from Neoclassical London design as interpreted in George Hepplewhite's "The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Guide" (1788). In this instance the ostrich plumes and foliate designs are painted directly on a white ground rather than carved or made from applied composition ornament.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1795–1800

Medium

Maple, ash

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. Samuel Auchmuty Tucker, 1947