Duncan Phyfe or Tell City? Antique Rocking Chair | ||
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Posted 11 years ago
Aimathena
(600 items)
This is a beautiful petite antique nursing rocking chair with carved rose motif. Its previous owner told me its from (circa 1930) but it has been refinished. It is made of solid rock maple wood. Truly gorgeous piece.
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=^) Thanks for the Love... MSL xo
=^) Thanks for the Love...
Van
Phil
toolate
If it is an original it is rock maple.
Thank you fhrjr2
You are most welcome and by the way if this is an original that seat wasn't produced before 1954.
By seat... are you referring to it being upholstered?
That is correct, this chair would not have had that seat as original until after 1954.
So you think I have bought a replica than? That doesn't really matter to me as I wanted it for it's beauty not value. However I'm sure value will be a nice thing to have in retirement years. I am very thankful for the knowledgeable information yourself and so many other's on CW are gracious enough to share.
I never said a word about being a reproduction. It may very well be an original but if so it wasn't made in the 1930's it was made after 1954. You obviously didn't need to picture the underside to have your question answered about the type wood. Believe it or not the underside or inside of a piece of furniture most often speaks volumes more than a simple picture of the front only. Few experienced buyers would buy a piece based on a minimal front view. Whether it is a chair or a desk or a bed or an entire house, the manner of construction tells the story. To put it another way, Manikin would never buy a doll without looking under it's dress, the same goes for furniture.
Should I say... nicely put and point well taken =^)
The point was that you are looking at things from the wrong direction. You are asking people to look from that direction to assist you when they know another view will speak more and better of the item in question to identify it. This chair is probably the easiest chair out there to identify if you can see it all. Based on what you are showing of it, if it is original it is made of hard (rock) maple and was made after 1954. Another view might tell a different story, it has obviously been reworked. The secret to this particular chair is in the seat and not the view you are showing.
=^) Thanks for the Love...
Agram.m
Sean
Gargo
I've posted photos with more details. I would really like to find out more about this beautiful little rocking chair.
You certainly don't like doing your own homework. I'll give you another hint, if it is original then William Tell would be proud of it.
It was marketed as a floral design not a rose design. The word rose wasn't in the original advertising.
By the way, your new photo #4 would tend to validate the date as the splice joint would be mid 50's onward. The company went out of business two years ago if that helps. Hehehehe :)
No need to be so cryptic with your clues fhrjr2, I'm sure Aim has been trying to solve this since she posted it as an unsolved mystery. How is she to know which picture (view) is the best one for a chair expert. It's hard to research something if you don't know what you are searching for. It would be similar to asking a question of someone that doesn't speak your language.
Share your knowledge that you have acquired over a lifetime, with someone that is willing to learn.
I personally have a issue with solving problems for someone that only posts one item just so they can sell it & never come back again. I think Aim is here to stay
& is trying to improve her knowledge base. I'm sure she would love to know why William Tell would be proud, did he shoot an apple of the top of the chair? :-)
Walksoftly - I agree with you only to a point. Anyone with an interest to learn should also have the interest to research their items.
William Tell would be proud because it is a Tell chair (although I question it being original). Tell City is in Indiana and hence the name Tell City Chair Co. It has been called the William Tell furniture company but was never actually named that. This chair is probably a reproduction because of the position floral carving although it might well be one of their other lines such as Duncan Phyfe. The company has been around since the 1860's although last I knew they stopped production in 2011. Tell chairs are not rare and very difficult to deal with because of the loss of records. Therefore the seats and joints are important just as with any piece. A picture of the front of a piece of furniture says little. A picture of the construction speaks volumes. I will crawl back in my hole now and wish you all a good day.
Thanks for your response fhrjr2. You're making an assumption that she had no interest in doing her own research, she may well have just hit a dead end on it.
Have a nice day :-)
I did research online, as well as contacting the previous owner but he didn't know who made the chair as he was very young when he received it around -1950. I also had a friend help research it with no luck.
Thank you both for the all help and information.
I hope you have a nice day as well David =^)
My clue may sound difficult but if you simply type William Tell Chair in a google search it will bring back Tell Chair Company. Prodding people to get involved in their own research by giving them clues and making it a game usually works quite well if they put forth an effort. Others prefer to let someone else do the work for them and sit back and reap the benefits. Nobody here is forced to help and by the same token everyone is entitled to their own way of doing it, within reason.
fhrjr I'm sorry you feel that way. I wasn't trying to get you to do all the work for me. I honestly did google William Tell rocking chair. But the closest I came to finding info on my rocking chair was someone else posted a slightly similar chair on cw & a 70 yr old lady said she had one and its a children's rocker. She also did not know the maker. I did look & ask around but I'm not experienced enough to know how to word my Google searches but I am learning and I am grateful for any/all information offered to me. Thank you again for the information.
I assure you the one you show is not a children's rocker. I am not standing next to it but the children's version was about knee high at the highest point when an adult stood next to it. Children's version was a big Christmas push that went over big. It's closest competition was the musical Howdy Doody chair.
I have a chair exactly like this (though my seat has been recovered.) My parents bought it in 1937 when they were married.