Chair

Object Name:

Chair

Object ID:

2014.012

Creator:

Furniture Maker

Place of Origin:

Portsmouth, NH

Date:

1805-1815

Description:

Side chair, painted and decorated. Maple, sweet gum, and cherry, with cane seat. Branded "L·BARNES", for Lewis Barnes (1776-1856), a Portsmouth merchant and sea captain. Painted golden yellow with red-brown linings and bands of gilding. Rectangular form with square back and stepped crest, faceted legs, button finials, and separate construction caned seat. Central splat ornaments with a torch, bow, and arrow. "L·BARNES" branded on bottom of seat rail.

Material:

Wood
Maple
Sweet Gum
Cherry

Dimensions:

H-34.8 W-18.5 D-19 inches

Provenance:

Originally owned by Lewis Barnes (1776-1856), a merchant and sea captain who lived on Islington Street in Portsmouth. He joined the Federal Fire Society in 1810 and branded his furniture for identification in case of fire, as was the practice in Portsmouth. This chair is from a set of eight chairs and two settees owned by Barnes. The set was broken up and dispersed; one pair of chairs is at Old Sturbridge Village, and another pair is at the Henry Ford Museum. This chair was one of four chairs and a settee that were owned by the Ackland Art Museum of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill until they were recently deaccessioned.

Credit Line:

New Hampshire Historical Society Purchase, with funds provided by Dr. and Mrs. James L. Garvin

People:

Barnes, Lewis (1776-1856)

Subjects:

Sea captains