How To Tell Age Of Chair: Best Ways To Determine The Age Of Chair

Best Ways To Determine The Age Of Chair

Chairs have been used since the year 1700s. Before that, the chair was actually a stool having a back, with only the head of the house of the society sat on them. Others usually sat on the stools and benches. The chair has been updated since that time, with the different styles and the materials from which to choose. Telling the age of a chair is sometimes as simple as finding the maker's marks under the chair. Some of the best ways to determine the age of the chair are mentioned below:

Tags And Stamps

One of the best signs to tell the chair's age includes the tags or simply the markings that are left by the manufacturer. Almost all the modern upholstered chairs can feature a tag on the information of the manufacturer and the serial number or design name are mentioned, which can be checked upon the website of manufacturer's or on the collector websites. The chairs produced from the 19th century to modern times are usually stamped with a manufacturer's mark. In the late 1800s, this stamp was hooked right underneath the seat or on inside a back leg.

Upholstered Seat Filling

During the 18th century, most of the chairmakers have decided that the fluffy armchairs can be more comfortable than the bench-style seats. Early the armchairs often have a loose seat cushion that was stuffed with the feathers. After the 1830s, the cushion was designed advanced a bit as well as also included the springs, padding, and webbing. In the 1900s, the synthetic materials like the upholstery foam as well as the fiberfill got the entry. So identifying the material that is stuffed in the seat cushions can easily help to identify the chair's age, but it is also possible a chair was revamped along the way, in which the original seat padding was exchanged for the updated fillers.

Style

Sometimes only the style is enough to tell the age of the chair, this is especially if the style was only popular for a short time. For instance, the olive green recliner with the yellow or orange flowers was most likely from the late 1960s to the 1970s, as that type of the print and the color combination has come back into fashion. In the same way, the mid-century molded fiberglass chairs are popularized by Charles as well as by Ray Eames which is paired with the manufacturer Herman Miller, still influences the plastic chair design, they are yet noticeable by their thin metal legs and the fiberglass fibers.

Reproductions

The antique furniture styles are still in the use today and most of the reproductions exist. If the users are unsure whether the chair is a reproduction of the original one, simply look for the signs of age or the newness. For instance, a chair that is original, unfinished, and from the 1800s must not smell like the fresh varnish or the upholstery. Study the construction properly. For example, if in case the joints do not match up with the piece and look assembled, that time it is most likely a reproduction one. Phillips screws must not be anywhere on the chair if it is the old piece this is because they have been around only since the 1930s.