Chair
Object NameChair
Manufacturer
Hitchcock Chair Co.
(Connecticut, founded 1818)
MediumMaple and rush
ClassificationsFurniture
Credit LineTransferred from the Home Economics Dept. In the Farm House Museum Collection, Farm House Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
Object number73.11.8
Status
On viewCollections
CultureAmerican
Label TextThe concept for mass producing quality wood furniture was spawned in 1818 by a man named Lambert Hitchcock. Hitchcock was a master woodworker who got the idea for mass production from clock makers of the time that produced the interchangeable parts for clocks. His operation started in a small town in Connecticut, where Hitchcock began making chair parts from maple, birch and oak. Instead of carving or inlaying the designs, Hitchcock innovated a cheaper stenciling technique to embellish the dark finishes on the chair parts. The company was able to produce 15,000 chairs per year.
Hitchcock chairs were usually painted black, brownish-black or dark green. They have yellow ochre pin striping with gold half-rings on the front legs. Detailed stencils painted with metallic colors like red, gold, blue and white can be found on the back and sides of the chairs. Designs include leaves, flowers, baskets of fruit and cornucopias.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambert_Hitchcock https://connecticuthistory.org/built-on-innovation-saved-by-nostalgia-the-hitchcock-chair-company/
Locations
- (not entered) Iowa State University, Farm House Museum
