Hitchcock Chair Co.

The 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 used a stenciling technique to embellish the dark finishes on the chair parts. The company was able to produce 15,000 chairs per year.

The company stencil changed three times when the company itself evolved through different corporate partners and locations. The three variations are:

L. Hitchcock. Hitchcocks-ville. Conn. Warranted.

Hitchcock, Alford & Co. Hitchcocks-ville. Conn. Warranted.

L. Hitchcock. Unionville. Conn. Warranted.

In the second variation of the stencil, many of the chairs have two backwards "N's" in the word "CONN." This is thought to have occurred because many of the laborers who worked on the chairs were illiterate.

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.

The backs of the chairs have either vertical or horizontal rails with a crest rail at the top.They have turned legs and some chair legs have balls on the end.The seats were usually made from rush or cane.