The history of antique Australian chairs from the beginning of the 20th century is traced in this article. This article discusses English design and chairmaker techniques. It also covers the different styles, including ladder-back and balloon-back. The chair is one of the less likely pieces of furniture that will survive to become antiques. Here are some things you should consider when trying to restore an antique chair.
They were at least 19th-century! With steadily rising labor and material costs, the age of the bodger or chair-maker was about to end. Hand-made chairs are no longer possible. They were mortised, tenoned by hand without any machinery and sometimes have turned legs and back rails. Rare examples of Australian chairs featuring the Trafalgar style back are found; such chairs are highly sought after and prized by individuals.
Australian chairs closely resembled European models. The main difference was the fact that Australian cedar was not as strong or tight-grained as mahogany, which was more prone to breaking the grain or turnings of the tenons. To address these issues, cedar chairs are often made in greater proportions so that they have lower structural properties. The legs of most cedar chairs, especially the front, show significant wear. For strength, and similarity with mahogany, fine quality Australian cedar chairs can be made from selected cuts of cedar. It was a high-ranking position to be able afford products from overseas, especially England.
Most Australian chairs manufactured before 1830 had saber-styled front legs. Others are tapered, pegged and pegged in an English provincial style. Other chairs have front legs made on a treadle or pole lathe. At that time machinery was quite simple and driven by human power in the form a flywheel or treadle. The job was hard work. All experts agree this is the best period to collect, because it preserves colonial cabinet-making’s past. These chairs are fitted with drop-in seating and can be removed from the chair for comfort in summer. It is extremely difficult to find chairs from this period.
I believe that the 1835 break in cabinet-making’s history was the second. This is when many styles were changed by outstanding designers. The introduction of steam engines to power workshop machinery was a major step towards industrialization. This replaced horse-driven treadmills. The new technology enabled a network flat-geared drive belts that could be used to vary the speed of rotating or band saws and for planers, lathes and cut/plane and turn timber for furniture manufacturing. We were also experiencing rapid population growth and a shortage of skilled cabinetmakers who could meet our growing needs. Most of the chairs from this period had turned front legs. Sometimes, they also featured a convict or trafalgar style back. Cane seats had covered cushions for comfort in winter. Front seat rails on higher quality chairs were sometimes cross-grained. Drop in seating was also popular during this period but they were rarely used after 1845.
With only minor modifications in design and significant changes in quality, I believe the third break point to have been around 1850. They were constructed from solid cedar pieces about half an inch thick. The style lasted almost to the end of 1860s and in certain areas until the dawn of the 21st century. The only ornamentation was the turning of the front legs. From then on, we started to see seats that had sprung and fixed upholstery.
The balloon-back chair was introduced in the same time period. However, it was not without difficulties as the Australian cedar wood was not kind to both manufacturers and designers. Although the chair looks great, the problem with the balloon-back is where it joins to the back legs. This, in addition to other issues that the bar back might have, makes the chair less appealing. These chairs are a great choice, but they must be handled with care. If you think about it, it makes perfect sense that the balloon-back chair is weaker than the crestingrail (top rail). This does not mean the dowels on either side are tapered, as was the case with rail-back chairs. Most chairs had turned legs. However, the hoop or legs may be carved occasionally. The chairs were also covered with spring stuff and often in leather.
In the 1800s and 1980s, balloon-back chairs were predominant. There was also a variation of the bar-back, or the ladder-back. The ladder-back cedar chair is not the most attractive, but it’s probably the strongest. This excludes provincial chairs made with leg stretchers or peg construction. Two horizontal back rails are built into the ladder-back chair’s rear legs. This gives it strength and style without sacrificing comfort. We have only seen a handful of these chairs with major damage, despite the fact that there was a lot of them. There are many of these chairs, both upholstered or hard-seated, and we have seen them with their turned front legs. A second point worth mentioning is the straighter back legs. They rely on nature more fully with less short grain. This gives the chair greater mechanical strength and a cleaner line.
Another major shift in design and style occurred during the 1890s. Although the quality of furniture timber was not as good as it had been half a century ago, we are smarter and can make them stronger and more affordable than ever before. This was at the cost of fine hand carving and tight turnings, as well as the preservation of the most beloved designs. Progress is a good thing. Otherwise, we would be stuck in the dark ages of caves and clubs. This period’s style was square with machine-carved decorations and turnings. It was also designed to be mass-produced, as it lost much of its character and finesse that the cedar chairs of earlier times were known for.
It is important that chairs are restored as very few examples of chairs have survived. Chairs can cost more to restore than they are worth. It is more expensive to fix a chair than a chest or drawers. While a chest or drawer may require attention once every 50 years or less, it is possible to restore a chair set with care. Chairs that have been left to the side for many generations can require a lot more attention. They may even need to be disassembled and re-glued, which requires patience and time. A chair can take more effort than a whole table. As they view chairs as “charity jobs”, it’s not possible to find competent tradesmen to fix them in the local area.
According to stories, chairs are one of the most unlikely furniture types to last. “one chair broke and granny threw it down the well years ago”Or “when the leg broke we used it for fire wood”. Restoring a chair is a matter of opinion. “it’s too much”Or “it’s not worth it!”It is likely that there was more chair production than any other product. Most chairs were purchased as a minimum of four sets. Yet, only a few remain. Many chairs that were old had severe repairs done to them. These included large screws to strengthen joints, steel straps to attach the legs and sides rails and large wooden blocks or large chunks of wood. This type of damage is often hidden under layers of upholstery. It is difficult to take a chair this damaged apart and have it repaired or re-glued. There are very few chairs that have survived without some kind of repair or patchwork. To fulfill your chair needs, it is best to accept the idea of a harlequin or combination of complementary chairs.
S. & D. Koszek, Gumnut Antiques