Featured Would love help identifying these chairs

I have a set of 5 chairs that I would love to know more about. They are made fully of wood with wooden pegs and no metal screws. I'm drawn to the gorgeous woodgrain backs and the tone of the wood. They are not marked anywhere that I can find.

Would anyone know anything about them? I'd love to know how old they are and if they are American or imported. My mother bought them at an antique store about a decade ago. She paid $40 each for them. I will not be parting with them, I love them too much. They are surprisingly sturdy and will be used.

 

While we're here, does anyone reading or replying have an idea on a fair price for re-caning? We have a similar set of chairs, but the caning has torn away from the seat-frames on several of them... Repairing them has long since become a "one-of-these-days-we'll look-into-that" sort of thing...

 

American. Nice hand-done caning. I'm not good at dating these, although I have a pair that are almost identical from the seat down, also held together with wood pegs. Bought in the 80's, but don't remember what the dealer said about age.

 

If you can find someone experienced to so it, pay whatever they say!

 

I'm loving your mother more & more. Only reason I wouldn't have those chairs in a flash is what the cats would to do them even faster. Beautiful.

 

The "peg" on the back, holding the top rail in place, isn't a peg, but a wooden "plug", covering a countersunk wood screw ..pegs usually show end grain, while plugs show cross grain, like yours.

Lovely chairs though!

 

LOL, sounds like Bakers tried a DIY thingy once upon a time
Kinda depends on where you live but aprox. $1.50 per drilled hole plus material which translates into $150-$200 per chair.
https://www.wickerwoman.com/pricing-charges

 

Hi,
I have to agree with James. I had two pieces that needed done, not worth the price. In the end I bought pre woven caning and a long piece of spline. Changed the broken hand done pieces with the the pre woven and and spline. Made it usable and unless you turned it upside down and looked you would not know the difference. Cost me 12 dollars instead of 200.
greg

 

Nope I did not. But I did pay the dealer's wife to replace the cane on both chairs (which had already been removed.) I don't remember exactly how much but I have a vague notion that it was about half of what you are quoting.

 

These are nice chairs, guesses American, 2nd half 19th century, often called Federal or Empire. Wait for ghopper or Brad who are more familiar with this style.

 

Quicky search brought these up on ebay
https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Antique-...085443?hash=item3408a14283:g:6VcAAOSwcrdcohKY

 

BaseballGames, do you happen to have an "Industries for the Blind" in the area where you live?

Our local Industries for the Blind teaches limited-sight/blind people how to "cane" chairs. They also do an absolutely beautiful "repair" or "replacement" to the caning on chairs.

 

A bit early for me as far as expertise goes. I could see how these might be considered Federal but, if so, would think first half of the 19th century.

 

Thanks, all, for the input! We'll look into all those possibilities...
Hopefully we didn't derail this thread too severely from Migg's original post -- now back to the actual topic!

 

No, don't think first half 19th, they would be hand made and i don't think they are. More likely 2nd half 19th, machine made, ( glued & screwed, agrees those are not wood pins, they are plugs to hide screws) federal revival/empire revival.
Still, NICE CHAIRS! and for $40 apiece, you did well.

 

Could buy revival and circular saw marks seen on the underside supports this. Just really didn't know that Federal was being revived in the later time period. As I said, this is really not my area of interest.

 

Thing is, many of these 19th century styles went on out in the hinterlands/country sometimes for decades after they had fallen out of fashion in the big cities. And why not? if people kept buying older furniture fashions i can see manufacturers going along with that, easier all around.

 

As an example, Late Classical-Empire Revival-Pillar & Scroll or whatever one wishes to call it, all the same style really, continued on until 1900 or so, people obviously liked that style both in the cities & out in the country.

 

A bit unusual, but I have to go with James and the late 19th century on these; specifically, Federal Revival with a little dash of......Eastlake. I'd date them to the 1880s-90s. Good price and very attractive chairs!

One can occasionally see this with clocks and mirrors; certain conservative styles had staying power, sometimes in the big cities as well as the countryside. Ogee clock cases, for example, started in the Federal period but could be found new almost a century later. The maker would simply add a fillip of Renaissance Revival or whatever and call it good.

 

Thank you all for your input, I understand my chairs more now and will appreciate them even more