Folding Chairs

Folding Chairs When I began researching folding chairs I expected to find an abundance of information about how they were used, what materials were best, where to purchase them and similar questions to aide in a civilian portrayal. After all a variety of folding chairs abound in military photographs and illustrations. The further I researched the more evident it became that I was not going to find a list of chairs which Civil War era civilian reenactors should be using, an abundance of manufacturing statistics leading up to the war, or even advice for selecting the chairs and their upholstery in home economy books. Instead, I found despite a history dating back centuries, folding chairs were minimally used domestically during the first half of the nineteenth century. This was followed by a resurgence in popularity during and immediately following the War, which may have sprouted during the 1850s in the United States and earlier in the century in Europe*. This finding leaves us with a significant quandary regarding the use of folding chairs among civilian reenactors. True. Folding chairs offer several appealing factors. They are easy to pack. They are easy to carry. They offer a periodesque look to a display, home or encampment. They are frequently less expensive then mid-nineteenth century non-folding chairs or their reproductions. They are also documented for military use. Are any of these factors justification enough for the use of folding chairs by civilians? Sorry. I am not going to answer that question for you. I am going to provide you with a summary of what information I have found to aid you in your decision on chair use. The first question you are likely asking is “What do you mean minimally used domestically?” as this is the problematic factor. This low level of domestic use occurs during the first half of the century. Historians and archeologists have found evidence of folding chairs dating back centuries to the Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Etruscan societies. (For examples of these early folding chairs see The Illustrated History of Folding Chairs) In most eras since then, some type of folding chair has existed. Some historians note a wide spread decrease in use of folding chairs at the end of the Renaissance until the second half of the nineteenth century (Talbott and Dubrow). Folding chairs are often categorized as patent furniture as much folding, convertible, and adjustable furniture of the second half of the century are considered. In the decades leading up to the Civil War, the years in which our characters came of age and made their homes, show minimal evidence of folding chair use in the United States. By looking at manufacturing and patent information before, during and after the war, we see the significant resurgence in folding chair production for domestic use right after the war. During the Civil War the military commissioned folding chairs made for military use. We see examples of these chairs throughout photographs and illustrations often in camp settings. Those makers commissioned during the war to make chairs for military use saw the advantages of making versions for the domestic market, for civilian use. After the war, these manufactures continued to make chairs in increasing numbers as they gained popularity. We see this surge in invention, production, and marketing in a number of ways. First the number of patents shows a significant increase. According to the Annual Report of the Commissioners, which lists patents between 1790 and 1873, no patents were filed for folding chairs prior to 1850; 5 were filed between 1850 and 1859; 10 filed between 1860 and 1864; 40 filed between 1865 and 1869; and 70 in the final three years. These numbers only include those listed as folding chairs not the components for such chairs which would dramatically increase the numbers. (I was happy to find my Example of a Hammock conclusions supported with the ILL arrival of Harwood’s book on style chair. These chairs Hunzinger. Our figures are similar, though not exact in count. were more likely recreational chairs. Harwood finds: “The patent index of 1873 includes 68 types of patent chairs, about half of which are domestic. Between 1790 and 1873, the years covered by the index, there are 117 patents for folding chairs. The first was issued in 1855, and almost all, 115, were granted between 1860 and 1873. Further, all but two are for domestic use rather than commercial folding chairs for theaters, carriage cars, the latter becoming more numerous after 1874. These chairs are generally characterized by a simple, light frame and portability. Most of these 115 domestic patent chairs were intended for indoor use, but some were clearly meant for outdoor porches and travel.” Second the number of makers and their activities become recognizable and increase. Dubrows’ extensive list of furniture manufacturers shows folding chair manufacturing beginning in the 1850s increasing in the 60s. Third advertising for folding chairs becomes prominent in the late 1850s and more so as the 1870s approached. Folding chairs first appeared within catalogues for other furniture such the Illustrated Catalogue of Ornamental Iron Work, Manufactured by Janes, Beebe, and Company printed in the 1850s which illustrates folding chairs with and without arms. (This image is available on the New York Public Library website. An advertisement with the same illustrations is on the American Memory site.) The New Haven Folding Chair Company began publishing an annual Illustrated Catalogue and Price List of Folding Chairs and Invalid Rolling Chairs beginning in 1863. (the 17th, 1879 and 18th, 1880 annual editions are listed with WorldCat.) E. H. Mohoney’s Company and George F. Roach’s Company, both in Boston, published Illustrated Catalogues in 1878 and 1882 respectively. Vail released a semi-annual publication listing his chairs. Now that we better understand when chairs were produced for domestic use, let us look at the makers and their chairs themselves. For our purposes, we need to understand several folding constructions. Most constructions have a main pivot which enables the chair to fold with additional pivots to aide in the folding. This main pivot classifies the chair construction. - The side X construction has an X on the side of the chair made by the legs beneath the seat. When the seat is a textile, the front runner of the seat folds back against the back seat runner. Often the back rest pivots down folding over the folded seat and legs. When the seat is solid, it folds up against the back of the chair. - The front X construction has an X in the front and back formed by the legs. The seat is a textile. If there is a back rest, it is also a textile. The sides of the seat fold towards each other. If there is a back, most often the back folds down, then the sides fold together. If the chair has arms, these tend to fold alongside of the legs of the chair. (see illustrations) - The scissors fold also has an X on the sides of the chair. In this case, the X is formed with the seat and a leg crossing the back and a leg. The axis of the X is a pivot where the seat and back of the chair meet. The seat folds against the back while the legs nest together. - The Hammock style has a side X formed by the legs as well. The seat and back are formed from a single textile hung like a hammock. The illustrations in The Prairie Traveler reflect this style. The front of the seat folds back against the back of the chair. There are other folding methods, but these are the most common. The front X chairs dominate the folding chairs found in military photographs. Meanwhile side X chairs and scissors chairs tend to dominate the domestic market. Hammock chairs seem to be meant for recreational purposes. (Birgit Lohmann explains in detail the folding construction of chairs in her 1988 thesis now available online.) The side X and the scissors folding designs were also applied to rocking folding chairs. Examples of basic side X folding chairs. Each of these chairs have textile seats and solid backs. The Merriam chair has a single pivot at the axis of the X. The front of the seat folds against the back of the chair. It is similar to the chair the young boy is sitting on in the post-War cabinet card. The Whitmore chair has two pivots, one at the axis of the X and one at the base of the back. The legs fold together while the back of the chair folds around the seat resting against the legs. When looking at the mentions of folding chairs in period literature, we see the mentions were very few prior to 1860 and the chairs appear to fall in three categories. (While these mentions on their own may seem to indicate the use of folding chairs, it is when we look at the century long continuum preceding and following the Civil War that we see how few chairs are mentioned prior to the war as compared to after the war.) Most often folding chairs are mentioned in parlor settings or in locations in immediate proximity of the home. “The minute we entered, Mademoiselle Reine dropped on a folding-chair, and dissolved in tears. As for me, I wasn't even given the time to find a chair.” (The Living Age, 1844) “Near her, upon a folding chair, was seated Bertha de Maillepre. Bertha had on a gown of white gauze.”(The Loves of Paris by Paul Henri C.

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