The Windsor Chair in America
The Windsor chair made it's appearance into Colonial America in about 1730 by way of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By the end of the American Revolution it was fast becoming one of the most beloved chairs in the Colonies. The Windsor was made from Maine to South Carolina and west to the Mississippi River and was found in homes belonging to people of every walk of life.
Windsor chairs were also found just about everywhere including government buildings, the most famous of which was Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This is what our founding Fathers sat in, Windsor chairs, to debate and sign the Declaration of Independence. Legend has it that Thomas Jefferson sat in his "Revolving" Windsor chair while writing this historical document.
The trade of Windsor chairmaking was a specialized trade and for over 100 years Master Craftsmen made these chairs completely by hand with the help of an apprentice. The Industrial Revolution which began in and around 1850 caused the demise of this specialized craft and Windsor chairs then became mass produced by machines.
Here at Storybook Joinery we are trying to recapture and replicate the "Bench Made" Windsor chair that those early craftsmen so uniquely produced over 200 years ago.
Storybook Joinery
Bench-Made Reproduction Windsor Chairs & Period Furniture
"by hand, by eye, the 18th Century way"
