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What Are Fan-Back Armchairs?
by Mame Dennis
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Overview
The fan-back armchair is one of seven different Windsor chair styles, adapted from the original English Windsor chair. The fan-back was produced in New England in the early 1700s. Today, fan-back Windsor chairs are a popular addition to the modern home, and since the style is so simple, it fits in any décor. They tend to be popular as dining chairs, since they come in both armchair and side chair versions. They are also commonly used in libraries and as university chairs.
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History
The Windsor chair has been around in its current form since the 17th century, when King George III reportedly saw them and had some commissioned for Windsor Castle. Colonists brought the design with them to America, and adapted it to suit American styles. The fan-back style Windsor was typical of Nantucket, New England and Philadelphia. This was the first style of chair that was mass produced. They were originally intended as lawn chairs, and were usually painted.
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Features
The fan-back Windsor armchair has a carved bent crest top with curved or spiraled ends. The chair design is similar to the comb-back design, but with two major differences. The fan-back has decorative turned stiles, the spindles that support the crest and the arms attach to the stiles. In the comb-back style, there are no decorative stiles and the arms are a single piece of wood that is bent and continues all the way around the back of the chair. The seat on the fan-back style chair was almost always shield shaped and carved.
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Materials
The fan-back armchairs of New England were usually made of a combination of woods. Pine and poplar were generally used for the seat, while oak, hickory and chestnut were used for the spindles and steam bent parts. And hardwoods like birch and maple were usually used for the carved arms, stretchers and legs. There was no shortage of woods in colonial America, and the carpenters were limited only by their imagination.
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Identificaton
When looking for authentic colonial fan-back armchairs, keep in mind that they were always painted and not varnished. These chairs were designed for everyday use, both indoors and out and were built to hold up to wear and tear. A painted surface was easier to clean and chair makers believed that paint unified the design. Up until about 1780, the chairs were painted green. Later, black and red became popular.
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Significance
The development of the Windsor chair in all of its regional styles closely mimics the development of America as a new country. As the colonists became more and more independent, they felt free to adapt English styles to their own use. The Windsor chair, once representative of English royalty, became a democratic, distinctly American style. Today, despite the name, it is commonly thought of as an American design.
