Antique Chairs Photos

Antique or artistic chairs in the collections of various museums & museum houses. This page features pre-20thC chairs. For 20thC chairs click the link under See Also.

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World & Chairs of Various Cultures Egyptian wood & ivory chair at Brooklyn Museum. Brooklyn, NY Cameroon Grassfields ceremonial chair at Fowler Museum. Los Angeles, CA Manta culture stone Shamanic bench from Ecuador at Musée du quai Branly. Paris, France
Sgabello Stools Sgabello carved with mask & baskets of fruit from Venice at Museum of Decorative Arts. Paris, France Italian stool-chair at Museum of Fine Arts. Boston, MA Venetian sgabello-type chair at National Gallery of Scotland. Edinburgh, Scotland
X-chairs Savonarola Italian walnut Savonarola Chair at Memorial Art Gallery. Rochester, NY Italian Renaissance replica style folding chair in King's Chamber at Blois Chateau. Blois, France Chair by G. Fisseux of France at Carnegie Museum of Art. Pittsburgh, PA
Thrones Carved throne with crest of François I in François I Renaissance wing at Blois Chateau. Blois, France Former King's bedroom converted to throne room by Napoleon I in Fontainbleau Palace. Fontainbleau, France Throne built for visit of King George IV to Ireland with footstool added for shorter Queen Victoria at Dublin Castle. Dublin, Ireland
Great Chairs Renaissance high-backed chair carved with unicorns & heron swallowing eel in Catherine de Medici bedroom at Chaumont-Sur-Loire. France Walnut armchair from France at Legion of Honor Museum. San Francisco, CA Great chair with carved back at John Balch Museum House. Beverly, MA
Great Chairs with Spindles & Other Backs Great chair from Plymouth, MA at Museum of Fine Arts. Boston, MA Contoured great chair with turned legs at Rothe House. Kilkenny, Ireland Scottish oak great chair carved with crown at Provand's Lordship. Glasgow, Scotland
Corner or Sword Chairs Corner chair in parlor at Orchard House. Concord, MA Corner chair prob. from Boston at RISD Museum. Providence, RI Carved corner chair at The Study. Culross, Scotland
Ladder Back Chairs Ladder-back armchair at Nathan Hale Homestead Museum. Coventry, CT Original filigreed chair of Millard Fillmore in his house. East Aurora, NY Ladder-back chair with high-button boots at Dodge House. Council Bluffs, IA
Splat Back Chairs Armchair etched with family names at Thomas Griswold House. Guilford, CT Chair in which Garibaldi sat when carried wounded from the battlefield in 1866 at Garibaldi-Meucci Museum. Staten Island, NY Freehand painted side chair made in Lancaster County, PA in Illinois period bedroom at DAR Memorial Continental Hall. Washington, DC
Spindle Back Chairs Carver chair with rush seat at Henry Whitfield State Museum. Guilford, CT Painted side chair from New England or New York in California period parlor at DAR Memorial Continental Hall. Washington, DC Elm sidechairs from Robert Burns' house in Dumfries at Writers' Museum. Edinburgh, Scotland
Windsor Chairs & Similar Models Contoured arm chair at Conference House. Staten Island, NY Fan-backed Windsor Chair from Philadelphia, PA at Art Institute of Chicago. Chicago, IL Windsor Armchair on American hooked rug at Bayou Bend. Houston, TX
Windsor Rocking Chairs Rocking chair with extended head rest at Dr. Hezekiah Chaffee House. Windsor, CT Wooden rocking chair with head rest at Hower House. Akron, OH Windsor-style rocking chair with headrest extension at Kingscote. Newport, RI
Writing, Reading & Reversible Chairs Windsor chair with writing arm, two drawers & offset back to allow for arm movement at Oliver Ellsworth Homestead Museum. Windsor, CT Reversible reading chair with drawers for glasses, pens & paper in library at Lauriston Castle. Edinburgh, Scotland Armchair with reading & writing extensions in which Voltaire is believed by some to have died at Carnavalet Museum. Paris, France
Painted Stenciled Chairs Stenciled caned side chair at Nichols-Rice-Cherry House at Sam Houston Park. Houston, TX Rocking chair with headrest & painted decoration at Thomas Griswold House. Guilford, CT Cane seat sidechair with decorated back attrib. to John Finlay & Hugh Finlay from Baltimore at National Gallery of Art. Washington, DC
Intricate 18th-19thC Chair Backs Dining Chippendale side chair at Manderston House. Duns, Scotland Upholstered armchair attrib. to George Seddon from England at Detroit Institute of Arts. Detroit, MI Viennese chair at Louvre Museum. Paris, France
Dining Chairs & Tables Dining room at Phelps-Hathaway House. Suffield, CT State Dining Room designed by James Gillespie Graham at Hopetoun House. Queensferry, Scotland Round dining table with chairs covered of striped woven upholstery by Wenzel Hablik at Schleswig Holstein State Museum. Schleswig, Germany
Upholstered Arm & Side Chairs James Monroe Executive Mansion chair by Pierre-Antoine Bellangé of France at Woodrow Wilson House. Washington, DC Empire armchair from France at Rouen Museum of Fine Arts. Rouen, France Rolling armchair from Abraham Lincoln's rail car at Union Pacific Railroad Museum. Council Bluffs, IA
Cabriole & Round Chairs Writing disk & curved armchair in grand salon at Nissim de Camondo Museum. Paris, France Armchair & desk with metallic flower inserts by Henri Rapin at Museum of Fine Arts. Reims, France Drop front desk owned by King George VI with round armchair in king's bedroom at Glamis Castle. Angus, Scotland
Wing Chairs Armchair oldest piece of furniture at Drum Castle. Drumoak, Scotland Easy chair in which George Washington sat shortly before his death at National Museum of American History. Washington, DC Armchair by Adrien Karbowsky at Musée d'Orsay. Paris, France
Easy Chairs Reclining chair at French Legation Museum. Austin, TX Bedroom fireplace with purple armchair at Russborough House. Ireland Nixon's giraffe pattern easy chair from his retirement office at Nixon Library. Yorba Linda, CA
Wooden Rocking Chairs Rocking chair used in governor's office in 1885 capitol at West Virginia State Museum. Charleston, WV Rocking chair in Chambers Home at Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site. Colorado Springs, CO Rocking chair with spool back at Davis House Museum. San Diego, CA
Later Rocking Chairs Natural vine & oak wooden rocking chair used by Cornelius Vanderbilt at Henry Ford Museum. Dearborn, MI Swan rocking chair in master bedroom of Maymont Mansion. Richmond, VA Art Nouveau furniture collection around buffet by Louis Majorelle & Chaise Lounge by Thonet Bros at Chrysler Museum of Art. Norfolk, VA
Stationary Rockers Stationary rocking chair at Bidwell Mansion house museum. Chico, CA Spool stationary rocking chair on frame in Shannon Farmhouse at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park. County Clare, Ireland Sitting room stationary rocking chair in Coolidge Homestead at President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Park. Plymouth Notch, VT
Love seats & Conversation Chairs Tête-à-têtes loveseat at Chateau-sur-Mer. Newport, RI Bamboo style love seat at McCulloch House. Waco, TX Modern visitor's bench at Cincinnati Art Museum. Cincinnati, OH
Carved Chairs Sculpted wooden armchair which belonged to Sarah Bernhardt at Musée d'Orsay. Paris, France Detail of elephant carving on armchair used at McKinley's White House at William McKinley Presidential Museum & Library. Canton, OH Carved oak chair supported on winged lions in library of Maymont Mansion. Richmond, VA
Choir Stalls & Seats Fantastical carvings on choir stalls at Angers Chateau. Angers, France Carvings on choir chairs of abbey church of Saint-Étienne. Caen, France Carved bat on Medieval choir stall at Dunblane Cathedral. Dunblane, Scotland
Antler Chairs & Rustic Furniture Cattle horn chair at Buckhorn Museum. San Antonio, TX Steer horn armchair possibly from Texas at Art Institute of Chicago. Chicago, IL Elk horn chair used by Theodore Roosevelt when he visited old Nevada State Capitol. Carson City, NV
Folding Chairs Folding chair at Brodie Castle. Brodie, Scotland Folding chair in President McKinley's study at Ida Saxton McKinley Historic House. Canton, OH Metal-framed folding chair by Cevedra B. Sheldon made by Marks Adjustable Folding Chair Co. of New York City exhibited at Chicago World's Fair at Art Institute of Chicago. Chicago, IL
Commode Chairs Commode chair at Thomas Halsey Homestead. South Hampton, NY Toilet chair in Bonnie Prince Charlie's room at Thirlestane Castle. Scotland Commode chair in bathroom with flush pull on floor at Lauriston Castle. Edinburgh, Scotland
Chair Table Bench table where table top moves to become backrest of bench in crypt at Glamis Castle. Angus, Scotland Chair with fold down table top in kitchen at Johnston Farm. Piqua, OH Fireplace & hutch table at Hyland House. Guilford, CT
Chairs for Children Collection of highchairs at Historic Richmond Town Museum. Staten Island, NY Four position high chair at Mobile Museum of Art. Mobile, AL Art Nouveau child's high chair by Jean Dampt of Paris at Museum of Decorative Arts. Paris, France
Barber Chairs Barber shop in Arhelger Bath House at Pioneer Museum. Fredericksburg, TX Barber's chair at Cleveland History Center. Cleveland, OH Carved horse head on child's barber chair at New England Carousel Museum. Bristol, CT
Sedan Chairs Sedan chair at Petit Palace Museum. Paris, France Child's sedan chair in Ambassador's room at Scone Palace. Perth, Scotland Sedan chair at Musées des Arts Décoratifs. Lyon, France
Wheel Chairs Mechanical wheelchair used by Georges Couthon, close to Robespierre & executed July 1794 at Carnavalet Museum. Paris, France President F.D. Roosevelt's wheelchair which he had made from desk chair to better conceal his Polio paralysis. Hyde Park, NY Charles Schreiner's wheelchair at Capt. Charles Schreiner Mansion. Kerrville, TX
Shaker chairs Shaker rocking chair at Philadelphia Museum of Art. Philadelphia, PA Shaker straight-back chair as hung on wall from Shaker community of Mt. Lebanon, NY, at Philadelphia Museum of Art. Philadelphia, PA Rocking chair from Enfield Shaker Village, NH at Currier Museum of Art. Manchester, NH
William Morris chairs / English Arts and Crafts Morris chair showing reclining mechanism at Robert Frost Farm. Derry, NH Morris-type chair at Historic Richmond Town Museum. Staten Island, NY Reclining Morris chair with lion handles in sitting room of farm house at Billings Farm & Museum. Woodstock, VT
Gustav Stickley / American Arts and Crafts Armchair by Harvey Ellis from Gustav Stickley's Craftsman Workshops of Eastwood, NY at LACMA. Los Angeles, CA Arts & Crafts armchair by Gustav Stickley at Dallas Museum of Art. Dallas, TX Arts & Crafts woven willow armchair by Gustav Stickley at Dallas Museum of Art. Dallas, TX
Roycroft / American Arts and Crafts Roycroft version of reclining Morris chair at Elbert Hubbard Roycroft Museum. East Aurora, NY Roycroft chair made for Grove Park Inn of Asheville, NC at Elbert Hubbard Roycroft Museum. East Aurora, NY Armchair with full Roycroft name trademark at Roycroft Inn. East Aurora, NY
Arts and Crafts Chairs & Furniture Shop of the Crafters desk & chair by Pál Horti at LACMA. Los Angeles, CA Arts & crafts wooden arm & rocking chairs at Marston House Museum. San Diego, CA Rocking chair in Arts & Crafts style at Miramont Castle. Manitou Springs, CO
Spanish Colonial & Mission Revival Chairs Armchair from Peru of pine, leather & iron nails at Museum of Spanish Colonial Art. Santa Fe, NM Spanish-style chair purchased by W.H. Taft while Governor General of the Philippines at Taft House NHS. Cincinnati, OH Spanish Revival friar's arm chair with leather sear & back at Mission Inn Museum. Riverside, CA
Leather Chairs James Madison's Compeachy Chair given to him by Thomas Jefferson at James Madison Museum. Orange, VA Leather chair in President Garfield's study at Garfield home. Mentor, OH Bent family chair given by Charles Bent to Kit Carson who later returned it to Bent's widow at Governor Bent Museum. Taos, NM
Caned Chairs Variety of early American caned chairs at Butler-McCook House Museum. Hartford, CT Walnut & cane sidechair at Henry Whitfield State Museum. Guilford, CT Caned side chair in music room at Gibson House Museum. Boston, MA
Wicker Chairs & Bentwood Furniture Wicker chairs & table at Bragg-Mitchell Mansion. Mobile, AL Rocking chair in Chambers Home at Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site. Colorado Springs, CO Rattan armchair by Heywood Brothers & Co. of MA at Carnegie Museum of Art. Pittsburgh, PA
Thonet Bentwood Cafe Chairs Golden bentwood chair by Michael Thonet of Vienna at Pinakothek der Moderne. Munich, Germany Bentwood armchairs by Thonet Brothers of Vienna at Pinakothek der Moderne. Munich, Germany Bentwood sleeping sofa by Thonet Brothers of Vienna at Pinakothek der Moderne. Munich, Germany
Stools Hall chair from England at Detroit Institute of Arts. Detroit, MI Rococo style piano stool supported by carved dolphin at Thirlestane Castle. Scotland Modernista stool replica from Casa Calvet in Barcelona by Antoni Gaudí at Casa Milà. Barcelona, Spain
Library Step Stools Convertible Chairs Combination patented library steps which folds into a chair by Augustus Eliaers of Boston, MA at Museum of Fine Arts. Boston, MA Antique library steps which fold into chair in Edwardian Library at Falkland Palace. Falkland, Scotland Chair which unfolds into ladder beside writing desk in library at Brodie Castle. Brodie, Scotland
Prayer Stools Prayer alter in Queen's bedchamber at Falkland Palace. Falkland, Scotland Prayer stool at Musées des Arts Décoratifs. Lyon, France Modernista prayer bench from Casa Güell chapel in Barcelona by Antoni Gaudí at Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya. Barcelona, Spain
Chairs & Benches as Art The Yearling by Donald Lipski, a life-sized horse on a super-sized chair at Denver Central Library. Denver, CO Locust Grove crafts festival. Louisville, KY Oops! chair in Renwick Museum. Washington, DC
Sofas, Settees, Benches Couch from New York at Yale University Art Gallery. New Haven, CT Sofa designed by Aleix Clapés with advice of Gaudí at Gaudi House Museum in Parc Güell. Barcelona, Spain Rocking cradle bench in birthplace house at President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Park. Plymouth Notch, VT
Modern Chairs Modernista armchair replica from Casa Calvet in Barcelona by Antoni Gaudí at Casa Milà. Barcelona, Spain Sitzmaschine no. 670 by Josef Hoffmann for Jacob & Josef Kohn of Vienna at Pinakothek der Moderne. Munich, Germany Cast aluminum armchair made for Price Tower by Frank Lloyd Wright at Carnegie Museum of Art. Pittsburgh, PA
See Also:
All photos on this page are originals by & copyrighted by Jim Steinhart.
All rights reserved. Permission required to use.

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