Summary:

• Item: American desk chair
• Circa: 1910
• Period: Victorian
• Provenance: America (USA)
• Wood: Oak
• Bowed shaped bar back
• Supportive high-back
• Vertical shaped spindle bars
• Single piece down-swept bentwood arms
• Newly upholstered
• Dark green full-grain leather seat
• Cleaned & serviced mechanism
• Rotates 360 degrees
• Height adjustable
• Reclining action
• Splayed oak legs
• New brass & ceramic castors
• Very comfortable
• Stunning colour and patination
• Free delivery to mainland England, Wales & southern Scotland*
• 14-day free UK returns policy

Description:

This is a fine quality antique Edwardian American desk chair, also known as a “Sheriff’s chair”, constructed from solid oak, incorporating a revolving, reclining & height adjustable mechanism, with a newly upholstered green leather seat, circa 1910, in good working condition.  The chair is constructed with an elegant bow-shaped top rail, above a high-back of shaped spindle bars, providing plenty of back support.   The back of the chair is secured by two Bentwood style single-piece down-swept arms, secured by turned spindles below.  The seat has been newly upholstered, to a professional standard, in top quality full grain green leather; finished with brass studwork to the seat perimeter.   The underside of the seat has also been re-webbed in the traditional manner.  The American desk chair retains its original cast iron mechanism, which has been cleaned and serviced.  The seat is height-adjustable and the chair reclines, with an adjustable working tension spring and handle.  The chair rotates 360 degrees; it is height adjustable (with a locking latch – see photos) and also features a reclining mechanism (the tension cannot be adjusted).  The chair terminated on protruding splayed oak legs and terminates on new solid brass and brown mug castors.  This oak office chair is extremely comfortable, as it boasts a high-back with a padded leather seat.  This style of chair originates from North America; they were particularly used in law enforcement (Sheriff) offices and also in other public offices in the latter part of the 19th century.

The American desk chair boasts a rich dark-brown oak colour; this can only be achieved through age and years of care and cleaning it has received.  This antique revolving office chair would look superb in a variety of rooms in either a traditional or contemporary setting, especially the office or study as it is so comfortable. This item would certainly grace any home.  So, don’t miss out on your chance to own a lovely piece of furniture.

History of the Office Chair:

An office chair, or desk chair, is a type of chair that is designed for use at a desk in an office. It is usually a swivel chair, with a set of wheels for mobility and adjustable height. Modern office chairs typically use a single, distinctive load bearing leg (often called a gas lift), which is positioned underneath the chair seat. Near the floor this leg spreads out into several smaller feet, which are often wheeled and called casters.

Before the nineteenth century, most of the global workforce was employed in agrarian labor—an “office chair” was only relevant for the wealthy, government officials and academics. In fact, Charles Darwin is the earliest known adopter of a proto-office chair, grafting wheels onto a normal chair in the 1840s so he could swivel between specimens. It goes without saying that this was a fairly uncommon use case.

Then came the railroad, the advent of manufacturing, and the Industrial Revolution. As the traditional model of labor was upended, more administrative workers were needed for logistical coordination and bookkeeping, and the concept of general and administrative workers was born. Businesses empowered by rail access in scaling and expanding to new markets employed more and more people—creating a cadre of middle managers.

This was the first time in history that productivity accrued on a mass scale from people sitting indoors. As white-collar workers became a crucial economic resource for the first time, their bosses began to recognize the value of making them comfortable.

The “Centripetal Office Chair”, designed by the inventor Thomas Warren and launched by the American Chair Company in 1851 at the Great Exhibition in London.  An example of this office chair now sits in the Brooklyn Museum.

Office chairs were developed around the mid-19th century onwards, as more workers spent their shifts sitting at a desk, leading to the adoption of several features not found on other chairs.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_chair

Source: https://www.branchfurniture.com/blogs/turn-key/the-history-of-the-modern-office-chair#:~:text=Mid%2D1800s%3A%20Victorian%20Design,sits%20in%20the%20Brooklyn%20Museum.

Dimensions: 

The following information provides dimensions on when the chair height is lowered and also raised to its highest setting using by adjusting the central threaded steel rod:

External Height (Raised) = 122.5cm / 48¼” / 4ft 0¼”
External Height (Lowered) = 113.5cm / 44¾” / 3ft 8¾”
External Width (Arms) = 57.5cm / 22⅝” / 1ft 10⅝”
External Depth (Chair Frame) = 55cm / 21⅝” / 1ft 9⅝”
Seat Height – Front Rail (Raised) = 52.3cm / 20⅝” / 1ft 8⅝”
Seat Height – Front Rail (Lowered) = 42.3cm / 16⅝” / 1ft 4⅝”
Seat Height – Centre (Raised) = 55cm / 21⅝” / 1ft 9⅝”
Seat Height – Centre (Lowered) = 45cm / 17¾” / 1ft 5¾”
Seat Width (Between Arms) = 46.5cm / 18⅜” / 1ft 6⅜”
Seat Width (Leather Pad) = 44cm / 17¼” / 1ft 56¼”
Seat Depth = 47cm / 18½” / 1ft 6½”
Arm Height (Raised) = 73.5cm / 29” / 2ft 5”
Arm Height (Lowered) = 63.7cm / 25⅛” / 2ft 1⅛”
Back Height (From Seat) = 71cm / 28” / 2ft 4”

Condition Report:

This is a fine quality antique Edwardian American desk chair, also known as a “Sheriff’s chair”, constructed from solid oak, incorporating a revolving, reclining & height adjustable mechanism, with a newly upholstered green leather seat, circa 1910, in good working condition.  The seat has been newly upholstered, to a professional standard, in top quality full grain green leather.  The reclining and adjustable height mechanism is in good working order, having been cleaned and restored.  There is some play to the revolving mechanism but this is perfectly acceptable, and in line with the age of the chair.  The American desk chair boasts a rich dark brown oak colour, having been cleaned and French polished by hand, to a professional standard, in our workshop. The oak office chair has been fitted with top quality new solid brass and brown mug castors.  This revolving office chair is solid in joint and ready to use.

Terms & Conditions:

Before you purchase this item, please ensure you have read and are in agreement with our Terms & Conditions of Sale. If you have any questions regarding our Terms & Conditions of Sale, please contact us to discuss them, before purchasing this item.

Ref. 110741