Summary:

• Item: Oak Office Chair
• Circa: 1910
• Period: Edwardian
• Provenance: English, UK
• Wood: Solid oak
• High back design
• Large supportive bar shaped top rail
• Fan back vertical spindle bars
• Reclining & height adjustable mechanism
• Elegant shaped arm supports
• Comfortable “saddle-shaped” oak seat
• Splayed oak legs
• Original steel & brown mug castors
• Rotates 360 degrees
• Reclining back action
• Height adjustable
• Very comfortable
• Cleaned & serviced mechanism
• Excellent original condition
• Free delivery to mainland England, Wales & southern Scotland*
• 14-day free UK returns policy

Description:

Here is a fine quality antique English oak office chair, from the Edwardian period, incorporating a revolving, reclining & height adjustable mechanism, with an oak “saddle seat”, circa 1910, in excellent original condition. The English oak office chair is designed with a curved bar back, decorated with scroll carvings and supported by lower fan back spindle bars.  The back secures to shaped arms on elegant vertical shaped supports. The back and arms connect to the lower section, which features a comfortable solid oak “saddle shaped” seat.  The English oak office chair sits on four splayed oak legs that terminate on English made replacement solid brass castors. The chair incorporates the original mechanism, which has been cleaned and restored; allowing it to rotate 360 degrees and recline backwards.  The seat height can be adjusted by turning a ribbed metal screw on the underside of the chair, while the tension of the reclining action can be adjusted by turning the small wheel on the front of the mechanism. This Edwardian desk chair is extremely comfortable to sit on as the seat follows the contours of a traditional horse saddle.

The English oak office chair displays a rich golden-brown oak colour.  The Edwardian desk chair has a fantastic colour and patination; this can only be achieved through age and years of care and cleaning it has received.

This English oak office chair would look superb in a variety of rooms in the home, 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 steel rod:

External height (raised) = 93.5cm / 36⅞” / 3ft 0⅞”
External height (lowered) = 83.5cm / 32⅞” / 2ft 8⅞”
External width (arms) = 55.5cm / 21⅞” / 1ft 9⅞”
External depth (feet) = 57cm / 22½” / 1ft 9½”
Seat height (raised) = 51cm / 20⅛” / 1ft 8⅛”
Seat height (lowered) = 41cm / 16⅛” / 1ft 4⅛”
Seat width (between arms) = 53cm / 20⅞” / 1ft 8⅞”
Seat Depth = 46.5cm / 18¼” / 1ft 6¼”
Arm height (raised) = 74cm / 29⅛” / 2ft 5⅛”
Arm height (lowered) = 64cm / 25¼” / 2ft 0¼”
Back height (from seat) = 47cm / 18½” / 1ft 6½”

Condition Report:

Here is a fine quality antique English oak office chair, from the Edwardian period, incorporating a revolving, reclining & height adjustable mechanism, with an oak “saddle seat”, circa 1910, in excellent original condition. The reclining and adjustable height mechanism is in good working order, having been cleaned and restored.  There is some play to the mechanism but this is perfectly acceptable, and in line with the age of the chair. The English oak office chair boasts a rich golden-brown oak colour, having been cleaned and French polished by hand, to a professional standard, in our workshops.  The English oak office chair retains the original steel and brown mug wheel castors, which are in good working order.  This Edwardian desk 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. 110923