Armchair (one of a pair)

Historic photographs of the Drawing Room dating from c. 1890 - 1948 show this pair of tall-backed upholstered armchairs in the Rococo Revival style. The long-term use of these chairs in the Drawing Room is further confirmed by their upholstery, the same crimson silk damask with basket and tassel pattern also used on the Rococo Revival and painted suites. The pair retained fragments of the silk and gimp until reupholstered in 2002. All the under-structure of the upholstery remains intact. In light of the possible association of the large Rococo Revival Drawing Room suite with the Wesley B. Tarr bill of March 1844, an account dating from the following month is of note. On April 10, 1844, J. & J. Williams charged the Ridgelys for “2 High back chairs…$90.00,” possibly a reference to these chairs.