Easy Chair

Upholstered by Caleb Gardner Jr. American

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 749

Eighteenth-century easy chairs—heavily padded, with thick down-filled cushions, and with wings to rest one's head against and keep drafts away—were often reserved for the elderly or the infirm. This New England example is remarkable for its elaborate upholstery and intact condition. The front is covered with Irish stitch needlework and the back with a needlework landscape scene. The seams are covered with silk tape. The frame is inscribed " Made by Caleb Gardner Junr," presumably the upholsterer, and dated "New Port, May 23 1758."

Easy Chair, Upholstered by Caleb Gardner Jr. (American, 1729–1801), Walnut, maple; wool on linen ground (front panel), wool and silk on linen ground (back panel), silk and cotton tape, silk and wool tape, American

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