The Englishman's Chair

Origins, Design, and Social History of Seat Furniture in England

John Gloag

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN:
  9781032367255
• eBook ISBN:
  9781000776058
• Topic: Architecture
• Subtopic: Architecture General

Originally published in 1964, The Englishman's Chair is a history of English chairs, written as a continuous story from the 15th to the 20th Century and because of the revealing powers inherent in chair-making and design, it is also an unconventional footnote to English social history. The changes in taste, and fashion, the increase of skill, the introduction of new materials and the long battle between dignity and comfort are discussed, as is the impact that modern industrial designers have had on chair design.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Original Title Page
• Original Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• Table of Contents
• The Englishman’s Chair
• 1. Posture and Design
• 2. Origins in the Ancient World and the Early Middle Ages, 3400 bc-ad 1300
• 3. The Native English Style, 1300-1550
• 4. The Taste of the New Rich, 1550-1630
• 5. Puritan Interlude, 1630-1660
• 6. The Restoration of Luxury, 1660-1690
• 7. Curvilinear Design and the End of Rigidity, 1690-1730
• 8. The Great Chair-makers, 1730-1810
• 9. Survival of the Native English Style, 1660-1900
• 10. A Short History of the Rocking Chair, 1750-1900
• 11. Design for Comfort, 1830-1900
• 12. Craft Revivalists and Industrial Designers
• Books and References used or quoted
• I. A Short List of English Designers and Makers
• II. The Gilding of Chairs
• III. Painting Furniture
• IV. Decoration of Chairs
• The Plates
• Index