Windsor settee

Windsor chairs trace their name back to Windsor Castle, where they were used in the early 1700s. During the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in England and America, they served as seating furniture in parlors, porches, and gardens, as well as in public buildings. Several features found in this settee indicate it was made in Boston, including the baluster shape of the legs and stretchers, and the carving of the back spindles to resemble bamboo. The serpentine crest rail and shaped arms of this settee are more commonly seen in Philadelphia examples. Although the expense prohibited most Windsor chairs from being upholstered, this settee's seat bears small holes along its edge left from upholstery tacks. Guided by surviving tack marks and comparative examples, the museum was able to approximate its original leather covering.