Chair (Lolling chair)

Museum Object Number 1957.0769

Object Name

Chair (Lolling chair)

Category

Furniture

Credit Line/Donor

Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont

Creator (Role)

Lemuel Churchill (Furniture Maker)

Joseph Li Volsi (Upholsterer)

Creator Notes

Per telephone conversation with Paul Periconi, nephew of Joseph LiVolsi, 08/18/2009: LiVolsi was born on August 14, 1907. His father, Salvatore, and his mother immigrated from Italy. Joseph LiVolsi was a third generation upholsterer. LiVolsi married his wife, Grace on November 18, 1934. In addition to working for Winterthur, Mr. Periconi notes that his uncle did work for the White House refurnishing project and for Mount Vernon, among other museums. LiVolsi worked at home after his retirement until the time of his death. It is very likely that all information, fabric scraps, and tools pertaining to his upholstery business were disposed of after Grace LiVolsi's death in 2007. (SAJ, 08/18/2009) More information about LiVolsi is available on the website: http://www.scovottifamily.com/grace.html

Date of Birth

August 14, 1907

Date of Death

October 22, 1985

Place of Origin

Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, New England, United States, North America

Secondary Place of Origin

France, Europe

Secondary Origin Notes

This fabric was possibly made in France between 1790 and 1825.

Mark or Signature or Inscription or Label

1. Label; Inside rear rail; "LEMUEL CHURCHILL,/ MAKES AND SELLS..." (see description)

Materials

Mahogany; Birch; Maple, soft; Silk

Techniques

Woven (satin)

Dimensions (inches)

41.5 (H) , 26.25 (W) , 27.75 (D)

Dimensions (centimeters)

105.41 (H) , 66.675 (W) , 70.485 (D)

Measurement Notes

OW at back of arms; OD from back of crest to front of seat. W (crest) 25 in. (63.4 cm); W (seat) 24.5 in. (62.1 cm); W (feet) 24 in. (60.8 cm). The width of the fabric from seam to seam is 18 inches.

Object Description

Web - 01/23/2019

Federal-style lolling chair made primarily of mahogany with birch in the front seat rail and soft maple as the side and rear seat rails. The trapezoidal chair back is slightly concave from side to side and is angled back relative to the seat. The arms and the front legs are continuous. The arm rest curves outward and the arm support, which is beaded, is s-curved forward. The arms taper at the handholds and the legs, which have beaded edges, taper at the terminals. The rear legs cant backward and are mounted at an angle. A faded paper label pasted on the inside of the rear seat rail reads: [LEMUEL CHURCHILL, / MAKES AND SELLS / Cabi[net] Furniture and Chairs, / O[F THE] NEWEST FASHIONS A[ND] BEST OF WORK, / AT / [?]N RO[?]]. The chair is upholstered in satin-weave silk with multi-colored vertical stripes of various widths, colored yellow, pink, black, and shades of green, against a beige ground with narrow horizontal white stripes. A narrow cording runs across the top of the chair-back and at the back sides. The fabric on the seat is turned under and nailed to frame, and it is backed and lined with sateen. The current upholstery was applied in the 1960s; the previous upholstery was silk and had a blue, green, and salmon striped and floral pattern. An undated image of the chair shows a third type of fabric with a filigree pattern and a sheen indicating a silk material.

Bibliography and Bibliographic Notes

[Book] Montgomery, Charles F., et al. 1966 American Furniture: The Federal Period, in the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum.
• Published no. 116
[Book] Sweeney, John A. H. 1963 The Treasure House of Early American Rooms.
• Chair with previous upholstery published: p. 124
[Manuscript] Bertrand, Rebecca & Parks, Sarah. Seasonal Change Study.
• See Curator of Textiles for Seasonal Change Study binder discussing this object.