Trash or Treasure?

An American classic at a bargain price

By Karen Waterman
Posted 10/5/16

Making wood furniture was a time and labor intensive job prior to the mid-nineteenth century. All pieces were made by hand. Lambert Hitchcock thought that there must be a better way. He began to mass …

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Trash or Treasure?

An American classic at a bargain price

Posted

Making wood furniture was a time and labor intensive job prior to the mid-nineteenth century. All pieces were made by hand. Lambert Hitchcock thought that there must be a better way. He began to mass produce interchangeable chair parts to speed up the process.

In addition, Hitchcock offered few color choices and then added gold stenciling on them. In the mid 1850’s, they were all the rage and were referred to as “fancy chairs”. Eventually, any chair with gold stenciling on it was referred to as a “Hitchcock Chair”.

Lambert Hitchcock (1795-1852) started his factory in Connecticut on the upper Farmington River in a small town called Barkhamsted in1808. As the factory grew, the town grew and owed its success to Hitchcock, so the name was changed to Hitchcocksville. In their heyday in the 1820’-1830’s, Hitchcock was producing upwards of 15,000 chairs a year. Hitchcock made all types of furniture but chairs were their staple. Men made the furniture, children painted it (mostly black or dark green) and women decorated the pieces with gold-stencilled images of flowers.

Despite the popularity of the chairs, Hitchcock had financial problems and eventually the company closed its doors when Hitchcock died. The company was resurrected again in 1946 staying in business until 2006 and then resurrected again in 2010. The Hitchcock Chair Company is carrying on the tradition and is still in the same area of Connecticut, though it is no longer called Hitchcocksville but Riverton. The company’s website is hitchcockchair.com.

Because Hitchcock made so many chairs and many other companies copied their styles, you can buy an early example for not a lot of money. Entire sets of the chairs in good condition sell for sometimes as little as $500 to $1,200 retail. Quite a bargain for an American classic.

Karen Waterman is a fine art, antique furniture and decorative arts appraiser in the East Bay area and will answer as many questions regarding your “hidden treasures” as possible. By sending an email with a question you give full permission for use in the column. Names, addresses or e-mail will not be published. Send e-mails (digital photos preferred) to watermanappraisal@gmail.com.

Waterman Appraisal, Trash or Treasure

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