Boylston Antiques is Proud to Offer for Sale

An American Empire Signed Hitchcock Alford Cane Seated Chair C. 1832-1843

A black and gold painted and stenciled, cane-seated American Empire period chair stenciled: “Hitchcock Alford & Co., Hitchcocks-ville, Conn. Warranted”. The L. Hitchcock Co. company went through receivership and was re-named “Hitchcock Alford & Co.” in 1832. Alford was Hitchcock’s brother in law. This company was dissolved in 1843, when Hitchcock started a new chair company in Unionville, CT.

• The cane seat is in wonderful shape. It is appropriately concavely curved front to rear, terminating in a scrolled front seat rail. (see profile view photo).

• The turned and reeded top crest rail has the distinctive Hitchcock pillow or bolster shape in the center.

• The wide, curving center slat of the back has a classical gold stencil composed of a basket of peaches, grapes, poppies, bell flowers and leaves. The stenciled slat is somewhat clouded and flaked.

• The back is nicely flaired; the stiles descend in a continuous arch to form the rear legs.

• The rounded stiles are flattened on the front to hold more decorative stenciling of bell flowers.

• The legs and front stretcher are turned and reeded, with the reeding accented in gold and yellow ochre paint.

• The front legs are rather aggressively bulbous.

• The crest rail height is 34” from the floor.

• The seat sits 18 1/4” from the floor.
• The seat is 17 1/8” wide at the front, narrowing to 14 1/4” wide at the rear.
• The seat depth is 15 1/4”.
• The crest rail width at the top is 16 ½”.

This chair is in as found condition. The surface patina is nicked, worn and flaked, as expected in a chair approaching 180 years of age. There are some faint white paint splashes on the lower legs. The chair is in reasonably sturdy shape for this delicate style of chair.

The stencil on the back slat of this chair is almost identical to that pictured on the back slat of an early Hitchcock chair featured on page 129 of “American Painted Furniture” by Schaffner & Klein. The front legs and stretcher are also almost identical.

This chair may be picked up in Boylston, MA.
We can arrange for delivery within 100 miles
Please e-mail for a delivery estimate with your location and particulars.
All items are sold "as is" and all sales are final. This is an antique piece of furniture; small nicks and scratches are part of the beauty of an antique and are not described unless significant.
Payment via PayPal preferred.
Please ask any questions prior to offering to purchase.

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