RHODE ISLAND, CIRCA 1800

Although related shield back side chairs have been previously documented as the work of New York craftsmen, a labeled set by John Townsend (1733-1809) indicates such chairs were made in Rhode Island. Two are currently in the collection of Bayou Bend, a third is at Winterthur, and a fourth in a private collection. While the design of the splat appears seemingly identical to the John Townsend labeled set (figs. 1, 2), variance in the construction suggests a separate shop operating in Rhode Island. The labeled Townsend chairs feature front to back cross braces inside the seat frame, a signature of New York craftsmanship. As Morrison Heckscher notes, "The design is entirely that of a New York chair, and John must have been commissioned to copy an existing example from New York City, where this shield-back pattern was popular" (Morrison H. Heckscher, John Townsend: Newport Cabinetmaker (New Haven, 2005), p. 48). The chair offered here shows no evidence of cross braces on the seat frame, and was most likley made in a separate Rhode Island cabinetmaking shop.