Lot Essay
A rocking chair of essientally the same design was shown by Winfield and Co. of Birmingham in the Great Exhibition of 1851 as part of a large display of metal furniture. The design may have been inspired by an even earlier model by John Porter who published a very similar chair in an advertisement for metal garden furniture circa 1839. The simplicity of the design ensured that the chair remained in production by Winfield well into the 20th century. A similar chair is illustrated in Bentwood and Metal Furniture 1850-1946, D. Ostergard (ed.) Pub. New York, 1987, No. 11, p. 210-211.