STAMPED BY JACOB SMITH (1783-1847), NEW YORK, 1800-1820

Prominently stamped by their maker, this pair of chairs illustrates the relative frequency of stamped or branded furniture from New York in the late 18th Century. Jacob Smith first appears in the New York City directory in 1787 as a "rush bottomed chair maker" at 13 Beekman Street. Smith and his son worked together in that shop until 1812. These chairs, with Smith's name prominently stamped name on the leg posts, were made in the Federal period but recall an earlier aesthetic. Related chairs have been illustrated in Ruth Davidson, "Museum Accessions " The Magazine Antiques (February 1972) p. 315; Roderic H. Blackburn, "Branded and Stamped New York Furniture" The Magazine Antiques (May 1981) pp. 1130-1145; John L. Scherer, New York Furniture at the New York State Museum (Alexandria, Virginia, 1984), pp.22-23, fig 22.