The Book of American Windsor Furniture

Combining comfort, simplicity and craftsmanship, Windsor chairs have long been prized by collectors. Introduced from England in the early 1700s, the Windsor style took hold in America first as seating for the well-to-do and later as the favourite chair of the general population. Included in the Windsor family are stools, tables, settees, high chairs, cradles and candle stands, but the greatest variety is found in the chairs, which range from comb-back to bow-back to step-down versions. Their makers took advantage of the natural properties of different woods for particular components of the chairs, employing hickory, red oak, or ash for bent parts, maple for turnings and pine for seats.