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Sunday, March 28, 2010

Hitchcock Chairs And A Lazy Susan

No. Not this Hitchcock but this
HITCHCOCK.
American Sheraton Hitchcock-type painted and stencil-decorated rush seat side chair. Connecticut Valley, circa 1820
American Sheraton Hitchcock-type painted and stencil-decorated rush seat side chair. Connecticut Valley, circa 1820


'
Hitchcock.

These are very old, and very costly.
"The earliest Hitchcock stencil read "L.HITCHCOCK. HITCHCOCKS-VILLE. CONN. WARRANTED". But here's the catch. Unlike most Hitchcock stencils you may have seen, the original stencil DID NOT have the "N's" backward in "CONN". That little glitch did not appear until 1832 when the company, after a run of bad luck, had been through receivership and emerged in a new corporate form known as the Hitchcock, Alford Company. The "Alford" was Arba Alford, Hitchcock's brother-in-law. During this phase of production the first stencils with backward "N's" appeared, not really surprising when the bulk of the work was done by laborers who could not read or write."

Lambert Hitchcock (May 28, 1795, Cheshire, Connecticut – 1852) was an American furniture manufacturer, famous for designing and mass-producing the Hitchcock Chair.
Hitchcock was the son of John Lee Hitchcock, an American Revolutionary War veteran who was lost at sea in 1811. He attended the Episcopal Academy of Cheshire, now known as Cheshire Academy, and was an apprentice to woodworker Silas Cheney. In 1818, he opened a furniture factory in Riverton, Connecticut, then called Hitchcocksville. The factory at first made chair parts. Soon, however, Hitchcock, influenced by Connecticut clockmaker Eli Terry, began mass-producing simple, affordable chairs and selling them throughout the United States. Instead of painting designs on the backs, he used the relatively new and easier technique of stenciling. By the late 1820s, the Hitchcock Chair Company was producing over 15,000 chairs a year.


Although an innovative manufacturer, Hitchcock was an unsuccessful businessman. His company went through receivership in 1832, with his brothers-in-law joining the business under the name Hitchcock, Alford & Co. In 1843, he sold his interest in the company and started a new company in Unionville, Connecticut, which also failed. He died in 1852 with little money to his name.
In 1946, John Tarrant Kenney came upon the abandoned Hitchcock Chair factory while fishing on the Farmington River. He wrote a biography, The Hitchcock Chair, and started a new Hitchcock Chair Company in the same location. That business lasted until 2006, when it was forced to close due to competition from low-cost overseas furniture manufacturers.
Sad.
I have always had a thing for Hitchcock Chairs.
Martha Stewart has come out with her own version of Hitchcock chairs.
They are manufactured by Bernhardt.









I have a set myself that I use in my kitchen off and on. 
I have several sets of chairs that I use in my kitchen.
I like to mix it up.
You can pick this style chair up at consignment stores if you look, they are there.
And if you paint them, and cushion them in something fun
you will have a great fresh look.
P.S. by nature these are very comfy chairs.
If you were interested in the round table with the Lazy Susan....
info under pic above.

Some people really love the 'Lazy Susan' thingie.
Do You ?
Do any of you remember the kitchen table in
My Three Sons ?
It had a 'lazy susan.'

Do you like Hitchcock Chairs?



I have included the interesting site below.
To read the whole fascinating history go here.


credits: wikipedia 
Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her BLOG.....
Interior Design, Palm Beach, Boca Raton,Ft.Lauderdale,
Design Service, Window Treatments, TurnKey Interior Design 
Service,Paint selection, Floor-Plans,Online Interior Design,
Design Center of The Americas, D.C.O.T.A., Hitchcock Chairs, Lazy Susan's
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16 comments:

  1. As a matter of fact, I have a Hitchcock style chair. It was inherited and appears to be rather old. Do you have any tips as to how to identify an original? Great post. I learned something today!

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  2. The chairs are gorgeous! Not a huge lazy susan fan though. ;)

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  3. Clever post...I have 4 Hitches on my porch....they need work, but are still fabulous. K

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  4. Hi Renee
    Well you've just created a new wish for me.. to have some Hitchcock chairs... those in #3 are beauties.. and #5 quite nice also... Now I remember my three sons.. we had that program here also.. but certainly don't remember any of the finer details ... like the table .. [you are good!]... i'm not one for a lazy susan.. you would never feel like the table was cleared when not in use... i love the expansive look of an empty tabletop... -except mine right now which is covered in mags and purchases]....Have a great week Renee.. xxx Julie

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  5. Hey, when can the delivery man get here....I'll take 6 or 8 of the Hitchcock chairs! Love 'em!
    xo

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  6. Renee, Love the chair in black!

    Giveaway of art is up on my site...come join in...

    Karena
    Art by Karena

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  7. julie,
    i am not a lazy susan girl myself,
    but obviously in some way fascinated by them!
    it's so weird,
    i don't remember much about 'my three sons' except...
    the sons were cute and the kitchen table had this round spinning thing in the middle.
    thats it!

    xx

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  8. Renee,
    I knew about the chairs, but never the man. This was so Interesting. Even in Design school they didn't cover this or a whole lot of things. Then of course schools do not teach you to be Street Wise.

    Great post and so informative.
    love Mamma

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  9. Have to say, lazy susan ... not my style! Chairs?...always and always chairs, Chairs of any description suit me. These are rather nice, and new to me, so will have to go and study in case one ever finds it's way to OZ!

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  10. Oh yes!I remember, my friend has a lazy susan there are 6 of them all boys but her, she painted it with verses fitting for table talk.
    It is a godsend for meal time. I must admit I have restored some of these chairs in the past for clients.
    L.

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  11. Angie,
    the 'lazy susan thingie' has never been something i have used in my own home,
    but when i was little and saw it for the first time on 'my three sons' i was fascinated.
    i remember nothing, nothing else.
    not even the cute shaggy dog that they had on the show,
    which i saw while trying to find the shows logo.

    xx

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh I do like them, love the backs. Interesting finding out about the background.

    re comment; So pleased you liked the post, I had the mag sitting there all month waiting for me.

    Have a great day,
    xoxo

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  13. THose are GREAT chairs... I'd never heard of them before... I learned something new via YOU... merci!

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  14. Dear Renee,
    Fabulous chairs. I could make room for one or two of them !!!!
    Lazy susan's have always been a 'no, no' here. They are like hostess trollys. Not the things to have.
    I remember 'My Three Sons'. It was in black and white and wasn't Fred McMurray the father ? I might have got that wrong !! XXXX

    ReplyDelete
  15. guess what?
    i just deleted a comment from
    雅雯雅雯!
    what a jerk.
    i went and had it translated on google and it was a dirty filthy site.
    sorry if any of you went to see who the profile was.

    my apologies

    ReplyDelete
  16. Great Hitchcock chairs - I love the info you give on the Ns for dating and authentification. Lazy Susans are fascinating for kids, that must be why they were on my 3 sons!! I love your associations!

    ReplyDelete


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About Renée Finberg

I have been in this business since the age of 22.

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Design Challenges are great.

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