Doe and Hope

Description

The early to mid twentieth century leather upholstered club chairs, with influence from the Art Deco period, one, dating to around 1925 having a horse hair filled seat with drop in cushions, brass studwork, shaped back and oak bottom rail standing on bun feet, the other dating to around 1935 with cigar shaped arms, curved back and of generous proportions, the rear feet with castors.

In what we like to describe as ‘country house condition’, the chairs can only be described as in poor to fair condition and as such could do with repair, or left as is, only if one is after the distressed look. The leather is worn but appealingly so, now wonderfully supple, though there are multiple tears to each. The tears to the larger chair are to the rears of the arms and to the reverse whilst on the slightly earlier chair the tears occur towards the lower front just above the oak rail. Having said this neither chair needs re-springing and thus can be used from the get go. The chairs are priced to reflect their condition above.

The word "club" in club chair harks back to the gentlemen's clubs in nineteenth century England where a gentleman could go to get away from his household (including womenfolk). Once there, he would sink into a well-upholstered leather chair and relax with a drink and perhaps a cigar. The names of the fashionable London streets full of such clubs are still used to name classic club chairs St. James, Piccadilly and so on. A dictionary definition of a club chair is "A heavily upholstered easy chair with arms and a low back". Art deco club chairs became popular and are particularly associated with France, although in the French tradition, these may be more formal and less bouncy than chairs from Britain or the USA.

So... how about that cigar me ole mucker?