Armchair
Thomas Seymour
(American (born in England), 1771–1848)
1812–17
Object PlaceBoston, Massachusetts, United States
Medium/TechniqueMahogany with ebonized veneer inlays, maple, modern upholstery
DimensionsOverall: 88.3 x 55.6 x 48.9 cm (34 3/4 x 21 7/8 x 19 1/4 in.)
Credit LineSwan Collection—Bequest of Miss Elizabeth Howard Bartol
Accession number27.528
On View
Not on viewClassificationsFurniture
Collections
According to family tradition, James and Hepzibah Swan of Dorchester, Massachusetts, originally owned this chair. The ebonized inlays on the legs and arms are an unusual touch. Swan, a Boston merchant, built up a lucrative trade during the French Revolution by importing essential goods to France and exporting to America fine furnishings confiscated from the French nobility by the new republic. Some of these furnishings may be seen in the Museum's European galleries.
ProvenanceJames (1754-1830) and Hepzibah Swan of Dorchester, Mass.; gift of his descendent, Elizabeth Howard Bartol (Accession Date September 8, 1927)
about 1790–1810
about 1795–1810
