Outdoor rocking chairs were popular in New England.
The first wooden rocking chairs that appeared in the United States in the early nineteenth century consisted of two basic components, which were chairs plus rockers. The rockers, or curved slats, were simply attached to an existing chair. Thereafter, rocking chairs were made as a unit. Some of the best-known wooden rocking chairs include the Windsor, Boston and Bentwood rockers. Made in a variety of styles, they all have the same components: rockers, seats, backs, arms and legs. Does this Spark an idea?
Windsor Rocker
Windsor rockers first appeared in England at about the early eighteenth century but became more widely known when they were produced in the United States. Manufactured in several woods, different styles evolved. The bow-spindle had a rounded back frame made of upright spindles and a horizontal piece running across the back to form the arms. The comb-Windsor rocker had a back with a headrest that looked like an old-fashioned comb. The spindle-back birdcage rocker was armless.
Boston Rocker
The Boston rocker became one of the most popular rocking chairs in America.
The Boston rocker, first appearing in 1840, is the most popular American rocker, according to Old And Sold Antiques Auction & Marketplace. Its wooden seat curves forward in the front and upward in the back, creating an extremely comfortable rocker. Its back is high, with a wide top rail or cross slat, that is often painted or stenciled. Several pine layers make up the seat. Legs and spindles were made of ash, hickory, maple or oak.
Bentwood Rocker
In about 1840, in Vienna, Michael Thonet developed a method of bending wet wood to create arms and legs of chairs, and the Bentwood rocker was born. Its components are all curled and curvaceous: arms, legs, rockers. The back and seat are usually cane. A reclining, or lounging, Bentwood rocker also exists, with the curling, connected legs and rockers extending almost the length of the piece from head to footrest.
Other Rockers
Many other types of rocking chairs were produced with similar and different components. The Swedish rocker, for example, had six legs. The Cape Cod, or Mommy rocker, was a rocking settee with a removable railing that could be fixed to halve the seat to permit mommy to sit in the other half and rock. Victorian rockers were often thickly upholstered and highly ornate.
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