Are Hitchcock chairs valuable?
Often referred to as ‘fancy chairs,’ Hitchcock chairs embodied the New England style of American furniture manufacturing, which later came to represent the style of the New Republic. Today, vintage Hitchcock chairs can be valuable, with collectors and furniture enthusiasts paying top dollar for ones restored to their original condition.
Is Hitchcock furniture made in the USA?
FURNITURE & FURNISHINGS FURNITURE MANUFACTURERS UNITED STATES HITCHCOCK FURNITURE American furniture manufacturer—Hitchcock—is best known for designing and mass-producing the Hitchcock chair. Hitchcock today is considered among the pioneers of mass-production in America.
How do I find out the value of my Hitchcock furniture?
Find the Value of your Hitchcock Furniture. WorthPoint is the largest resource online for identifying, researching and valuing antiques. Explore over 425 Million “sold for” prices with item details and images. Original Hitchcock furniture bears a stenciled signature.
How did Alfred Hitchcock decorate his chairs?
Most of the chairs were painted black or dark green and were decorated by a process using stencils and rubbing a bronzing powder into a tacky finish coat. The result was a lustrous design that came to signify Hitchcock’s work. Pin striping was done with paint, though never in gold.
How much are my Hitchcock chairs worth?
An original Hitchcock chair in good condition is easily worth $200-$300 and a set of four could be worth $1200 or more. That is quite a contrast from the original price of around $1.50 per chair.
Do they still make Hitchcock furniture?
In 2006, the famed Hitchcock Chair Company closed its doors.
What wood is used for Hitchcock furniture?
By 1826, Hitchcock's company had grown to about 100 workers, including many women, who were responsible for painting the intricately etched patterns on the furniture. The factory produced about 50 chairs daily and used a variety of woods including maple, beech, and birch.
How do you identify a Hitchcock table?
Hitchcock chairs are distinctive for their decorative, gold or light-colored painted designs, with seats made from rush, cane or wood, according to the "Dictionary of Furniture" by Charles Boyce (Henry Holt and Co., $19.95). The front legs often are turned and the rear legs extend vertically to the stiles.
How much are old Hitchcock chairs worth?
An antique Hitchcock chair in superb condition is worth as much as $200-$300 or more, and if it comes in a set of four, you can be sure the value will be as high as $1200 or more. This pricing is a heavy leap from its price back then, which was about $1.50 per chair.
How old is Hitchcock furniture?
In 1820-21 Lambert Hitchcock bought a two-story building near the sawmill and started manufacturing the now-famous “Hitchcock” chair. The design of this chair was loosely based on the Sheraton style, which was popular at the time.
Are all Hitchcock chairs marked?
ALL HITCHCOCK CHAIRS MADE FROM 1948 ON WILL HAVE THE "HCCo" STAMPED ON THE BOTTOM. Hitchcock chairs of today were blueprinted from antiques. Hitchcock chair co. agreed to stamp every piece so people would not confuse them with antiques.
When did Hitchcock furniture close?
2006That business lasted until 2006, when it was forced to close due to competition from low-cost overseas furniture manufacturers. In the spring of 2010, Rick Swenson and his business partner, Gary Hath, purchased the Hitchcock name, plans, and artwork, and began producing chairs.
Did Ethan Allen make Hitchcock furniture?
Answer: Unfortunately, what you have is a 20th century reproduction made by Ethan Allen Furniture Company, probably in the 1950s. However, they were also reproduced from the 1920s on by other firms.
How can I tell how old my table is?
Saw Marks. Like styles, sawing techniques have changed through the years, and a close inspection of the unfinished underside of the table should reveal saw marks. If you see the familiar arc cuts of a circular saw, the table was made in the 19th or 20th centuries.
How can I tell what model furniture I have?
Check the braces at the corners of tables or chair seats, visible from beneath. If the furniture is a cabinet and there is no evidence of maker listed on the back, check the bottom, along the sides of drawers or even on the bottom of a drawer.
How can you tell if furniture is antique wood?
Look carefully at the bottom, sides, and back of the drawer; if the wood shows nicks or cuts, it was probably cut with a plane, a spokeshave, or a drawknife. Straight saw marks also indicate an old piece. If the wood shows circular or arc-shaped marks, it was cut by a circular saw, not in use until about 1860.
Did Ethan Allen make Hitchcock furniture?
Answer: Unfortunately, what you have is a 20th century reproduction made by Ethan Allen Furniture Company, probably in the 1950s. However, they were also reproduced from the 1920s on by other firms.
What was unique about a Hitchcock chair?
All good furniture must be well made and all Hitchcock furniture is well made, but what really makes a piece of Hitchcock furniture valuable is the ornamentation (stenciling, striping, banding) and the finish. There is nothing special about the materials used.
Where are Hitchcock chairs made?
Riverton, ConnThe Hitchcock chair has been made in the village of Riverton, Conn., since 1818, when the company was established by Lambert Hitchcock.
What is a Hitchcock style chair?
Definition of Hitchcock chair : a turned usually rush-seated chair with legs often and back always slightly bent with a top rail and back posts above the seat, and with a finish usually of black paint and stenciled decoration.
How to identify early Hitchcock furniture?
Hitchcock Furniture - Identification. Early Hitchcock furniture can be identified by a stenciled signature. Hitchcock furniture is rectilinear with caned, rushed, or planked seats. Hitchcock furniture is usually made from birch, maple, or oak and painted in dark colors such as black, dark green, or brownish-black.
Where did Hitchcock make his chair?
In 1818, aged 23, Hitchcock opened a furniture factory in the little town of Barkhamsted in western Connecticut. The factory at first made chair parts for shipping and assembly. Soon, he began making the eponymous Hitchcock chair.
What kind of backs does a Hitchcock chair have?
Hitchcock chairs have several kinds of backs such as eagle-back, turtle-back, cut-out back, pillow-back, curved back with spindles, cornucopia, and crested back with roll tops. The seats are caned, rushed, or planked and rectilinear in shape.
What color were Hitchcock's chairs?
Hitchcock marketed these chairs as “fancy chairs” for ordinary people. He painted his chairs in dark shades of black, brownish-black, and dark green.
What are some other forms of furniture?
Other furniture forms include rocking chairs, settees, nightstands, and tables.
Who made the Hitchcock chair?
American furniture manufacturer —Hitchcock—is best known for designing and mass-producing the Hitchcock chair. Hitchcock today is considered among the pioneers of mass-production in America. The cabinet and chair manufacturing factory was established in 1818 by the ingenious inventor and manufacturer Lambert Hitchcock to produce parts for chairs. Within a short period, Hitchcock became the primary manufacturer of mass-produced simple, affordable hand-stenciled furniture. In 1832, the company was reorganized as Hitchcock, Alford & Co., continued producing chairs in several varieties and colors, along with settees. Today, Hitchcock is known for its iconic chairs with the characteristic rectilinear silhouette, turned legs, and stencilled floral motifs.
When did Lambert Hitchcock's chair company close?
In 1946, John Tarrant Kenney started a new Hitchcock Chair Company in the same location. The business was forced to close in 2006.
What makes a Hitchcock chair valuable?
All good furniture must be well made and all Hitchcock furniture is well made, but what really makes a piece of Hitchcock furniture valuable is the ornamentation (stenciling, striping, banding) and the finish. There is nothing special about the materials used.
When was Lambert Hitchcock's furniture made?
Lambert Hitchcock furniture was produced from 1825- until his death in 1852 and from the fall of 1948 to spring of 2006. There are some tell tale ways of telling the approximate age of a chair.
What year were Hitchcock chairs made?
1948-1952 all chairs were signed "L. HITCHCOCK HITCHCOCKSVILLE CONN WARRANTED" IN A LARGER THAN NORMAL FONT WITH BOTH BACKWARDS "n"S AND CORRECTLY WRITTEN ONES. Hitchcock made ONLY rush seated chairs, some mirrors, and a couple of benches and it seems they had the signature that they use today with the larger font. The first wood seated chair Hitchcock ever produced was the Inn chair, and I am still not sure of the exact year it was first offered, but it was after 1952. ALL HITCHCOCK CHAIRS MADE FROM 1948 ON WILL HAVE THE "HCCo" STAMPED ON THE BOTTOM. Hitchcock chairs of today were blueprinted from antiques. Hitchcock chair co. agreed to stamp every piece so people would not confuse them with antiques.
What does it mean when paint is rubbed off the arms of a chair?
When you see paint rubbed off the arms of chairs, it means the clear laquer has to rub off first.
What year were the chairs sighned?
1832-1843 chairs were all sighned " HITCHCOCK,ALFORD& Co HITCHCOCKSVILLE,CONN WARRANTED" These chairs can have both backwards "N"s and correctly written "N"s, and no registered trademark.The reason for this was that many of the factory workers could not read or write and they were required to cut their own signature stencils.
Why did Hitchcock have little to do with the factory?
Hitchcock had little to do with the factory at this point because he had opened another cabinet making shop in another part of the state. This is where everyone says that their unsigned "genuine" Hitchcock chair was made. Every time I get someone telling me it is genuine Hitchcock, all I can say is prove it.
Is Hitchcock chair natural rush?
There is natural rush which is cattail rush grown in 1 part of NY state (Hitchcock chair co.'s anyways) and Fiber rush which is twisted paper. Hitchcock chair co NEVER used fiber rush. Their chairs are all hand woven, that is why they are so expensive to replace.
What is a Hitchcock chair?
Hitchcock is a popular brand of chairs with distinctive wicker seats and back slats. They often feature painted flower and leaf designs. A Connecticut woodworker named Lambert Hitchcock first produced Hitchcock chairs in 1820.
When did Hitchcock chairs stop being made?
This iteration of the Hitchcock company dissolved in 1843. Hitchcock died nine years later. In 1946, John Tarrant Kenney revived the company and began producing chairs in the same style. Chairs produced after 1946 have a stencil that includes backward N's and a registered trademark logo.
Is a Hitchcock chair worth it?
Hitchcock chairs from the 1800s are generally more valuable than those produced in the 20th century. Additionally, Hitchcock used a black and dark green stain, and collectors often consider this stain to be more desirable. A dark-colored Hitchcock chair with forward facing N's in the stencil is likely to be older, and therefore more valuable, provided it is in good condition.
What is a Hitchcock chair?
Everyone knows what a Hitchcock chair is, right? The small, rickety chairs with the rush or cane seats, usually painted black with lots of leaves and flowers and fruit painted all over it. Sometimes they have solid seats that show a dark natural wood surrounded by black paint and gold stripes and more leaves painted on the top of the back rail. Often the chairs will have gold stripes and gold banding painted around the legs. They are important for that “early American” look in decorating circles. Sometimes the chairs are even signed by Hitchcock with the name of the town in Connecticut on the rear rail.
When did Hitchcock start making chairs?
But he still had the dream of producing complete, finished chairs. In 1820-21 he acquired an existing wooden two-story building near the sawmill and began to produce the ubiquitous “Hitchcock” chair.
What was the color of Hitchcock's striping?
Striping was of yellow ocher. Gold was reserved for the banding, which went only half way around the turns in the legs. By 1825 the company had a new home in a spacious three-story brick factory, built near the old one. And Hitchcock had started labeling his chairs with an identifying stencil.
What color are cane chairs?
The small, rickety chairs with the rush or cane seats, usually painted black with lots of leaves and flowers and fruit painted all over it. Sometimes they have solid seats that show a dark natural wood surrounded by black paint and gold stripes and more leaves painted on the top of the back rail.
Where was Lambert Hitchcock born?
Lambert Hitchcock was born in 1795 in Cheshire, Conn. to a family that had come to the Colonies 160 years earlier. By 1814 he was apprenticed to Silas Cheney of Litchfield as a woodworker and by 1818 he had moved to a small community in the township of Barkhamsted known as Fork-of-the-Rivers at the junction of the Farmington and Still Rivers. The settlement was little more than an accumulation of log cabins and a sawmill, but Hitchcock saw promise there and went to work in the sawmill owned by some family acquaintances.
When was the Origanal stool approved?
Hi I was hoping you might be able to tell me the value of a stool in great condition still has the origanal tag the tag says it was approved july 3,1926 , then approved again in 1923, then again in April 24,1929. Any help would be greatful.
Who was Hitchcock inspired by?
While working with Silas Cheney, Hitchcock had been influenced by the work of Eli Terry, the legendary clock maker who designed cheap wooden works to replace expensive brass works for his clocks in order to reach a wider market.
USED HITCHCOCK FURNITURE
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Thank you for visiting my Internet site. I am a collector, restorer, seller, and buyer of Hitchcock furniture both antique and revival. I travel all over New England in search of Hitchcock furniture for myself and people like you.
