This antique 19thC child's chair is signed in three places—two times to the seat J.A. Smith and once again S.C. Howe under the seat. This WONDERFUL little early childs chair is from a Lexington, MA estate. It once had rockers on it but I do not think the rockers were original to the chair, and long ago the rockers were removed. That explains the notches to the leg feet.

The whole chair is hand constructed and the underseat is hand planed. I would guess the wood is chestnut. The worn smooth feel is just wonderful especially to the seat. The paint is red and black graining very free hand. The back crest rail has wonderful painted floral decoration.

This chair must have been well loved, because it has some pretty significant damage to the back crest (happened a long time ago) and it has been painstakingly repaired in the Yankee tradition of the make-do...a big metal tin patch to the back and a (recent?) one underneath the crest held with screws.

The chair is extremely stable and sound and add quite a bit of character and history to the chair. Measuring only 14 1/2" tall, 13" wide and 11" deep. I have never seen another child's chair like this and appears to have been made by a talented craftsman. It has the decoration, signatures, wear and patina, not to mention the great paint.