Fan-Back Arm Chair

The first American fan-backs were made in Philadelphia in the period just preceding the American Revolution. The distinctive feature of the fan-back windsor is the turned stiles that initiate each side of the back structure of the chair. Additionally, the only bent piece in the chair is its crest rail. Fan-back windsors were made in an armchair style as well as a side chair version, without arms. Armchairs were the most popular of the fan-backs; they differ from the comb-back armchair in that the arms are mortised into the stiles that border the back structure as opposed to an arm rail that sweeps the entire chair. A “newer” element incorporated into the fan-back style of chairs is a “V” shaped back brace that runs from the crest rail into a projecting tailpiece from the back of the seat. This brace provides strength and support in the absence of the arm rail.

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