Very unusual chair seat - Identification ???

Hi, just joined this forum which looks to be really interesting. This is (pics) a drop-in seat for supposedly early 19thC dining chairs. I have just starting stripping them down to refurbish and re-cover, and discovered that the edges of the seat look to have a reed/straw seat-roll. The main seat is horse hair on webbing base, but I can't find out anything about this type (reeds) of seat padding construction, and hope somebody here may be able to throw some light.

 

Would/could you post photographs of the chairs please?

Debora

 

Debora, please see uploaded pics - thanks.

 

Thank you. Now please go back and repost all your photographs as Full Image. Easy to do. In your original posts, click on Edit, then Upload a File, then Full Image (instead of Thumbnail.) That will make your photographs easier for everyone to see. And not to worry... All new members do the same thing in their first posts.

Debora

 

This one's on me!

Debora

 

The rush padding is to provide additional firm padding over the wooden rails to facillitate comfort and better fabric wear. It is an older, better, way of seat upholstery that is often bypassed in less fine and/or newer pieces. Today, it is sometimes done with a dense polyurethane foam.

 

Yes, it appears to be a really good system, the edges are rounded, firm, and supportive, and hold the horse hair nicely in the middle where it is needed. The whole solution is an absolute dust trap with clouds of yuk emitted at the slightest disturbance. I'd never seen it done this way before and wondered what era it was commonly used in. I've found very little literature on its use, other than 'marsh grass' occasionally being used in this way in very early American pieces