The Seated Child: Early Children’s Chairs from Georgia Collections

Saturday, Oct 17, 2020 — Sunday, Jan 03, 2021

This exhibition presents about two dozen children’s chairs as well as a doll’s chair and adult chairs for comparison of scale and style. Not all of these chairs were made in Georgia but all are in Georgia collections. Most of the chairs are handmade in the tradition of turned chairs; some are the products of proto-industrial shops called Variety Works. Most of them also retain their life histories of paint and wear from being used as a support while children were learning to walk. A full catalogue of the exhibition is for sale in the Museum Shop.

View the online exhibition here

Unidentified maker (southern, probably Georgia), child’s rocking chair with arms, ca. 1870-1920. Unidentified woods with white paint and replaced hide seating, 25 3/4 x 16 5/8 x 21 3/4 inches. Private collection.
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Unidentified maker (Lower Southern Piedmont), child’s armchair, ca. 1850 – 90. Unidentified woods with red paint and recent splint seating, 23 3/4 × 14 3/4 × 11 1/2 inches. Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Mercier.
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Alfred or Jesse Pierce (active South Georgia), child’s armchair with rockers, ca. 1880 – 1920. Unidentified woods and orange paint with hide seating, 19 3/4 × 13 3/4 × 20 3/4 inches. Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Mercier.
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Unidentified maker (Lower South, possibly west Georgia or east Alabama or north Florida), child’s or doll’s arm chair, ca. 1840 – 1900 .Unidentified woods with black paint and crewel embroidery replaced seat, 15 1/2 × 10 1/8 × 9 5/8 inches. Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Mercier.
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Unidentified maker (lower Southern Piedmont), child’s armchair with rockers, ca. 1850 – 1900. Unidentified woods with splint seating (exposed seat list), 20 1/2 × 14 3/8 × 19 3/4 inches. Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Mercier.
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Unidentified maker (lower South), child’s or doll’s armchair, ca. 1850 – 1900. Unidentified wood and gray-white paint, 14 × 10 1/4 × 8 7/8 inches. Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Mercier.
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Unidentified maker (America, possibly New England), child or youth “arrow back” armchair, ca. 1820 – 50. Unidentified woods and gray and white paint with replaced board seating, 31 1/2 × 15 × 12 1/2 inches. Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Mercier.
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