Oak recliner with a pull out footrest

[melaniep]

This chair is a mess but I like it & am about to refinish it. I scoured the internet but never found one like it. The mid back is made of wood with no apparent upholstery nail holes. It appears to have had a padded headrest & seat stuffed with what looks like straw. I'd welcome any info. thank you.

[frogpatch]

That is a Victorian platform rocker from the late 19th century. The pull out footrest makes it unusual. It is definitely worth restoring as that is not a difficult upholstery job. That straw may be coarse horsehair. I have not priced one in a while so I will leave that to my friends here. Nice!

[talesofthesevenseas]

Here is an almost identical one selling on the SF Bay Area Craigslist, so that you can see how it will look finished. I would not pay too much attention to the price it is listing for, I think it has more to do with the owner's wishful thinkin than any price comparisons. There are more upclose photos at the link:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/atq/2816914368.html

[talesofthesevenseas]

Please post some photos of this in the projects section as you go along. It looks like a great chair, I love these and can't wait to see what you do with it!

[cogar]

If you are going to restore and refinish it you will need to buy a ……

Replacement Chair Seat and Back ……. from a supplier such as this one …………

http://www.hardwareofthepast.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?

[melaniep]

Thank you so much for all your help!! After I wrote this I continued onto hundreds of search attempts & finally found what looks like to be an exact match. I will attach what I found. The other one has the same wood back. After looking at the photo that was shared on here i think I would like to "muddle" the original design & add some upholstery to the back. Usually a serious no-no for me as I like to keep the integrity of the original piece, but this is a chair that I want to keep.

Thought I got a hint at possibly dating this chair because it has what appears to be thin plywood on the back. Googled "when was plywood invented" got a serious laugh when I read that plywood was found in ancient egyptians tombs. That was no help...LOL

I also read that once upon a time they use to finish oak to mimic mahogany saying that it was a stronger wood. maybe a clue to how to proceed with finishing.

I will post my progress. I also have an old tufted fainting couch that I need to do. I am going to do both pieces in the same fabric.

Again Thank you for all your help.

[mart]

I am guessing your chair is about 20`s  vintage or slightly before !!  The bottom pic that you found ,I am not sure was redone correctly !! All I have seen had padded seats and back and excelsior was used in some of the cushions then wrapped with cotton batting !! These were sometimes used for older family members such as an elderly grandparent ect !!  They usually sit lower than regular chairs for ease in getting up and down !!

[melaniep]

Thank you. I don't think the chair above was redone. It is exactly the same as the one I have. At close inspection on my chair, there are no tack holes that would have lead me to believe it was upholstered on the back wood portion. I do believe that what they used was excelsior, I see no horsehair.
I found this photo on a blog that was talking about a pioneer Doctor. It has many other photos also. I will add a link to the blog. 
http://musingsfromthehill.blogspot.com/2009_09_01_archive.html

[frogpatch]

I said in my first post that this is a Victorian Platform Rocker. It was made in the 1870s - 1880s. Just Google Victorian Platform Rocker and there are many. I am a former dealer for over thirty years since the 1970s and I have had many of these. They also came spool turned, Eastlake style and were often very elaborate.  Trust me on this one. BTW it does not look like oak in the picture except for the front of the seat which would have been covered. It looks more lkie walnut but it could be the finish being clouded. Yes they used to use faux finishes over cheaper wood quite often especially in cottage furniture

[talesofthesevenseas]

I forgot to mention this- You should have some flat coil springs on the underside of your rocker. Look very closely at the circular plate in the center of them, you might see a patent date there like this one on my Eastlake rocker:

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x124/talesofthesevenseas/Coil1.jpg

[mart]

This is the first one I have seen with that design !! The chairs usually found are similar to the pic that Tales posted !! The footrest on yours slides under the chair doesn`t it ?? Since frogpatch mentioned it but you didn`t state,, does it rock ??  I would think that the wood made it a rather uncomfortable chair to sit in !!