Victorian Balloon Back Parlor Chair?

[elow]

I think this is a Victorian Balloon Back Parlor Chair? I know nothing about its history I got it from Craigslist for free yesterday. Through the research I have done it seems to be in the 1850 to 1900 range. There are no markings on the outside of the chair as to where or whom made the chair. It appears to all be original but I don't have any real idea. The wheels on the casters are made from wood. Attached are photos of the front of the chair, the left leg, detail of the wood carving, and a close up of the fabric. The photos are on the yellow side due to the poor lighting in my house.

[mart]

Is the seat lower than most chairs ??  Looks to me like you have a Victorian Slipper Chair from about 1880 to maybe 1910 !!   Some call them a Boudoir Chair because they were used in a ladies dressing room/bedroom !!  Back then with the full skirts it was difficult to sit in a regular chair and reach down to put on button up shoes,,hence the invention of the slipper chair !!  For those of modest income ocassionally a regular chair had the legs cut down or replaced !!   It is not common to mark or label most furniture !!

[ghopper1924]

Right Mart!  Probably not worth alot, maybe $50 on a good day around here.

[mart]

Yes about that price here too !! But since she got it free,, only place to go is up !!  A little Old English and a vintage upholstery would work wonders !!

[elow]

You are right the chair is lower than all the chairs in my house. I figured that is wasn't worth a whole lot but I have a great plan for it.

[mart]

Post pics when you get it re-done !!  Would love to see it !!  And everything is not always about money !!  If it were,, I would have to toss all my things and start over !!

[KC]

Reminds me of the Victorian Nursing Chairs as well...

http://www.cowderoyantiques.com/antique-furniture/chairs-and-sofas/walnut-victorian-nursing-chair-2-16-refno-54/

http://www.sellingantiques.co.uk/270655/small-antique-victorian-rosewood-button-back-nursing-chair/

Here is another "similar" VICTORIAN balloon back chair (legs are different)
http://www.sellingantiques.co.uk/260681/antique-victorian-walnut-balloon-back-chair-with-extensive-carving/

Nursing Chair

[elow]

KC Good point, it is very similar to those nursing chairs.  How would you tell the difference between a slipper chair and a nursing chair?

[mart]

Only difference is what people choose to call them !!  You can take the same chair and offer it to a new mother-to-be as a nursing chair or to a middle age lady as a slipper chair !!  Guaranteed a sale either way for the same style chair !!
To my thinking this would not be a good chair for a nursing mother !!  Try sitting down in a very low chair with a 7 or 8lb weight in your arms and possibly a bottle in the other hand !! Not everyone breast fed babies !!  I would want the seat closer to my butt !!

[ghopper1924]

 Irregardless of the position of Mart's butt, most nursing chairs I've seen are collapsible, i.e. you could take it down with your arms full and put it back up just as easily.

[KC]

Being a Southern Gal I have seen many Nursing and Parlor chairs in the past and are still collectible.  They generally are well padded to make it very comfy to bide the time on your tuffet. 

As a quote from Wiki "In Victorian times the nursing chair was a low seated partially upholstered chair. Nursing included caring for children as well as breastfeeding. The low seat of the chair allowed the mother, who would have been wearing a stiff corset, to interact with small children without bending over. This chair form was particularly popular in England and found primarily in upper class homes. The types of wood most frequently used were oak, rosewood or walnut. The seat was often sprung and could be button decorated or adorned with a circumferential braid or pair of braids.[1] The chair legs were frequently of a cabriole style or a straight-legged spindle design."

Now Mart, just how high is your butt?  LOL  (I am probably opening a can of worms with that question!) 

ghopper1924 I can't say as I have seen a collapsible nursing chair.  Are you talking about a collapsible rocking chair? 

I know I used a rocking chair with child #1 but after that no because the sure enough the other 3 would end up around the chair and rocking would have ended up causing an injury!  In fact I recall rocking on a couple of paws/tails when they tried getting so close to me/baby.  😢

[mart]

LOL !!  Not close enough to the ground for those short chairs KC !!     I have never seen a collapsible nursing chair either !!  I had a big old 1930`s fully padded platform rocker big enough to curl up in !!  Thats my idea of a nursing chair !!

[ghopper1924]

Yep, I've seen a collapsible "stick" rocker that a friend had used for nursing.

[awhitetriangle]

Theses are generally called nursing chairs here in the uk, would be very common in wealthier homes. As stated women with corsets etc would have used them to essentially nurse the young. I'd agree on the date being late 1800's. Nice ones can sell for up to a couple of hundred here...

[awhitetriangle]

also generally balloon back are open at the back, not upholstered as in this case.