In fall 2012, we were commissioned by the University of Pennsylvania to craft a historically accurate reproduction of Benjamin Franklin’s library armchair. The original chair is currently on display in the King’s College Room, University Archives and Columbiana Library, at Columbia University in New York City. And when we say on display we mean tucked in the corner next to the copy machine.
The mahogany open armchair is also called a “lolling chair” http://en.wikicollecting.org/antique-lolling-chairs or “Martha Washington” chair. The ease of its design in comparison to other 18th-century furniture forms made it the perfect spot for lolling or relaxing, think 18th century Barca lounger. It was a distinctly American furniture form (hence the Martha Washington nickname) though most historians think this chair was manufactured in London, England, with Philadelphia coming in as a second alternative.
A (very) brief history of Franklin's library chair:
The chair features black leather upholstery (likely a 20th-century addition), and a large brass plaque on its crest, which reads—
The Library Chair of Dr. Benjamin Franklin bequeathed to Dr. David Hosack by the late M. Catherine Bache Granddaughter of Dr. Franklin and presented by Dr. Hosack to the Literary and Philosophical Society of New York January 1822
Catherine Bache was in fact not the granddaughter of Franklin but instead the wife of his grandson William Bache. The chair likely made its way to Columbia when New York’s Literary and Philosophical Society collapsed in 1834. Dr. Hosack taught botany and material medicine (pharmacology) at Columbia.
An interesting side note: Dr. Hosack was the attending physician for Alexander Hamilton during his deadly duel with Aaron Burr, how would you have liked to make that house call?
Measuring the original
Surrounded by the quiet hush of the library we were able to take a good two hours to document and measure the piece—under, over, and around noting the angles, the balance and getting a feel for its overall presence.
Measurements and images in hand we returned to the shop and promptly got to work.
Crafting the chair
Back at the shop, we got right to work on Franklin’s chair.
Templates and rough forms for the dramatic sweep of the legs and the back.
Cutting out the floating mortise and tenons. The heavy frame of this early lolliling chair offers a substantial base.
The final chair with black leather upholstery.
* most historical information and provenance was drawn from Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary, Franklin and Marshall College, The Phillips Museum of Art http://www.benfranklin300.org/frankliniana/result.php?id=319&sec=2