Identifying Old Rocking Chairs Identifying old rocking chairs is not difficult if you take a little time to research the unique characteristics of various styles and eras. Look carefully at the following images. They represent several different decades of rocking chairs. This small chair is a ladies sewing rocker, sometimes called a nursing rocker. The chair is always bigger than child-size but smaller than a full size rocker would be. The lack of arms allowed the lady of the house to easily nurse and infant or sew a shirt while she rocked. These are utilitarian chairs, usually simple and made from pine. Pressed Back The pressed back rocking chair was part of the colonial revival style that lasted from about 1870 to 1920. You can easily identify this style by the raised design of the wood on the back. this style became popular again in the 1980s. Antique Wicker Rocking Chair It is hard to imagine a proper Victorian veranda with out a wicker rocker. Wicker had been used since Roman times to create furniture and was popular as early as the middle of the 1700s in the United States.
Victorians perfected the design, and loved wicker because it allowed them to have all the scroll work and details that their hearts desired. Neoclassical A big help in identifying old rocking chairs is to look at the lines and the way the back is designed. This neoclassical, upholstered rocker is part of the Colonial Revival period from 1870-1920. It has some detail in the back as well as the spools on the legs. You can see some of the simple Arts and Crafts era influence in how the back of the chair is made. Classic Ladderback Rocker The classic ladderback rocker is what many people think of when they think of a country rocking chair. It is easy to recognize with its tall back and slat design. Bentwood Rocker The Bentwood Rocker was introduced in 1856 in Austria by Michael Thonet. There were many variations on this design but it was always made with steamed wood bent into a variety of swirls. Jenny Lind Children's Rocker Jenny Lind furniture was named after a popular Swedish opera singer in the late 1850s.
It is easy to identify by the turned spindles. It is often used for baby and children's furniture. Mission Style Rocking Chair The Mission style is simple, squared off , and squat. It has the feel of solidity and a beauty all its own. Eames Era Rocking Chair Finally, the Eames Era (1950s-1960s) brought a contemporary look to all furniture, including rocking chairs. The chairs were designed to comfortably support the body. They are usually made of molded plastic and have very modern looking forms. It does take some skill to identify these old rocking chairs but by looking at as many as possible, asking questions, and learning about the designs you can be an expert in no time.Painted Bentwood RockerBentwood Rockers ChairsBentwood Rocker NurseryBentwood WickerBentwood Rocking ChairThonet RockerGrandma'S RockerNursery Rocking ChairVintage BentwoodForwardthis makes me feel bad for the old bentwood rocker sitting on my woodpile! rethinking that choice... // Dear Little House: Bentwood Rocker Restoration.
Shop unique and handmade items directly from creative people around the world Popular items for rocking chairChildren ChairsChairs KidsOld Rocking ChairsRocking Chair RockerDisney Rocking ChairPainted Rocking Chair IdeasChildrens Rocking ChairsKids Rocking ChairForwardMinnie Mouse rocking chair!!! I have an old rocking chair I need to do this too except in pink & black <3There are many ways to get an idea of the age of a piece of furniture. The materials, craftsmanship and “technology” can give many hints, as can the style.The easiest way is to look for signs that it is a modern chair, and if none of the “red flags” of modern construction come up, it is most likely an antique.One clue comes from the hardware. If your chair is assembled with screws, or nuts and bolts, it’s most likely less than 100 years old. Modern fasteners, (such as hex nuts or philips screws) would date the piece as even more recent, less than 75 years old. True antique furniture (often meaning it is at least 100 years old) was generally glued together or force fitted with the use of carefully designed wooden joints and pegs.
Another clue to age is workmanship. The lathe, a machine used to produce rounded wood and metal pieces, has existed for many years, so both old and new chairs could have smooth, consistently shaped major pieces, like the legs and the struts in the back of the chair. The ornamentation, though, tends to be done more by hand on older chairs, so on close examination, you’ll see subtle differences from one bit of ornamentation to another, or even the occasional chisel mark from a craftsman.Finally, if the chair is marked on the underside, it is generally not very old. There are exceptions, but labeling is a modern convention. With the introduction of global trade laws, it became necessary to mark the country of origin. Items marked “Made in” such as “Made in England” are generally made after 1908 or so. Other consumer protection laws, which are very recent, required items to be marked as to materials.You haven’t furnished a picture, which would also help me estimate its age. You could do a search on the web on “Antique rocking chair” and look through Google images to try to find similar chairs.
You can also ask an appraiser to look at the chair, either in person or via email.It is tough to tell, but YOU MUST look at the construction of ANY ANTIQUE PIECE.Fraud, is common, many tourist sites build fakes to sell, and con artists use those fakes to make more money off the piece than it is worth.Study the real construction of All furniture of a time period you want to buy in.Many times that is the 1st give away, sharp New version tools Leave differ marks than a tool sharpen buy a pedal rotary sharping stone.Screws or nails may be used instead of glued wooden pegs or modern nails in stead of Square nails. Knew a man with some antique property, had to collect square nails so he could work on the property and not be noticed. Had some legal issues for a few years, USA Forest Service was trying to claim everyone’s land. so no one could FIX anything….Next are there stamps, artist marks? Do they match the time period?Any paints, stains, are beyond normal sight tests, unless obviously Not right.