Side Chair
John Henry Belter (American, born German, 1804-1863), designer and maker
Details
Title
Side Chair
Artist/Maker
John Henry Belter (American, born German, 1804-1863), designer and maker
Date
ca. 1855–1860
Medium
Laminated rosewood, white pine, and ash with original applique designs on modern silk upholstery
Dimensions
39 7/8 x 19 1/8 x 27 1/2 inches
Credit
Virginia Carroll Crawford Collection
Accession #
1981.1000.62
While the furniture industry was becoming increasingly mechanized by the 1850s, wealthier, fashionable buyers might purchase a suite of hand-carved furniture like this one by the German-born New York cabinetmaker John Henry Belter. However, even Belter needed the help of steam-pressing machines to produce the deeply undulating curves and pierced, carved edges characteristic of his furnishings. He achieved the necessary construction strength for his designs by laminating thin sheets of hardwoods into a plywood—a process Belter patented in 1849.