The Hitchcock Chair

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about our “new” old chair (I so appreciated your comments, thank you!!) and I’ve been meaning to write a more in-depth post about the Hitchcock furniture style ever since. I love ours and after doing a little research and seeing other examples of this style of chair being used by some of my favorite designers (Rita Konig, Gil Schafer, Daryl Carter), I decided I’d like to start a collection of our own for our dining room someday. It will take time and patience to find the right pieces as I’ve often seen these chairs at local shops but not in good condition. The cane and rush seats decay and suffer the most damage over time. However, I have discovered the joy of the hunt and there’s no turning back. These chairs are quite versatile and look great paired with both farmhouse style tables for a country look or with more polished and elegant ones like Duncan Phyfe.

Named after its creator, Lambert Hitchcock, a cabinetmaker from Connecticut, the Hitchcock chair is one of the very first ever mass-produced pieces in the United States. Hitchcock designed the chair and its components in the early 19th-century and by 1825 he was manufacturing several hundred pieces a week. Quite a feat following the Industrial Revolution.

This quintessentially American furniture piece is basically a Sheraton style chair with a rush or cane seat, round front legs and stretchers, sloped back and curved back rail. Most of the original pieces were painted black or brown, or dark green. One of the distinctive features of a Hitchcock style chair is the elaborate stenciling. Fruit baskets, flowers, cornucopias and lyres were applied to the back piece in gold or dark yellow dyes. 

Unfortunately, Lambert Hitchcock’s business talents did not match his talents as a cabinetmaker, and after several failed attempts to successfully reorganize his business, his factory fell into disuse. It wasn’t until a century later that in 1946 a new company was formed with the mission to bring back this quintessentially American chair. After the war there was a renewed enthusiasm for all things colonial style and Americana. The Hitchcock Chair Co. picked off where Lambert Hitchcock had left off in 1856 producing chairs and settees in similar styles. After 50 years, The Hitchock Chair Co. closed its doors in 2006.

The good news is that there are thousands of Hitchcock style pieces in antique shops and flea markets around the country. Depending on condition and age, and whether or not they were produced by Lambert Hitchcock’s factory, or subsequently by The Hitchcock Co. , they can cost anywhere between $25 to $200, maybe $300 a piece. Mine is a piece in good condition made probably around the mid 1960s. It is not as valuable as an “original” Hitchcock chair would be but I love it nonetheless.

The great thing about Hitchcock chairs, and one of the main reasons they appeal to me, is their country coziness and versatility. Despite having a distinctive farmhouse look, their light silhouette feels modern somehow and lends itself to various different styles of interiors. I’ll keep you updated on how my search goes!