The Windsor Style in America

dkeller_nc

Well-known member
I purchased a really good book on Windsor chairs from alibris this week, and I highly, highly, recommend it.  The Title is "The Windsor Style in America, Volumes I and II" by Charles Santore.  The tagline is "The definitive pictorial study of the history and regional characteristics of the most popular form of eighteenth-century America 1730-1840, featuring new discoveries, an expanded list of Windsor makers, and more than 500 photographs and illustrations".

The description might lead one to believe that it's mainly a picture book, but it's a lot more than that.  There is a lot of information on stylistic analysis as it relates to the age of a chair, where it was manufactured, and whether it's a "fake" or not.  There's also a lot of color pictures of Windsors with either the original paint or an early 19th century re-painting, and a good deal of construction information.

It's a superb book, and a bit more accessible and easier to read than Nancy Evan's three books.  It's been re-printed a number of times, so make sure you get the 1997 edition (or perhaps a later one - I'm not sure if it's been reprinted and updated since 1997).
 
Back
Top