This is my favorite chair. It's made of solid oak and was constructed at the turn of the last century, possibly as early as 1880. In style, it's cross-cultural, a hybrid — part European and part pure American. The top rail, the apron and the central splat are Gothic or Renaissance Revival, though they are not carved as they would be if authentic, but pressed. Attached to the stiles are matching extensions, the formal name of which I don't know, which are pierced with what looks like a double keyhole — an element of medieval style. But it's a rocking chair — and rockers are distinctly American in origin — sometimes credited to Benjamin Franklin himself. I think it's a handsome chair, but I must admit that it's not at all graceful. It's foursquare and clunky. Tho body sits awkwardly upon the rockers. It's appropriate for me but it's not a chair for the dainty.
I bought this misbegotten Gothic rocking chair at an auction, either in Fairlee or Thetford, Vermont, in 1970, for $3.75.
The armrests are darkened from fifty years of supporting my sweaty forearms.
There's been lots of good sitting in this chair.
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