AFA Summer 2018

Summer 116 www.afamag.com | w ww.incollect.com Fig. 1: Sofa, London, England, ca. 1760. Mahogany and beech. Museum purchase (1963-191). The reproduction upholstery visually equates the sofa’s original appearance. See figure 12 for details as to upholstery techniques. Upholstery READING THE EVIDENCE CSI by Tara Gleason Chicirda and Leroy Graves n the eighteenth century, a chair or sofa’s upholstery, including both the show material and foundation, constituted a major portion of its value. The expense lay in the high price of the materials, especially the wool or silk show cloth, and the upholsterer’s labor. The various techniques used by the upholster required extensive hand stitching to create the high, low, rounded, boxed, or angled profile as well as any loose mattresses (long sofa cushion), bolsters, or cushions (Fig. 1). When the foundation remains on a piece of seating furniture, the upholsterer’s original intent for the chair or sofa’s appearance is clear. But when these soft fabrics are missing, then curators, collectors, and conservators become detectives. Understanding the techniques in an upholsterer’s tool box is essential for being able to read the evidence on a bare frame. To achieve softly rounded profiles, stuffed rolls were stitched and nailed along the edges of seats, backs, and arms (Fig. 2). Sewing through the stuffed roll to create a stitched roll provided a more rigid edge (Fig. 3). And a web or canvas- raised edge provided a stiff, boxy profile (Fig. 4). The center of the seat or back, whether or not it contained a roll or edge on one or more faces, was filled with loose stuffing that provided the softness and loft contained by the top linen and then covered with show cloth (woven textile or leather). Alternative choices of stuffing materials, from curled hair to straw to rush, added to the upholsterer’s effects, as did