AFA Summer 2018

Summer 118 www.afamag.com | w ww.incollect.com red worsted show cloth, and its original bolster intact. When looking at the back, there is a cleaner diagonal section of fabric visible that aligns with the bolster and scrolled head of the couch; a clue that something, now missing, protected that area from soiling. Like other Grecian couches of the period, this example originally had a cushion, which when laid over the bolster, covered that diagonal section of the back (Fig. 7). In the case of a circa-1765 English leather back stool with a Maryland history, the slumping of the boxy back profile and the alterations to the seat’s foundation tell us that the original upholsterer took short cuts in his construction that caused the upholstery to fail (Fig. 8). A chair with a boxy upholstery profile like this should have a web or canvas-raised edge around the seat and back to provide the structure and support to the foundation. This chair lacks that element. The upholsterer skipped the important steps of cutting the square Fig. 6: Couch, attributed to Hugh Finlay, Baltimore, Md., 1819–1821. Tulip poplar, paint, and brass; linen, iron, hair stuffing, wool, and silk. Museum Purchase, Acquisition funded by Bridget and Alfred Ritter in honor of Milly McGehee and Deanne Deavours (2003-1, 1). Fig. 7: Couch shown in figure 6 but with reproduction upholstery and replacement pillow.