Signpost is a free ezine from Bob Dillon Windsor Chairs. It is the
mission of this monthly ezine to explore the history and contruction of
Windsor chairs as well as other aspects of life in early America. For more
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***Signpost***
Issue No. Nine -- November 1, 2000
Contents:
- News
- Rod-back Windsor Chairs
- The Salem Witch Trials
- Birth of "The Vampyre"
NEWS:
I recently added a "news box" to the main page of my site. In the box I will be putting site updates and additions as they come along. I hope to update the box three or four times a month. The current news item introduces Windsor stools to my chair pages. Actually, I've been making stools all along, but this is their first appearance on the web site.
I am currently in the process of revamping the chair pages. I think the pricing information kind of gets lost in the lists of measurements that accompany each style. So prices for each chair will be moved to a small table. I may also add some other relevant information about each chair, about options, etc.
I recently added a page of freight rates. Whenever someone asks me for a rate, I call my freight carrier for an estimate. Now I've compiled a bunch of those estimates into a table, and I will add more as I get them. You can link to the freight table from the bottom of my price page. The table allows you to get a rough idea what it will cost to have an order delivered to you. Of course, don't hesitate to contact me for a real estimate to your zip code. I'll be happy to get it for you -- and add it to the table.
I have also added a new mail link to the bottom of Signpost. I hope you will use it to send your comments or questions (or suggestions) to share with other readers. I look forward to hearing from you.
This issue's chair article is devoted to the rod-back Windsor. For Halloween I've included stories of witches and vampires. Article #3, "Birth of 'The Vampyre'" is followed by a link to the complete text of the story -- it prints out to eleven pages on my system.
Until next time,
Bob
As was mentioned in an earlier Signpost, by the end of the 18th century and the early 19th century the Windsor chair was becoming simplified -- some might say cheapened -- compared to earlier chairs. But there were still good chairs being designed and made and the rod-back was one of them.
First introduced in Philadelphia around 1800, the various styles that fall under the title "rod-back" were a direct interpretation of the Federal furniture style of the 1790-1815 period. They were also called Federal Windsors, Sheraton Windsors and even "Windsor chairs with square tops." Rod-backs were made as both side-chairs and arm-chairs as well as rocking chairs.
A common feature of the rod-backs is bamboo-style turnings, introduced from China by way of England. Legs typically had three bamboo rings and a "box stretcher" system, where two side stretchers joined the legs at the bottom ring while front and back stretchers are joined at the middle ring. The "H" stretcher seen on older chairs was sometimes used, often with legs having only two rings.
The ring pattern was echoed in the stiles (the two main uprights in the back) and often in the spindles and rod (or rods) which were turned rather than shaved.
Rod-backs with two rods, originally known as double-bowed, are today refered to as birdcage Windors, and sometimes chicken coop. The lower rod was mounted between the stiles -- that is, the ends of the rod were inserted into holes drilled through the stiles. The upper rod could also fit between the stiles or it could be mounted above them -- the ends of the stiles joined to holes in the rod. On the best of the latter type, the joint was carved to resemble a mitered joint. The spindles of a birdcage do not all run to the top of the back. Typically, four spindles terminate at the lower rod, while three continue to the top. Often the center spindle stops at the lower rod and a decoratively painted medalion was mounted between the rods.
Also classified among the rod-backs are types with broad crests, perhaps the best known being the "step-down" Windsor, in which the crest is widest in the center then narrows in two steps toward the ends.
The seats of rod-backs were simpler than earlier chairs. They were not as deeply saddled, and the shield-shape is typically degraded or entirely absent. The front edges were not as sharply champhered (or not champhered at all) which tends to make them look thicker. Decorative beading, which was often applied to the edges, minimizes this effect.
Though rod-backs have often been judged inferior to earlier Windsors, they can also be seen as the realization of a unified design. The baluster turnings of the older chairs were a holdover from the William and Mary period (early 18th century), while the bamboo of the rod-back was derived from the Federal syles of the day. Since all the turned parts of a rod-back could be made with the same basic bamboo pattern, the result was a unity of design unmatched by the earlier chairs.
The Salem Witch Trials
Reprinted from "Forgotten History"
Abigail Williams had been acting very peculiarly. It was a
cold winter in 1692, but that didn't explain why she was
flapping her arms like a bird around the house and screaming
that a witch was trying to get her. Her neighbors were shocked
by her behavior and soon other children were acting in a
similar fashion, claiming that they were possessed by witches.
This began one of the infamous incidents in American history,
and by the time it was all over 19 men and women plus two dogs
were executed for witchcraft. The mass hysteria caused another
55 people to repent their sins and an additional 130 people
awaited trial for witchcraft before the whole thing was over.
The incident started when Abigail, and her nine year old
cousin Elizabeth, read a book about witches by Cotton Mather.
The two girls blamed their slave Tituba, who hailed from
Barbados, for the whole thing. Tituba believed the only way
she could avoid hanging was to plead guilty to the charges.
She spoke about an encounter with a thin white man who showed
her a book with the names of nine Salem witches in it. This
impossible story led to the witch hunt that followed.
Tales of witches were not new. In the 14th century, several
thousands of people had been executed because of their
suspected witchcraft. Witches had appeared in European
folklore, including the old bard William Shakespeare,
throughout the 15th century. Ten people had been hanged for
witchcraft in England in 1600, so the idea of witches was not
that strange in 1692. But the actions of children who came
to understand that they could accuse anyone of witchcraft was
quite different.
The witch hunts moved forward and no one was safe. Critics
of the hunt complained that all of those who were accused
had some previous dispute with the children or their families.
The whole thing took on a bizarre life of its own as people
started to confess to the charges so that they could avoid
the hangmen's noose. The trials began on June 2 and the newly
appointed judges soon became part of the hysteria. Race became
part of the proceedings as one accuser claimed that a woman
named Goody Nurse had brought a black man with her claiming
he was there to cause her to "tempt god."
The judges and the jury ignored all defense evidence even if
the evidence proved the defendants innocence. When a few
people were acquitted the children began to scream again and
the judges soon ordered new trials where they were soon found
guilty. The hangings began on July 19th while the jails of
Salem became so full that suspected witches had to be
transferred to other towns.
The trial became an outrage to many but the last straw was
when the children accused the governor's wife of witchcraft.
The governor was furious and a special grand jury was convened
to deal with the situation. They quickly threw out more than a
hundred charges of witchcraft. The court system was overhauled
and drastically improved, as it would have been hard to be any
worse, and the testimony of children began to be suspected.
America would see many witch hunts in the future. They would
take on different forms, but that mob mentality became a part
of American culture. The McCarthy/Nixon era of the 1950's
would be worse, but our history is full of stories of irrational
mass behavior. This was only the beginning.
Reprinted from "Forgotten History," ShagMail.com
Birth of "The Vampyre"
Reprinted from The Lord Ruthven Pages
The circumstances surrounding the creation of Lord Ruthven [pronounced, Rivven] are legendary. In 1816, Dr. John William Polidori accompanied the famed poet Lord Byron on a trip through Europe. In Geneva, the duo met with Percy Shelley, Mary Godwin, and Clair Clairmont where they took accommodation on the shores of Lake Leman. One night in June, after they had read aloud from Phantasmagoriana, a collection of horror tales, Byron suggested that they each write a ghost story. Mary Godwin worked on a tale that would later evolve into Frankenstein, Byron wrote (and quickly abandoned) a fragment of a story, whereas Polidori is remembered as having come up with a story about a skull-headed woman. However, Polidori had taken detailed notes during the trip, and used Byron's abandoned story as inspiration for his own tale.
Dr. Polidori was inspired by real-life vampire cases that had occurred only a century before in Europe. However, rather than use the crude, bestial vampire of folklore as a character template, Polidori based his antagonist on his former friend, Lord Byron. Although the mysterious character in Byron's piece was named Darvell, Polidori renamed the character "Lord Ruthven" as a snide in-joke. The name was originally used in Lady Caroline Lamb's novel Glenarvon, in which a thinly-disguised Byronesque figure was also named Lord Ruthven. By creating Lord Ruthven, John Polidori altered the face of vampire fiction forever. Lord Ruthven was not only the first vampire in English fiction, but was the first fictional vampire in the form we recognize today - an aristocratic fiend who preyed among high society.
* * * * *
"The walls of my castle are cracked, the
shadows are many. But come in. Feel yourself at home."
Carlos Villarias in the Spanish film version of "Dracula"
* * * * *
Polidori's story, "The Vampyre," was published in the April 1819 issue of New Monthly Magazine. Much to both his and Byron's chagrin, "The Vampyre" was released as a new work by Byron. Byron even released his own "Fragment of a Novel" in an attempt to clear up the mess, but, for better or worse, "The Vampyre" continued to be attributed to him.
Reprinted from the The Lord Ruthven Pages
see also The Vampyre by John Polidori
Sources
- The Windsor Style in America, Charles Santore, Courage Books, 1997
- ShagMail.com
- Lord Ruthven Pages
- The Vampyre by John Polidori, complete text
Further Links:
Comments? Questions? Send email. I will publish your letters in the next Signpost, as space allows.
Comments? Questions? Send email. I will
publish your letters in the next Signpost, as space allows.
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