Tailored to Fit
American Windsor chair, muslin, sewing pins
42”h x 26”w x 26”d 2023 |
Prior to the Industrial Revolution, the American Windsor chair was made by a single skilled woodworker from start to finish. Chairs could be tailored to fit, much like clothing, as they were made one at a time, or in very small numbers. They later became one of the first items to be produced on the factory line because of their popularity. The iconic American Windsor chair symbolizes a turning point in American society's relationship to the handmade and the beginning of mass-production.
An American Windsor chair is draped according to the conventions of tailoring. The chair, a stand in for a dress form, is in turn a stand in for a body. Muslin is wrapped, folded, & pinned into place, hugging the form's surface. Removal would unfold its volume into flat pattern, much like a garment. |