Side Chair
Middle Peninsula, Virginia, 1760-1780
Black walnut with yellow pine
Gift of the Burlington-Gwathmey Memorial Foundation

Long owned by the Gwathmey family at Burlington plantation in King William County, Virginia, this chair is the only extant example from a set that initially included a full dozen. By 1824, the chairs were a half-century old and long out of fashion. The suite was appraised at $1 in an inventory compiled that year.

The surviving chair remained in regular use at Burlington until the 1980s. The finish and leather upholstery are original, but the legs were cut down to make it more comfortable for a small adult or a child.