The American Furniture Manufacturer's Directory

Greetings,

Pressed-back chairs play a significant part in the antique and collectibles arenas. They show up in most antique shops, malls, and shows in all conditions. Whether discovers in the barn attic or the collector's showcase, pressed-backs were a major part of the furniture manufacturing industry in the United States. Companies have been manufacturing the pressed-back since the industrial revolution hit the industry in the 9th century. Before that, craftsmen carved images and patterns in the backs and splats of chairs.

Examine a pressed-back chair today and you would be hard-pressed to find any labeling, identifying the maker or manufacturer of the chair. What companies made these chairs? Are there any records of the patterns used by these companies? What happened to all the pattern plates that these companies used?

The American Furniture Manufacturers Directory project seeks to gather some of the missing information for this part of the antique chair collector's realm. The directory will be built on research from various historical and preservation agencies and organizations and most importantly, collector contributions.

With a validated directory of the pressed-back chairs, it would be possible to identify these chair designs and the manufacturer, as well as place when and where the chair was manufactured or made. By identifying the pattern or design of a chair, at least some of it's history might be recovered. Each chair has a story to tell.