The chair came to us through the heiress (hereafter called LB)
to the Frank Crowe Mason Monterey Collection.
The sweet chair was made by her grandfather…
Someone had recovered it, but thankfully the original stuffings were intact!
She wanted it conserved, arms and back repaired, then covered in a showcover reminiscent of Mason Monterey furniture.  It would be making a trek to its
new home in Australia and into the hands of her granddaughter.

The chair is excavated, above.

In the process we found the original fabric, which our client remembers, above.
The fabric from the backside (where we often find good original fabric)
will become a lumbar pillow in memory of the chair’s original showcover.

Frame damage was repaired prior to conserving and rebuilding
of the seat and back for reupholstery.  We removed the two struts which were no longer viable.  They had twisted, causing damage to the seat apron rails.
The hardwood frame was peppered with tack holes, which were repaired by
filling with picks and hide glue.  Other areas of the frame were repaired with hide glue.

Both arms were split with loss, so new pieces were created, secured, and shaped.

Finish was cleaned, infill color and traditional shellac was used
to match the new repaired arms, and the entire frame had
an encaustic wax treatment to brighten and unify the original finish.
(Sadly, my very bad Apple computer, a lemon, lost images.)

Buildup and Upholstery

Buildup commenced, paying attention to how the old materials sat on the frame,
cleaning and reusing original materials and adding new to augment the old.
New webbing, new ties on the original springs, and a mix of original and new stuffings.
The mouse-eaten hole was filled in the original back.
We detailed the piece as it would have been originally with a slightly thicker
(the material was quite thick) welt cord band separating the seat from the apron.

Touches… handmade buttons for the inside back!

And a pocket to secret away pictures of family
and the report on the piece, with other provenance!

The chair ready for delivery and
another century of child use!

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