The Winterthur Library

The Winterthur Library

The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

Creator: Bair, Jesse William, 1898-1961

Title: Patterns of early American furniture and business records

Dates: 1922-1962

Call No.: Col. 162

Acc. No.: 63x97, 79x331

Quantity: 12 boxes (ca. 5 cu. ft.)

Location: 18 D 3-4 and 44 A 2-9

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

Jesse William Bair was a cabinetmaker who worked in the early American style. He had his home and shop in Hanover, York County, Pennsylvania. Although Bair made hundreds of pieces of furniture, most of his business activity was centered on furniture repair and restoration. His primary clients were Joe Kindig and Robert S. Stuart. Bair was born in 1898, the son of Roseanne Rice and John Franklin Bair. He married Alma Bortner; they had two children: Richard (born 1927) and Frances (born 1923). Jesse William Bair died in November 1961.

A man named John M. Bair had a cabinet shop in Abbotstown, Adams County, Pennsylvania. It is not known if he were related to Jesse William Bair.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

The collection consists of 1515 drawings and patterns of furniture, along with business records that relate to Bair's furniture repair activities. The patterns of early American furniture are in the William and Mary, Queen Anne, Chippendale, Hepplewhite, Sheraton, and Duncan Phyfe styles and were made from 1922 to 1962. Forms represented include chairs, sofas, secretaries, highboys, lowboys, clocks, mirrors, tables, stands, etc. The drawings display intricate attention to detail in dimensions, inlay, carving, and turning. Also included is a drawing book showing hardware design and ball and claw feet. A few patterns were laid in ledgers, specifically a pediment design for a chest and book case (templates), a design for a desk and for a rosette, and small drawings of inlay.

The business records consist of nine ledgers and/or receipt books for the years 1928 to 1932, 1940, and 1942 to 1961; copies of receipts kept for tax purposes from 1959 to 1961; correspondence with customers; a letter regarding the purchase of curly maple; and a list of names and addresses of frequent customers and suppliers. Ledger entries consist of the name of the customer or his initials, a description of the piece of furniture to be repaired, and either charges for restoring and refinishing or the number of hours spent on the repair. Bair was careful to note whether he charged sales tax; tax identification numbers for Robert S. Stuart and Joe Kindig are found throughout the volume.

One of the volumes contains an itemized list of income and expenses for the years from 1954 to 1960. Bair had such expenses as electricity, heat, and fire insurance for the shop; supplies, including glue, masking tape, sandpaper, screws, and a hand saw; and such finishing material as alcohol, linseed oil, turpentine, wax, "dryer," and steel wool.

ORGANIZATION

The larger templates are shelved separately from the smaller patterns and business records; many of the patterns are arranged by form and style.

PROVENANCE

Gift of Richard J. Bair, son of Jesse William Bair.

RELATED MATERIAL

Jesse Bair's letters to Robert S. Stuart are in the Stuart papers at this repository, Col. 81.

ACCESS POINTS

People:

Kindig, Joe.

Stuart, Robert S.

Topics:

Furniture, Early American.

Furniture - Repairing.

Furniture finishing.

Antiques - Conservation and restoration.

Furniture design.

Furniture - Styles.

Furniture industry and trade - Pennsylvania - Hanover (York County)

Colonial revival (Art)

Business records - Pennsylvania - Hanover (York County)

Sales tax - Accounting.

Income tax - Accounting.

Drawings.

Account books.

Receipts.

Daybooks.

Correspondence.

Ledgers.

Patterns (design elements).

Cabinetmakers.

Furniture makers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

Location: 18 D 3-4 and 44 A 2-9

Items are from accession 63x97 unless otherwise noted; a list appended to this description gives a few more details about what is found in the boxes]

Box 1: Patterns

Folders 1-2: birds (55 pieces, mostly variations on same pattern for mirror?)

Folder 3: chairs (8 pieces: splats, backs, Downs #136 and 139)

Folder 4: hairy paw carving, rubbings (6 pieces)

Folder 5: brackets and moldings (39 pieces, includes Myers curly maple desk)

Folders 6-7: legs and miscellaneous carvings

(100 pieces, includes Moore chair seat frame;

Gillingham table leg design;

Ima Hogg ball and claw tea table

Folder 8: finials and low-boy drops

(41 pieces; includes Thomas Stretch G.F. clock finial;

B.B. #125 finial G.F. clock;

R. M. Lewis finial G.F. clock;

Goddard style;

Peter Stretch finial;

John Wood – Phila. 1710-20 clock finial;

Ima Hogg desk finial, bombe secretary finial – includes time to make;

John Fisher clock ornament)

Folder 9: proposed card table carvings, rubbings (8 pieces)

Folder 10: Lewis chair rubbings (12 pieces)

Folder 11: frets, brackets

(28 pieces, includes carved quarter column and R.M. Lewis low boy)

Folder 12: teapot handles; dimensions; jewel box; pipe box; Philadelphia tea table

(15 pieces, includes Richard tea pot handle – time to make; Fox ball and claw tea table)

Folders 13-16: mirrors

(121 pieces, includes Moore’s mirror – Long sale; Mal-mirror; W mirror; Phreaner(?) mirror)

Folder 17: aprons (14 pieces)

Folder 18: scroll board carving (29 pieces, including 3 for “Ewe and Lamb”)

Folder 19: low boy shell, Prince of Wales feathers, other designs (5 pieces)

Box 2: Patterns and business papers

Folder 1: pie-crust tables, tilt-top stems (8 pieces)

Folder 2: rosettes and mirror rosettes

(22 pieces, J. Elliott rosette; 1 priced; 2 note time to make)

Folder 3: shells, streamers, and chair crests

(59 pieces, includes Willut, N.Y.; Lepperd side chair crest)

Folders 4-5: cartouches and urns

(56 pieces, including Gratz highboy cartouche and Reifsynder Ewe & Lamb)

Folders 6-7: marquetry [spelled marketry] patterns; Hepplewhite urns

(86 pieces, including eagles, urns, shells)

Folders 8-10: feet

(62 pieces, mostly ogee and bracket feet, some William & Mary, 1 “block front hairy paw”)

Folder 11: patterns and pictures from a box labeled 1959

Folder 12: receipts, letters, and other papers from a box labeled 1959

Folder 13: patterns and pictures from a box labeled 1960

Folder 14: receipts, letters, and other papers from a box labeled 1960

Folder 15: patterns and pictures from a box labeled 1961/ 1962 tax receipt

Folder 16: receipts, letters, and other papers from a box labeled 1961/ 1962 tax receipt

Folder 17: auction catalogs: Yorktowne Antique Shoppe (1928); Schmuck and Strayer (1927), Estelle Berkstresser

Folder 18: correspondence, 1924, and photos

Folder 19: correspondence, 1933, 1934, 1936 (acc. 79x331)

Box 3: Record books, some with patterns

record book, March 1928 to Oct. 8, 1930 records amount of time spent on specific pieces of furniture, but no prices

“Journal,” records for 1930-1931 mostly undated entries listing customer’s name, what worked on, and numbers (either time or charges) spent for restoring and refinishing the pieces

record book, 1931-1932 contains notes about making furniture, several patterns, and a list of furniture with prices

record book, from Jan. 18, 1940 records time and prices

record book, Jan. 1, 1942-1953 lists customers, pieces of furniture (sometimes noting that repairs were done), and charges; also includes some notes about income and expenses

record book, Jan. 1, 1943 to 1944 records time and prices

“Daily Reminder, 1947,” but used 1954-1960 records charges made to Kindig, Fox, Stuart, and others; specific pieces of furniture are mentioned, but no indication of whether the charges are for repairs, refinishing, or making

record book, Jan.-March 1960 records furniture with prices, also a list of the cost of materials used in a bureau

record book, 1960-1961 records charges for furniture; also an account of materials bought for 1961, income and expenses, time spent on certain pieces of furniture, and a pattern

record book, undated a few entries recording work done for Mr. Kindig [in Farmers State Bank book]

Box 4: patterns

Folder 1: patterns taken from composition book, 1960: head of man, flowers, scrolls, cartouche, etc. (acc. 79x331)

Folder 2: rosette (acc. 79x331)

Folder 3: phoenixes (or eagles) (acc. 79x331)

Folder 4: tracing of egg and dart molding from a case piece (acc. 79x331)

Folder 5: design for pediment (acc. 79x331)

Folder 6: miscellaneous templates (small; in an envelope) (acc. 79x331)

Folder 7: patterns for plumb-pudding clock, made for son Richard (acc. 79x331)

Folder 8: patterns for 2d order secretary, made for son Richard (acc. 79x331)

Folder 9: patterns for low boy, made for son Richard (acc. 79x331)

Folder 10: assorted templates, patterns, drawings (acc. 79x331)

Folders 11-12: Chippendale chairs

Boxes 5-6: assorted templates, patterns, drawings

Box 7: templates, patterns, drawings for mirrors and looking glasses

Boxes 8-9: templates, patterns, drawings for case pieces (see also box 11)

Box 10: templates, patterns, drawings for tables (see also Box 12); templates, patterns, drawings for Queen Anne, Federal, and Empire chairs

Box 11: miscellaneous templates, patterns, drawings, including sofas and case pieces (see also Boxes 8-9)

Box 12: miscellaneous templates, patterns, drawings, including beds, tables, and chairs (see also Box 10)

The list below was made sometime after 1970. The drawings were left on open shelves, and drawings might possibly have been moved around by those who did not realize they were supposed to be in some order. When the drawings were placed in boxes in 2006, no attempt was made to check the accuracy of the list below. Drawings for furniture may well be in a box not labeled with that furniture form.

Tables, stands, etc. (most are in Box 10 or 12):

Leg and side “maple stand” (pad foot) – 1 item;

Plan of inlay for a stand or card table “see #47, page #83 Baltimore book” - Baltimore Furniture 1760-1810 - 1 item;

inlay detail. drop leaf table "eagle faces center" - 1 item;

full size drawing: “Small bedside table,” fox - 1 item;

Front “Hepplewhite dressing table” 30” wide - 1 item;

“Straight maple – w. pine top, apron & stretchers or walnut Drawing ordered by Mrs. R.C. Myers.” “Hand made nails ...” “The old pine I have isn't suitable for this table..." - 5 items;

“Fox Table $28” - 29-1/2” high - many comments erased - 1 item;

Table leg - 1 item;

Tea stand top 2 dishes only showing flame finial - 1 item;

Foot - crows nest spindle - pedestal & edge trim 18” pie-crust tea table with fluted column. Pie-crust top also detail pattern – 6 items, of which 4 are fastened together;

Globe & compass stand (slipper or snake foot) - 1 item;

Side of table without legs “#369” (refers to Downs no.?) - 1 item;

Leg and front also side - pad foot card table - 3 items;

Side and end card table? without legs - 1 item;

Dimensions “B or A side-table” - also tracing of shell - 1 item;

Top of card or gaming table - 1 item;

Dimensions - top and rough sketch of “bow-end table” - 1 item;

End and leg “walnut leaf table” - 2 items;

Leg “Web-foot side-table” - - 1 item;

Leg and side or front showing carving detail - 1 item;

Stretcher and shelf for “Baltimore painted table” - 1 item;

Skirt pattern - 2 items

Philadelphia “Queen Anne” stand – Mr. & Mrs. R.C. Myers – 1 full size drawing;

“Small walnut, center stretcher table” 23” high – 1 full size drawing;

Bow end table – 20” on top [without leaves] - 1 item;

Side table – 5’ long with drawers - 1 item;

One pad foot table leg - 1 item;

(Wm. & Mary) stretcher & leg plan - full scale drawing - also stretcher pattern - 4 items;

“Baltimore bow-end (Pembroke) inlaid mahogany table” 20” top - 1 item;

“Hepplewhite card table - square tapered inlaid leg. Table opens 36” x 36” - 1 item;

“for leg for Sheraton card table” – full size drawing;

“Candle stand stem -18” top,” 26” high – full size drawing;

Detail corner of (Hepplewhite drop leaf table) “bell flowers” - 1 item;

Table top - '”card table - Duncan Phyfe- Sheraton influence - turned, fluted legs - inlaying at top... 36” x 36”.” - 1 item;

“Knee Hole writing table ... Hepplewhite 1790” 48” long – full size drawing;

“Philadelphia Pie-crust Table” - center stem & foot - 1 item;

Table - Federal? showing false drawer & glass top - 1 item;

47 ¼” high tea stand - three tops – full size drawing;

Tea table pedestal? - 1 item;

Stretcher plan “Baltimore painted (consol or side) table”; also base “curly maple desk” - bracket feet - 1 item;

“Hepplewhite period American oval stand" 27 ½” tall - inlaid - 2 items;

"Snake foot music stand" – full size drawing

Leg – “New England marble top side-table - Queen Ann” - 1 item;

Turned pedestal - 1 item;

William & Mary type stretcher - 1 item;

Spade foot trifid stand - 2 items;

Drawing table top - 1 item;

Patterns for snake or slipper feet or tilt-top stable, stands, etc. – 6 items.

Chairs and sofas: Queen Anne, Federal, and Empire chairs are in Box 10, Chippendale chairs are in Box 4, other chairs are in Box 12:

William & Mary or ladder back chairs:

Rounds, posts, slats, dimensions etc. - turned maple chairs - 8 items.

Queen Anne chairs:

“P” arm and side chairs - 13 items (tied together);

chair pattern. “Philadelphia ball R2 claw armchair - compares with one in first item above - 1 item;

“side chair” or “arm chair #10,” L.K. Phreaner - 5 items;

Back of armchair – full size drawing;

Pattern pieces that seem to fit the above, one marked “M” arm chair - 4 items;

Front leg & arm support - may be part of above - 1 item;

Drawing chair back; Drawing chair back side view marked “Philadelphia Queen Ann” - walnut web foot side chair - 7 items;

Drawing: seat - identified as above, pattern seems to fit with the above pieces - 3 Patterns;

Drawing: chair splat and top rail - 1 item;

Drawing: front seat rail with shell - 1 item;

Pieces - with seemingly related drawings of splat, legs, seat rail, side & center stretchers, arm support - 3 items;

Chair arm side view pattern - 1 item;

Patterns: chair arms - top view - 6 items;

Drawing: 2 views arm support - 1 item;

Patterns: seat blocks 2 = left and right - 3 items;

Patterns & drawings: back splats - 5 items;

Pattern: “side chair” stile - 1 item;

Pattern: “Queen Ann stool” - 1 item;

Pattern: “curly maple stool” - 1 item;

Pattern: “291 curly maple” (refers to Downs 291? a stool with same foot) - 1 item;

Pattern: “web foot” leg with shell - 1 item;

Pattern: web foot “ribs” - 2 items;

Pattern: #20 Philadelphia slipper foot - 1 item;

Rough pattern - leg - 1 item;

“Queen Ann stool in walnut (all old wood) $35.00 F.O.B. – Hanover” – 1 scale drawing;

One bundle containing small drawing of side view of an easy chair, other pieces seem to be pattern pieces of the chair - 10 items (tied together);

“wing” chair - 8 items (tied together);

Pattern piece: “front seat rail” (easy chair?) - 1 item;

Pattern: piece “solid seat” - 1 item;

Pattern: “Web, Drake or Duck foot Queen Ann, Philadelphia Wing chair #1” - 1 item;

Wooden template: part of chair back? - 1 item;

Unidentified pieces - 2 items.

Chippendale chairs:

“wing block” – 1 pattern;

“Martha Wash. Arm - 2 patterns;

“top of' arm” - 1 pattern;

“Back leg Phila. wing chair, (ball & claw) - (web foot) loose seat” - 1 pattern;

back leg “solid seat wing chair” - 1 pattern;

stiles for chairs - 4 patterns;

stiles for Gillingham chair - 1 pattern;

sketches & dimensions for chairs - 4 miscellaneous sheets;

sketches & dimensions for wing chairs - 2 miscellaneous sheets;

“loose seat wing chair” – 4 pieces of patterns;

(side view stile of chair back?) - 1 pattern;

part of arm & leg of wing chair - 1 marked “wing chair (loose seat)” - 2 patterns;

wing or corner chair arm support? – 1 pattern;

patterns which seem to be related to arms of wing chairs – 4 items;

patterns which seem to be parts of seats and backs of wing chair - 6 items;

carving detail for “side chair” – 1 item;

part of Martha Washington chair arm? - 1 pattern;

Back splat & cresting rail – “Dalrymple Chair” - 8 full scale drawings, 7 patterns;

Splat & cresting rail of arm chair; Side chair to match; cresting rail to match – 3 patterns;

Splat - Myers chair – pattern, drawing (1 or 2 of each);

“M chairs - arm ends”; “M chairs arm support” - related to arm ends? “M chair top of arm” – 3 patterns;

Splats – 6 patterns; 3 drawings

Cresting rails – 5 patterns;

Corner chair seat, arm & post of splat, end and arm – 3 drawings and patterns;

Seat – “Chippendale pretzel back chair – “Myers” - dimensions of side chairs; Part of stile;

Back of chair; Slats – 7 or 11 patterns and drawings;

“L. Fox open arm Chippendale chair upholstered seat & back” – 2 drawings;

Ball & claw feet - 5 patterns, 1 drawing;

Ball & claw feet for wing chair – 2 patterns;

Slat - pretzel-back chair – 1 pattern;

“back of slat of side chair” - 1 pattern;

“arm chair” to match above – 1 pattern;

5 patterns, 1 marked “ball & claw chair - straight wing” – 5 items.

Hepplewhite and Sheraton chairs:

Hepplewhite inlaid arm chair back, etc. – 6 drawings, 5 patterns;

Side chair to match above – 5 drawings (2 torn pieces), 3 patterns;

seat for “Hepplewhite ‘heart-back’ armchair” – N. York chair matches above? – 1 pattern;

side chair to match above – 3 patterns;

Hepplewhite chair – 8 patterns taped together;

inlaid Hepplewhite shield back armchair & side chair – 9 patterns;

carving details for chair splats – 2 patterns;

carving detail for Hepplewhite chair splat – 1 drawing;

“Hepplewhite (American) side-chair back. (Baltimore chair) - this chair appears in Hepplewhite book 3d edition”; showing carving detail – 1 drawing;

“Sheraton easy chair (Martha Washington type)” – 2 patterns, 1 drawing;

arm supports - Hepplewhite armchairs – 2 patterns;

seems to be arm of classical period chair – 1 pattern;

slats – ladder back chairs – 3 patterns;

classical chair crests? – 2 patterns (3 pieces);

Sheraton arm support – 1 pattern.

Empire chairs:

front chair leg, back chair leg, arm - 3 patterns;

chair seat – “Nutting 2432-2433” – drawing and small sketch;

leg – 1 pattern;

side view, chair back – 1 pattern;

side view, back and leg – 1 pattern

Miscellaneous chairs:

patterns, sketches, dimensions, etc. for miscellaneous parts of chairs of various periods

Sofas: in Box 11 and possibly 12:

Philadelphia Serpentine sofa – 2 drawings, 8 patterns (tied together), and 3 patterns that are possibly for this piece;

end of Chippendale sofa - variant from above – 1 pattern

Clocks: it is not know in what box clock patterns are located:

banjo clock – 1 drawing;

banjo clock, including face, front of clock, shelf and details – 9 drawings (tied together);

top of tall clock – 1 drawing;

section of tall clock case – 1 drawing;

pediment trim “W. Nut 3286” – 1 pattern

Mirrors and looking glasses – in Box 7:

“Queen Anne mirror … W. Nutting #2490 with out incised streamers in top” – showing carving details – 1 drawing;

“Sheraton type toilet stand” – 1 drawing;

Mirror pediment – 1 drawing;

“Hepplewhite” mirror - 1 drawing;

“Queen Anne mirror walnut (base)” - 1 pattern;

Part of “R-S Sare(?) mirror” – 1 rough drawing;

top showing shell detail – 1 pattern;

op “eagle” inlay - 1 drawing;

part of pediment - 1 pattern;

top and bottom – 2 patterns;

complete mirror? lacks fruit string? 6 patterns (tied together);

bottom – 1 pattern;

bottom? – 1 pattern;

top “K-IIII” - 1 drawing;

“Bilbo mirror top” “urn taken from 3621 [should read 3126] - 27 Nutting vol.II,” “side drops from picture of your mirror,” “all pictures of urns in the book are about like I have drawn it …” - 1 drawing;

pediment scrolls - 2 patterns(?);

pediment scroll – 1 pattern;

top – 1 pattern;

molding, etc. – 1 sketch with dimensions;

details of fruit streamers - 2 drawings;

fruit streamers – 5 patterns;

“Hepplewhite mirror urn” – 1 pattern;

pediment scrolls for mirrors or clocks - 4 patterns.

Ornament and molding carving – it is not known in what box these may be found, but possible Boxes 5-6:

86 drawings and patterns

Case pieces – these are in box 11 and possibly box 12; see also Box 4:

Low boy – Miss Bonham - 1 drawing;

Fred. Yost corner cupboard - 2 drawings, 1 pattern;

Moore “bureau desk” – 2 patterns;

Reference to #93 Baltimore Furniture - 2 drawings;

Leg of William & Mary highboy with reference to Nutting nos. 333 and 341 and note to Joe Kindig, Jr. - 1 drawing;

Myers desk inside door - 1 drawing;

Note to Mrs. Gitt – 1 pattern.

104 drawings and patterns, including corner cupboards, highboys, low boys, a cellarette, and desks. Many pieces show extensive inlaying, carving, and structural ornament.

Beds – Box 12:

When placing the drawings in box, a group of drawings labeled beds was found. No beds were in the above list, and so no count exists for the bed drawings and patterns.