Marc Blanchette Master Windsor Chairmaker

DINING l OCCASIONAL l SETTEES l CHILDREN'S
Sackback Settee	nown originally as a 'plank-bottom' or 'expanded' chair, the Windsor settee was in use in America by 1754, being deemed suitable for piazzas or gardens. The Sackback settee I make is a New England style, circa 1770. Although the Sackback chairs were very common, just the opposite is true of this style settee. Most 18th century settees tended to be on the long side, seating three to four people. This two-person settee, sometimes called a 'small form' settee, was not widely produced 200 years ago and is extremely rare today.

Double Seat Settee	imilar to the Sackback settee I make, this replica of a circa 1770-1790 Connecticut settee has two separately delineated seats rather than a traditional ‘plank-bottom’ style. Additionally, as does the original, it also has a decorative scallop shell hand carved in the center of the two seats above the middle front leg. And, like the ‘plank bottom’ settee, this too was a very rare style that was seldom made and is extremely rare today.

Child's Settee	lthough children’s Windsor seating was somewhat common in the 1700’s, only a few child-sized settees were ever made originally. Today’s auction prices bear this out. My six-legged Sackback child’s settee is exactly the same as its adult counterpart but reduced in scale for children about 3 through 7 years of age.