What is a smokers bow chair?

A smokers bow is a low-backed Windsor arm chair featuring a continuous curved arm rail and turned spindles. These pieces were widely utilised in domestic studies and commercial spaces during the nineteenth century.

How do I identify a Windsor chair?

A Windsor chair is characterised by a solid wooden seat into which the structural legs and back components are tenoned. Craftsmen often combined flexible woods like ash for the hoops with dense elm for the carved seats.

What woods were used for these chairs?

Common timbers include elm, ash, beech, oak and mahogany, selected for their specific structural and aesthetic properties. Country pieces frequently mixed native hardwoods to provide strength where needed most.

Where were these armchairs placed?

These seating forms served multiple domestic functions in libraries, morning rooms, bedrooms and studies. Specific designs catered to writing desks, firesides and informal lounging.