Banister back chairs date back to the first quarter of the 18th century. The chair itself was most popular during the entirety of the 18th century. The chair was most common in the northern states but also reached as south as Virginia.
The chair’s name refers to the back supports that the chair demonstrates. This type of chair is distinctly American in design. Its ornamentation is based upon the high back Flemish chairs. Banister back chairs were most commonly used as dining chairs. They usually lack arm rests. However, it is not unusual for a banister-back chair to feature a pair of arm rests. If arm rests were present, they were usually curved downwards, and sometimes there were grooves carved into the ends of the arms.
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The Banister-Back chair typically features a Spanish type foot used on the front legs, while the back legs remain footless. Banister back seats were typically made of twisted rush. The frame itself was most commonly made with maple, but other types of woods were used as well. The most popular finish for Banister chairs was to have them painted. Commonly, they were painted darker colors such as dark red and black.
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