Vickypicker may have found a smoking gun to refute my assertion that the chair was made by George Henkels.  I think I’ll make definitive statements more often as it draws people out with their information.  Please see the comments to read what he has to say and my response.

A book that he has documents the chair as being by Robert Renwick of Baltimore.  I have now purchased the book in question and it should be here in a few days. I want to see if there is any more context and what the general authority of the book is.  I’ve revised the earlier post so as to temper the assertion until we find out more.  See a signed Renwick dresser here.

In other news, Rare Victorian is in Antique Trader’s July 9th issue - sort of.  Page 5 has a reprint of this blog post but unfortunately no mention of RareVictorian.com.  What’s a guy gotta do to get some press around here?

Hopefully RV may get some national press next weekend.  I and a few RV regulars have (or will be) interviewed by a prestigious business paper about the Victorian antique market.  The article was in the pitch stage when I was interviewed and is now green-lighted.  I look forward to reading it (assuming it happens) and will let everyone know when to look for it.

It always gives me great pleasure to nail down a maker of a piece of furniture that we often see being sold as “attributed to” and be able to turn that into a definite “made by”. No further need to attribute this chair to anyone other than George Henkels (which is usually what the “attributed to” is).**

An original ad done by George Henkels documented in Victorian Details shows this very chair design prominently on page 43. The drawing is somewhat stylized, 19th Century style, but the unmistakable side bolsters are identically presented.

I’ve blogged about this chair previously here and most recently here, where someone in N.J. probably got a good deal at an estate sale.

** NOTE: Based on new information received after this post was made, I’d like to temper the above statements with caution.  There is documentation that suggests this chair is made by Robert Renwick of Baltimore.  Stand by while I look into it.

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Above is an image of Kathie’s Bembe and Kimbel signature. The wood is indeed dry and the markings are worn, but it seems to be of the 928 Broadway variation. Hard to say from just this image, but that is my guess. Below is one from a Neal Auction chair.

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