98 
House & Garden 
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DECORATIVE LIGHTING FITMENTS 
For the Dining-Room 
f- 
R IDDLE Fitments seem especially suited to the 
. dining-room, the rich tones of the Silver Esto- 
fado Decoration adding to the spirit of warmth and 
good cheer. The illustrations suggest a ceiling fitment 
and buffet set that are appropriate for this purpose. 
As all are decorated in the typical Riddle Silver Esto- 
fado, a harmonious effect is secured. 
The Riddle Fitment Book 
illustrates in full color various Riddle Fitments for dining¬ 
room and other major rooms of residence or apartment. It 
contains suggestions regarding interior decorative lighting 
that are especially interesting to those planning to build, re¬ 
model or re-decorate. Lamps, torcheres and other smaller 
fitments suitable for Christmas giving are also shown. Copy, 
with name of nearest dealer, sent on request to Dept. 202. 
Riddle Fitments are wrought of metal 
and are therefore literally everlasting. 
The decoration is permanent in all 
climates, including salt-water atmos¬ 
phere. Re-finishing is never needed. 
The colors seem rather to improve and 
blend more richly with age. 
THE EDWARD N. RIDDLE COMPANY 
Toledo, Ohio 
Makers of lighting fitments since 1899 
The fireside chair 
usually has the pro¬ 
tective wings on each 
side, such as this 
example from T obey 
Occasional Chairs 
{Continued from page 94) 
down cushions, and often the whole chair 
would be covered with embroidery in 
petit-point worked in designs rather 
smaller and neater than those of the 
preceding reign; a device of little knots 
of cut flowers powdered all over was most 
admired. 
When enormous hooped skirts became 
fashionable, the occasional chair with 
arms had to be discarded in favor of one 
with no arms and a broad seat—the arm¬ 
less armchair, in fact. The pattern which 
came from Spain appeared in England in 
the reign of Queen Mary, and the vogue 
continued all through the 18th Century; 
it was called the Farthingdale chair. 
Another occasional chair for which 
fashion in dress was directly responsible 
was known as the “Voyeuse” or conversa¬ 
tion chair. This chair was made extra 
long between back and front, with the 
top rail accentuated and padded, and just 
high enough for the Georgian dandy to 
lean his arms on when he sat astride it 
with the glories of his embroidered coat¬ 
tails handsomely displayed on the seat 
behind and conversed with or ogled the 
belles through his quizzing glass. Admi¬ 
rably adapted to this purpose, the chair, 
minus the occupant, was not particularly' 
pleasing in design. The Louis Seize 
“Voyeuse” was more graceful and had 
usually a lyre-shaped back; a pattern 
somewhat similar was used in England 
for a harpist’s chair and appeared in Shera¬ 
ton’s book illustrating his later style. 
The writing (or corner) armchair 
became popular in the early 18th Cen¬ 
tury', and has remained so; a modern 
corner chair which follows the original 
outline and proportion very closely, is 
familiar to every one. 
The “barber’s chair” was developed 
from this model by adding an extra splat 
to the back, at a convenient height, for a 
head-rest; this pattern was in great 
demand and—proof of this sturdy work¬ 
manship—a good many “barber’s chairs” 
are extant today. 
Chippendale did not so much originate 
new chairs as play, with consummate 
skill, new variations on the old themes. 
He had a flair for the mode that amounted, 
in itself, to genius; Gothic, Chinese, and 
Rococo, each of these he adapted, 
blent and bent to the requirements of 
his taste, and the result was always Eng¬ 
lish to the very core. Chippendale 
started the fashion for mahogany, which 
finally ousted walnut from its long run of 
popular favor, because he was the first to 
realize its limitations; he saw that it 
could not be treated like the highly 
figured and lustrous walnut with any 
success. For seats and backs he con¬ 
sidered red leather had a “fine effect”; 
needlew'ork was used, too, panels in 
French tapestry, and Chinese designs, 
silk damask and velvet, and many other 
materials. 
The classic formalism which marks all 
Robert Adam’s decorated work w’as 
echoed in the furniture. Chairs were 
placed stiffly; they stood at regular 
intervals round the walls, each in its 
appointed position. To preserve balance, 
the chairs were usually made in sets—two, 
four, a dozen, and so on. The little pull- 
about occasional chair was rather out of it. 
The single chair—when it was made— 
was a fine thing; almost too fine for every¬ 
day use, wdth painted panels, pale tints, 
and delicate inlay on rare woods; but it 
was ir ade to feel a little bit lonesome. 
A black lac¬ 
quer billiard 
armchair with 
cushion in 
peacock blue. 
Courtesy of 
Barton, Price 
dr Wilson 
