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(Above photo - Pair Regency Arm Chairs Carver Mahogany)
The term 'carver' for an arm chair in antique furniture originates from the name of John Carver, a 17th-century English colonist and the first governor of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts. He was associated with an early American style of armchair that featured simple lines and turned legs, commonly found in colonial New England.
(Above photo - Chippendale Arm Chair Mahogany Carver Ball and Claw)
However, there's no definitive evidence that Carver himself designed or used the chair, and the association is likely retrospective, created by 19th-century antiquarians or furniture historians. The term became widely used to describe a sturdy, open-arm chair typically made of oak or maple, with a high, vertical slat back and turned supports.
(Above photo - Chippendale Carver Arm Chair - Antique Mahogany 1890)
The origins of the term could also come from the fact that the chairs with an arm would be positioned at the end of a dining table which is where the person who 'carved' the meat would probably sit.
(Above photo - Hepplewhite Arm Chair - Single Mahogany Carver)
Named after John Carver, an early American colonist.
Became a generic term for simple, early colonial armchairs.
Often used today to refer broadly to any dining chair with arms, especially in sets.
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