The Haddon Family Very Fine Queen Anne Carved and Figured Walnut Compass-Seat Side Chair, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania circa 1750

the chair marked VII and the slip seat frame marked IV. Retains an early crazed finish.



One label on the inside back rail reads: Elizabeth Haddon, a member of the Society of Friends, left her home at Surrey, near London, England and came to America, A.D. 1701, and settled in Newtown Township (now Camden and Heddonfield), New Jersey.  She resided here several years; in 1713 she built a house, and then returned to England to procure furniture for the same; she returned the following year bringing the furniture with her; the house was destroyed by fire in 1842.  This chair is one of the pieces brought over by her.  It came down to this generation through the Hopkins family, as Ebenezer Hopkins, her nephew inherited the whole estate.  It is now owned by Jno. B. Peddle, who received it from Mrs. Samuel Hopkins of Woodberry, N.J. in 1900.  Given to Wm.? Hoage by George C. Hoage who inherited it from John B. Peddle, 1918.



A second label reads: The history noted on this chair erroneously indicates an English origin.  The chair definitely is American and was made in Philadelphia, circa 1740.  6/14/71  Joseph C. Lionetti/ John S. Walton, Inc.

Haddon Family, with paper label on the inside of the back rail with a partial family history;

John S. Walton, Inc., New York, 1971

secondary woods are yellow pine and mahogany. Please note that this lot is constructed of mahogany not walnut as stated in the catalogue.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This side chair represents a popular Late Baroque chair pattern made in Philadelphia with a carved shell framed within the crest rail, a vase-shaped splat, a compass seat, and trifid feet. Its crest rail is distinctive for the indentations flanking the central shell, which emphasize the contour and evoke a sense of movement. A Philadelphia side chair with a similar crest rail was loaned by Mrs. J. Amory Haskell to the Girl Scouts Loan Exhibition of 1929.¹  A pair of side chairs at Bayou Bend with a crest rail of this unusual type and displaying pointed slipper feet and flat serpentine stretchers descended from George Emlen (1695-1754) or his son and namesake (1741/2-1812), both of Philadelphia.²

¹ See American Art Galleries, Loan Exhibition of Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Furniture & Glass ... for the Benefit of the National Council of Girl Scouts, New York, 1929, , no. 551.
² See David Warren, et al, American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection, Houston, 1998, F45, p. 27.