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The Curious Bag
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Fan back arm chairs will have a back that is made up of vertical rods, flat thin boards or other single apparatuses. The bottom spindles are fastened to the back part of the seat while the top is fanned out, with the arms helping to secure it.
The Early Windsor Chair
The English introduced the Windsor chair during the 1700s. Regardless of rich or poor, the scooped seat and enveloping curved spindles seemed to cradle its occupant. Nearly everyone has owned one of these crudely made fan-backed arm chairs.
The Westport Adirondack
Westport Adirondack chairs were first made by Harry Bunnell who patented them in 1904 and remade the design from his friend, Thomas Lee. They lived in a small town called Westport located in the Adirondack Mountains.
Wicker Fan Back
The wicker fan back does not have the classic spindles, but it has a huge rounded one-piece molded back that includes the arms. This style was popularly seen on the TV series, The Addams Family.
Horizontal Lines
Some fan back arm chairs have their rods following a horizontal direction. As long as they fan out to cradle the upper back, they are considered fan back.
Other Fan Back Arm Chairs
Not all fan back arm chairs are made of wood. Bar stools with arms many times sport rounded metal rod backs. Upholstered chairs with a curving back will sometimes be referred to as fan back, although this stretches the term.
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