The Bonhams Skinner auction at which this chair sold listed it as a Harvard University Windsor chair, bringing together two icons of colonial America. Harvard University, originally called the New College, was founded in Cambridge, Mass., in 1636, making it the oldest college in the United States. This means that Harvard predates the Windsor chair in America.
The first Windsor chairs were made in England in the 17th century, and were being made in Philadelphia by the 1730s. There were many variations on the Windsor chair, especially in America.
Like most early American furniture, different regions developed their own styles. American designers were the first to add rockers and writing arms to Windsor chairs. The chair can be made in many shapes, which often have descriptive names. They can be easily distinguished by the shape of the chair's back, like "low-back," "fan back," "sack back," "comb back," and "bow back."
No matter the style, a Windsor chair can be recognized by its spindle back, turned legs and stretcher base. They are made with stick-and-socket construction, meaning the chairs are built by inserting the legs and the back spindles into holes in the seat. Windsor chairs and similar styles are also called "stick furniture."
Q: I have a doll kit for a "Carolyn Doll" and the original box labeled "Your Carolyn Doll from Alice Dohmeyer, R.R. 2, Thiensville, Wis." My grandmother ordered it, probably in the 1940s or '50s. I suspect she was planning to make it for me. The doll has a painted china head, china hands and china feet with painted shoes. The back of the doll's neck is signed "Dohmeyer." The kit contains patterns and directions for making the cloth body and a pattern to make a 19th-century dress for the doll. Does it have any value?
A: Alice Dohmeyer (1914-2001) sold doll kits and also made dolls. The "china" parts included in the kit are bisque (unglazed porcelain), probably made by other companies. Some Alice Dohmeyer dolls have sold for $20 to $40. The kit would sell for less.
Q: I have a complete set of Deagan organ chimes. We always called them Triple Octave Chimes. I'd like to sell them, but I don't know where to start.
A: Deagan Manufacturing Co. was founded by John C. Deagan. He opened a factory in Chicago in 1897 and began making musical novelties and bells. It became the world's largest musical instrument manufacturer by 1912. Deagan held dozens of patents for musical instruments, tuning mechanisms and manufacturing processes. He was granted a patent for organ chimes, a "novelty instrument," in 1901. They were played by striking with a mallet or shaking them. The chimes were made in sets of 15 (1 1/2 octaves) to 49 chimes (four octaves). The large sets originally sold for $650. They were used in vaudeville acts because they were easy to take apart and pack up. The company was sold in 1967. After more changes in ownership, the Deagan brand name was sold to Yamaha Corp. in 1984. Products bearing the Deagan name are still being made. Organ chimes were made until the early 1920s. Not many sets were made. Sets in good condition are hard to find today and few are offered for sale. Contact an auction house that sells musical instruments to see if they can sell them for you.
