The one thing which defines Victorian dining chairs

The style of Victorian dining chairs will date them to a large extent, with early, pre-industrial examples representing a good investment. Early Victorian dining chairs in areas like Lancashire retained elements of the Regency and William IV periods, with curved backs, scrolls and simple embellishments. The growth of Colonialism and travel to 'foreign parts' also made military chairs popular in homes. These functional, but attractive, pieces are much sought after today. By the mid 1850s, Victorian society was no longer polarised. Industrialisation had brought new wealth, and with it a burgeoning middle-class. This period saw the emergence of numerous manufacturers of fine Victorian dining chairs; Lancashire and the Chilterns being just two hubs of the industry. However although machines were now in use, mass production had yet to arrive. The simple elegant lines of the Georgian period had, by now, fallen out of favour. The 'nouveau riche' wanted to declare their wealth, and Victorian dining chairs of this period were imposing and ornate, often borrowing motifs from different periods. High gloss, elaborate decoration and generous sweeping curves define chairs from this period, with mahogany and rosewood joining oak as the most popular timbers. Victorian dining chairs of this period were still mainly handmade, with dovetail joints, chamfered legs and turned bun feet. Later, chairs became more delicate in style. With comfort now central to design, it was common for Victorian dining chairs to have padded seats by the 1880s. At this time, revivalist Victorian dining chairs became popular. Lancashire manufacturer, Gillows of Lancaster, was one of a number of firms making high-quality Chippendale, Hepplewhite and Sheraton-style furniture. However, by the end of the 19th century the focus had shifted again. Mechanisation allowed designers to mass-produce styles inspired by history, art and literature, and dark chunky Tudor and Mediaeval-style chairs became fashionable. This was the era of the Gothic Revival dining chair, solidly designed in dark English oak with elaborate machine-turned legs. However, mass production led to a backlash, furnishing us with two distinct genres. The honest, hand-crafted Victorian dining chairs of the Arts and Crafts movement, epitomised by William Morris; and the lightly Gothic inspiration of the Art Nouveau movement, as shown by Hugh Baillie Scott and Charles Rennie Mackintosh's furniture. Stores like Liberty of London, meanwhile, specialised in dining chairs inspired by China, Egypt and India. Investing in Victorian antiques means avoiding the cheap-end, mass-produced items produced by the thousand in the 1890s. However, this doesn't mean spending five figures on a set of Mackintosh Victorian dining chairs. Antique dealerships abound in beautifully crafted Victorian dining chairs by lesser-known makers, which can be purchased at reasonable price.