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n June 1941, American Collector, a pre- The answer is not always clear. Winterthur’s The collector should make a rigorous phys-
eminent monthly publication of the curator emeritus Donald Fennimore, author of ical inspection of a piece, checking for damage
time, described H. F. du Pont’s collec- Iron at Winterthur (2004), cautions that since and previous repairs. The feet are one of the
tion of antique English wrought iron garden the same techniques were used for centuries, first places to assess for wear and change since
furniture as among the finest in the United dating well-made wrought iron is a challenge. the paw feet preferred by early nineteenth-cen-
States. Of the seven chairs and benches illus- Charles Hummel, retired deputy director of tury blacksmiths tend to smooth away over
trating the article, five belonged to du Pont, Winterthur, adds that careful observation time. Sometimes the manner of a repair can
who owned a wide range of antique wrought- helps: “Thickness and variation of the iron also help with dating. Regency-era wrought
iron garden seats reflective of the Regency style sometimes gives you a clue about whether an iron furniture was created from strips of iron
dominant in England between the 1790s and object is a reproduction or a hand wrought –– plain or decorated, often with reeding (a
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the 1840s. In his garden, now Winterthur original.” The traditional technique for grooving incised into the metal bars) –– that
Museum and Country Estate, were armchairs, making wrought iron involved heating char- were riveted together into the desired shape.
two-, three-, and four-person settees, and vari- coal and iron ore together to form pig iron. Over time, the iron strips can spring loose and
ously sized convex-curve benches that fit Blacksmiths could then either hammer this repairs may be made. Layers of paint can also
partially around tree trunks. As the museum into iron bars or, more often, use iron bars offer information. In the late eighteenth and
evaluates this collection, a central question is produced by forges. By the twentieth century, early nineteenth century, wrought iron garden
the same one that confronts the private col- the rods were stronger and had fewer imperfec- furniture was painted in grey, blue, green, or
lector of antique wrought iron garden tions. With antique wrought iron, Hummel white. The fashion for painting it black seems
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furniture: how old is it? cautions, “Look out for perfection.” to have begun around 1900.
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Fig. 1: In 1930, H. F. du Pont paid $2,000 at auc-
tion for this pair of English Regency benches.
When joined, they form a 17-foot half-moon.
Each has four quadrangle backs with inter-
laced arches and one sloped arm. Photography
courtesy of the Winterthur Archives.
of antique garden furniture were imported Gardens of the Brandywine (March 27 through 3. Cast-iron furniture would not become commercially
viable until the 1820s. See Georg Himmelheber,
from Europe, and sophisticated American July 25) will examine gardens in the 1920s Cast-Iron Furniture and all other forms of Iron Furniture
homeowners like du Pont placed them in their and ‘30s through rare color photography and (London: Philip Wilson Publishers, 1996).
gardens. Fanciful interpretations and line-for- an assortment of garden objects, from lead 4. See the French trade catalogue Meubles de jardin en fer
creux laminé (Paris: 1830–?).
line reproductions abounded. Deliberate sculptures to wrought iron seating. Included
5. See Barbara Israel, Garden Ornament: Three Centuries of
forgeries were also made, encouraged by prices will be several early nineteenth-century iron American Taste (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1999), 79–80.