A Gainsborough chair (also known as a Martha Washington chair in the United States)[1] is a type of armchair made in England during the eighteenth century. The chair was wide, with a high back, open sides and short arms, and was normally upholstered in leather.[2]

Gainsborough chair

Contemporaries referred to it as a 'French chair', as the most elaborate styles were based on French Rococo chairs from the Louis XV period.

References

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  1. ^ Definition of Martha Washington chair, Merriam-Webster.
  2. ^ Gainsborough chair, Encyclopædia Britannica.