Lolling Chair

Chairs of this general form were made in France and England during the early to mid-eighteenth century. By the 1760s, their popularity waned abroad but grew in New England, developing new characteristics. This distinctly American chair - high backed, upholstered, with open sides - was native to New England (and particularly Massachusetts) and became known as a "lolling" chair. It is also occasionally referred to as a "Martha Washington" chair, although it has no association with our First Lady or the Washington family.