$300 · Very Rare - 2 Bowmanville Kitchen Chairs c. 1865

Found hanging in a barn near Port Perry Ontario in 1996 and painstakingly cleaned up. They have been oiled lightly annually to maintain condition. Authenticated in 2001 by an expert in Bowmanville Ontario who specialized in collecting and researching the furniture that was manufactured there in the mid- to late-1800's. He had a set of 4 of these same chairs. He attributed them to the G.P. Walter and Company (1861 to ca. 1866), rather than the Bowmanville Furniture Manufacturing Company (1867-75). He also estimated that the caning was replaced sometime in the 1920's. Auction value in 2001 was estimated at $200 - $250 per chair. Dimensions are: 35 inches high; 18 inches high at the seat; 16 inches wide (seat); 14.5 inches wide at the top of the back; seat depth is 15 inches. For all their age, these are still very elegant and sturdy little chairs.