Greek amphora with klismos chair
From Ancient Furniture
Written by Gisela M. A. Richter
Published by Clarendon Press
Oxford, England, 1926
(photographic reproduction)

Winterthur, An American Country Estate

Early nineteenth-century Americans were enamored with designs rooted in antiquity—a style now known as Neoclassicism. Among the more popular Neoclassical chair forms was the klismos. Featuring curved “saber” legs and a shaped back, the klismos was developed in ancient Greece and derived from even older Egyptian chairs. Makers like Seymour and Gragg were inspired by the Neoclassical furniture that was imported into Boston from other cities such as London and New York. They also got ideas from published furniture design books, including Thomas Hope’s Household Furniture and Interior Decoration.