According to the accession records, the donors believed that this chair and its mates belonged to their ancestor, John Watts (1749-1836). Close examination, however, has shown the chairs to be late nineteenth- or early twentieth-century reproductions. Evidence includes the quality of the carving, the color of the wood, and the fact that there are band-saw marks inside the seat rails (see publications).

These armchairs were used by the Livingston family of New York. The double-cross back is similar to those found on a set (now at Winterthur) billed to William Bayard of New York by Phyfe on January 21, 1807. It was reupholstered in 1957.

Duncan Phyfe, a prominent New York cabinetmaker, produced several elegant chairs for the Livingston family. The rich mahogany and double-cross back of this chair, one of a pair, was similar to a set owned by merchant William Bayard Jr. (1761-1826), a close neighbor in New York City. Such chairs demonstrated wealth and status, and could be found in many stately households during the early nineteenth century.

During the first decades of the nineteenth century, Duncan Phyfe was New York City's premier cabinetmaker and established a distinctive New York style that incorporated contemporary European design. Phyfe came to the United States from Scotland in 1784. He settled in Albany before relocating to New York City in 1791. This chair is one of a pair used by the Livingston family of New York. Its double-cross back is similar to those found on a set (now at Winterthur) billed to William Bayard of New York by Phyfe on January 21, 1807.

This set of chairs was used by the Livingston family of New York. The double-cross back is similar to those found on a set (now at Winterthur) billed to William Bayard of New York by Phyfe on January 21, 1807. They were reupholstered in 1957.

This chair is part of a set used by the Livingston family of New York. Its double-cross back is similar to those found on a set (now at Winterthur) billed to William Bayard of New York by Phyfe on January 21, 1807. It was reupholstered in 1957.

This chair is part of a set used by the Livingston family of New York. Its double-cross back is similar to those found on a set (now at Winterthur) billed to William Bayard of New York by Phyfe on January 21, 1807. It was reupholstered in 1957.

This chair relates to a group of similar chairs found in Connecticut, New Jersey, Long Island, and Upstate New York.

This chair is part of a set used by the Livingston family of New York. Its double-cross back is similar to those found on a set (now at Winterthur) billed to William Bayard of New York by Phyfe on January 21, 1807. It was reupholstered in 1957, but the original upholstery is preserved beneath the new.