A swivel chair is a chair whose seat rotates on a central pivot above a fixed base, allowing the sitter to turn without moving the chair. Many antique examples also tilt backwards on a spring mechanism and have a screw thread for adjusting the height, and most stand on four or five splayed legs fitted with castors.
Early versions appeared in the late eighteenth century, and Thomas Jefferson is often credited with one of the first American examples. The swivel chair came into its own in the nineteenth century, when the growth of offices, banks, counting houses and libraries created demand for practical seating at a desk. Victorian and Edwardian makers produced swivel desk chairs in oak, mahogany and walnut, with cast-iron mechanisms, leather or caned seats and curved backs, as well as the type known as the captain's or banker's chair. Collectors look for good colour, original leather or caning, a smooth and secure mechanism, and makers' or patent marks on the ironwork. A period swivel chair makes a characterful and comfortable alternative to a modern office chair at a partners' desk, library table or writing desk.
