Business & Tech
Antique of the Week: Historic Wicker Wheelchair
Bring a bit of 19th century history into a home with a this handmade chair from the Antique Market.
This column is all about giving new life to old things and showing off some of the hidden gems around Half Hollow Hills. Someone else's trash is another person's treasure, right? Want to show off your own vintage or antique piece? Email amanda.lindner@patch.com.
This week’s Antique of the Week is an wicker wheelchair from the 1800’s around the time of the Civil War. It is in museum quality and is all original featuring a cane woven seat, wooden spokes and a swiveling rear-third wheel.
The plate on the back looks as if it says “olding Chair,” which is a fitting description for this item, but it was actually made by the New Haven Folding Chair Co. in New Haven Connecticut. Although it did manufacture folding chairs, the New Haven Folding Chair Company designed and produced many different types of chairs including rocking chairs and wheelchairs. In 1870 the company suffered a tremendous boiler explosion which collapsed the building to the ground.
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It is not certain when the first wheelchair was invented or by whom, but the first known wheelchair on record was gifted to Philip II of Spain in 1595 and was called an invalid’s chair. King Philip II’s chair back was padded with horsehair for his added comfort and had movable arm and leg rests.
The three-wheel chassis was a design seen in 1655 by Stephen Farfler, a paraplegic watchmaker, who built himself the first self-propelling ‘rolling chair’ by adding a lever to the front wheel so that he could crank it to move forward.
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It wasn’t until 1933 when Harry Jennings invented a light weight, collapsible steel wheelchair for his friend Herbert Everest that we get a glimpse at the wheelchairs we know today. The duo envisioned the new prototype's potential and so established Everest and Jennings International, the first mass-manufacturer of wheelchairs.
This historical item would make an exceptional exhibit piece in a doctor’s office or medical supply store. For pricing information, contact the Antique Market at 631-351-9576. The Antique Market is located at 700 East Jericho Turnpike; they are open 7 days a week from 11am to 5pm.