Full-size coffer from the book on which Chris is currently working, “The American Peasant.” He left town and left me in charge of painting.
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I’m at the shop today, waiting for yesterday’s paint to dry (it’s linseed oil paint, so I’ll be waiting a few days beyond today, too…but I won’t have to apply more than the one coat!). So, I’m ready to answer your woodworking-, paint-, cat- and early modern literature-related questions. Chris is on vacation…so while he might chime in, I hope he does not.
Type your queries in the comment field below, and I will do my best to answer them. (If any are about chairs, I will likely be reading from the Book(s) of Schwarz to answer…so maybe check there for yourself first?) Comments will close at around 5 p.m.
– Fitz
p.s. Unlike Chris, I do not like to get up early…so you may not see any answers from me until well after this post goes live.
Diagram and description of John Cram’s fan chair, 1786. American Philosophical Society.
The American Philosophical Society was founded in Philadelphia in 1743 by Ben Franklin to “promote useful knowledge.” Before the U.S. Patent Office was formed, one of the functions of the APS was as a repository for plans for inventions and devises for improving the human condition.
In 1786, Charles Wilson Peale, artist, soldier, scientist and member of the APS, sent a letter to Benjamin Rush with a diagram and description of a chair made for him by John Cram, an instrument maker. Peale’s letter, read to the Society in August 1786, described the chair as, “useful to the studious and others that are obliged to sit at their employment…to keep them cool…” The superstructure was wood and the fan was pasteboard.
The secretary’s notes for the meeting refer to John Cram as “an ingenious mechanic.” Not much is known about John Cram, other than he was an instrument maker. He was listed in a 1785 city directory with a shop on Lombard Street between Second and Third.
There are at least two fan chairs in existence, one at Mount Vernon, George Washington’s Virginia estate, and one in the New Haven Museum in Connecticut. Chair dated 1786-1800, Mount Vernon Collections, Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association.
The notes for the Mount Vernon chair state Washington purchased a fan chair in 1787 while he was in Philadelphia for the Constitutional Convention. The whereabouts of that chair are unknown, “but this version likely resembles the original.” The chair on display is dated 1786-1800 and the edge of the fan is decorated with a trailing vine.
The second chair, in the collection of the New Haven Museum, was owned by Dr. Eneas Munson. It is dated 1786-1790. The fan on Dr. Munson’s chair was painted to depict an eagle’s wing, “kidney-shaped fan, painted black with painted gold feathers.” Dr. Eneas Munson’s chair, 1786-1790. New Haven Museum.
The Mount Vernon Collection has a page for their fan chair and you can find it here. Under the photo of the chair is a link to a PDF with a full description of the chair’s construction and the fan mechanism (the website does not allow a direct link to the PDF).
Starting now, when you buy the book “Sharpen This” from the Lost Art Press website, it will not only be signed by the author (that would be Christopher Schwarz), but we’ll include our reprint of the 2017 “Sharpen This” sticker that some (hi, Mom!) might find mildly offensive. (If you get a sticker and don’t want it, we will be in no way offended if you choose to bin it. And anyway, we won’t know!)
We’re able to add the sticker at no extra cost now that our fulfillment operations are here in Covington, Kentucky. Right now, we’re committing to the sticker (and signature) through the end of the year.
What if you just bought a book and are now disappointed that you didn’t get a sticker? I will mail you a sticker, no charge, if you send me a Self-addressed Stamped Envelope (SASE).
Simply write your address on an envelope and put a stamp on it. Put that envelope in a second envelope and mail it to:
Sharpen This Lost Art Press 837 Willard St. Covington, KY, 41011
If you are an international customer, you can still get the naughty sticker, but you’ll need to have a USPS Global Forever Stamp on your SASE. I know that’s a PITA, but it’s the best we can do.
– Fitz
p.s. Please keep any comments/responses to comments civil.
The sticker fits nicely on the book’s cover – but we’ll leave it up to you as to where/if you apply it.
You are all so very kind – thank you! We have more offers now than we need now for tools, so we’re set there. And for those of you who are interested in donating a dollar or two toward a few unpaiud bills with this class, we have this link set up: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=QHGYHGZMS5EY6
– Fitz
Jerome Bias is teaching a scholarship class here next month. Most of these students are new to hand tool woodworking, so we are gathering tools to give them or loan them during the week.
I’ve got the saws and block planes and hammers we need. But if y’all have some excess user tools that have followed you home at one time or another that you could donate, read on.
Jack Planes I’m hoping to hand each student a sharp and functioning metallic jack plane they can take home and use. Nothing fancy. Just a Stanley No. 5 or equivalent. I don’t care about what “type” it is, just that it doesn’t need restoration (I don’t have time to do that, I’m afraid). I can easily grind and sharpen the iron.
12” Combination Square Likewise, I’d like to give them a 12” combination square to take home. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it would be nice if it were better than the plastic ones at the big box stores.
Hand Drill The students are going to be boring a lot of pilot holes for nails. If you have a functioning hand drill that could use a good home, let us know.
If you have any of these tools you could send, email Megan at fitz@lostartpress.com and let her know. She’ll give you shipping instructions (and let you know if we have already collected enough tools).
Thanks in advance for helping these six new woodworkers.
Join us at 837 Willard Street (the Lost Art Press storefront and shop) for our 2023 Holiday Open House, Saturday, December 2, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. As long as supplies last, we’ll hand out (free!) the old posters that magically appeared when we moved our stuff from our former warehouse to our own warehouse, the Anthe Building.
Speaking of the Anthe building, we’ll lead two tours thereof (starting from the shop on Willard): the first at 11 a.m.; the second at 2 p.m. The Anthe building is just more than a half-mile away at 407 Madison Ave., so if the weather allows, anyone who wants to can walk over (but there’s parking available if you prefer to drive).
We will have available at the storefront our full line of books and tools, of course. But more importantly we are here to answer your questions and talk about/demonstrate woodworking (in-person Open Wire!). And to show you the clock if you ask (if you know, you know – but let’s just say you need to be 21 to see the clock, and it’s not naughty). We’ll also have cookies and hot spiced cider.
We will also have on hand blemished books and tools (and possibly a few apparel items) at up to 50 percent off. (We might also have a few personal tools to sell – but no promises) Blemished books, tools and apparel are cash only.
