EARLY LAWN FURNITURE
This distinctively American chair originated in England, where it evolved from rustic plank seating. By the 1720s and 1730s Windsors were popular outdoor chairs for the garden (I suppose you could think of them as early lawn furniture), and their name may have originated from their likely use on the grounds of Windsor Castle. Like most British fashions of the time, Windsors soon found their way to the Colonies, where they morphed into a truly American furniture form with dozens of types, variations, and regional styles.

TURNED AND PAINTED
What makes a Windsor a Windsor? Unlike most other chairs, where the back leg and post are one long piece of wood, a Windsor chair's top and bottom elements are separated by a solid plank seat. Windsors are what are known as stick chairs; that is, the legs, back posts, and spindles fit into holes drilled in the seat. All Windsor chairs have this trait in common, and it also defines other Windsor furniture forms such as benches, cradles, and stools. Most parts of the chair were turned on a lathe, which made the chairs fairly quick and inexpensive to produce. While curved arms were sawn to shape, curved crest rails and back bows were usually formed by steaming the wood until it was pliable enough to bend around a form.

Windsors were made from several types of wood, each carefully chosen for the job it had to do: hard hickory or maple for durable legs and stretchers; a seat of soft poplar or pine, woods that are easy to carve; and spindles and curved parts made of ash or hickory, which can be easily bent.

Antique Windsors were almost always painted, with green being by far the most common original color. Paint was the preferred finish for two reasons: It unified all the various woods so the eye could focus on the lines of the chair, and it provided protection from the elements if the chairs was used outdoors.

WHERE TO USE THEM
Windsors are very functional, very user-friendly chairs that work well in any informal décor. As Leigh says, they have a timeless quality about them and look great even in modern settings. They're also pretty comfortable: A well-carved seat has a nicely shaped peak that just seems to fit the human anatomy. They make great dining chairs around a country kitchen table, or you can drag them out onto the patio or lawn and use them outdoors; they're practically indestructible. The wetter they get, the tighter the joints get. Frankly, with reproduction Windsors, you can even leave them outside. The patina's only going to get better as it weathers.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Antique Windsors are prized by collectors and priced accordingly. Prices range from a few hundred dollars for a common bow-back side chair up to many thousands of dollars for a nice armchair. A fine Philadelphia comb-back armchair (bought in 1933 for $200) sold at Sotheby's last January for over $55,000.

As with most antiques, proportions and condition play a big part in determining value. A chair should have pleasing lines, a dramatic splay to the legs, and bold turnings. All those elements should work well together and have a nice visual rhythm. Eighteenth-century chairs with bulbous turnings are usually more valuable than later chairs from the 1820s or 1830s with turnings that mimic bamboo. Crucial to the value of an antique chair is the surface. Chairs with their original paint - even thought it may have been painted over several times - are worth a premium. It's a sin to refinish a Windsor! Beware of old chairs that have been refinished and artificially aged to fake original paint. If it looks like two centuries of wear have been applied in ten minutes, the paint may not be "honest."

If an antique chair doesn't suit your budget or your lifestyle, or if you want a set of matching chairs, you might consider reproductions. There are many custom chair makers today that produce hand-made Windsor chairs that look, feel, and sit a lot like the real thing. And if you already own an antique Windsor, some makers will even copy it for you so you can have a set of chairs just like it. Handmade reproductions range in price from about $500 and up for a side chair to $2,000 or more for an armchair. And, of course, there are many fine furniture companies that make Windsor chairs in a wide range of finishes and in both traditional and contemporary styles.