Review

The text below was written as a preface to the 1988 edition by an independent contributor, Elisabet Stavenow-Hidemark, PhD, former principal curator at the Swedish National Museum of Cultural History. In the new editions it has been included as an introduction to upholstery and a testimony to the qualities of the book.

Documentation of a craft

A complete work of upholstery is shown here picture by picture, step by step. As the shape takes form, needles, tacks, and stitches are used with utmost precision and the material is the best of its kind. This is a demonstration of a fine old craft, threatened by the appearance of other materials and methods of production.

The upholsterer has not always had materials of such quality. Spun horsehair was expensive even when there were horses everywhere. Reindeer hair, ferns, hay, and even peat moss have in the past been used in the stuffing of furniture. The horsehair, when it was used, created a top layer.

Fixed upholstery was not used until the 17th Century in Sweden, earlier it was common to use loose cushions or pads. In the oldest stuffed chairs, the seat is still made of wood and on top of that lies a mixed layer of hay and reindeer hair. The cover was usually of leather and leather banding was nailed around the frame for decoration. It could be folded back over the nail heads to give the impression of being pleated, or it could have a punched out jagged edge and be fastened with large shiny upholstery nails.

During the later part of the 17th century, the demand for luxury and comfort increased, especially among gentlemen, who during the Thirty Years’ War had had an opportunity to see the world. Comfortable armchairs with high backs and sculpted arms and legs demanded softer upholstery and fabrics that were more expensive. Webbing was being used both for the seat and back and the top cover could be plush, velvet, or silk. Around the back and frame rich trimmings were used. At the turn of the 18th century, high back wing chairs were made with feather cushions—especially in France and England.

A skilled work of upholstery made from simple materials is found in a pair of Swedish rococo chairs from around 1760, now in the National Museum of Cultural History (Nordiska Museet) in Stockholm. An edge roll of straw is built up around both the inside back and on the arms. The edge rolls are completely different in thickness, but evenly and beautifully made, and underneath layers of horsehair and reindeer hair can be found. The seat is upholstered with straw and horsehair.

The early 1900s called for another technique to create the straight edges of the seats which fashion demanded. Now there are row after row of top stitches. The sides of the seat where it meets with the top surface at a ninety-degree angle as well as the actual corner itself could be emphasized with a cordon or a pattern woven trimming.

The great period in upholstery took place in the later half of the 20th century. Upholstery springs began being used in Sweden by the middle of the century. They were used in both seat and back, and armchairs and settees became more comfortable than ever before. The stuffing in the back was held in place by surface buttoning or deep buttoning. In this way, a firm support for the back was sculpted, that also gave away to the movements of the body. Fully upholstered furniture became more common. In the eighties and nineties, the woodwork was showing only in the legs, which were half hidden by a narrow fringe. Several types of material (fabric) were often combined for the fancy top cover, such as silk and velvet, plush and needle-work tapestry. Materials commonly chosen above all else were woollen damask and woollen rep. An abundance of cordons, fringes, and tassels created the final finish. The work of the upholsterer included also putting down wall-to-wall carpets, sewing and mounting curtains, and door draperies. They could be cut into intricate shapes and richly draped. Even today, the art of cutting out, sewing and mounting curtains can be a part of the upholsterers’ education.

After 1900, the upholsterer’s power over the interiors has gradually diminished. Both furniture upholstery and curtains have been simplified. However, the older pieces of furniture have always demanded to survive and today a large amount of the upholsterer’s work in the smaller workshops is focused on old furniture. It requires the knowledge of stretching webbing, making edge rolls, stitching edges, lashing springs, doing deep buttoning and much more. Knowledge about the shape of historic upholstery is also necessary.

The Swedish word for upholsterer, tapetserare, can be derived from the French word tapissier. Earlier that word had many meanings, e.g. manufacturer or seller of woven or embroidered tapestries, but also other kinds of woven textiles. It also meant a carpet salesperson or an artisan, who made bedding and mattresses and also upholstered and covered furniture. The varied meaning depends probably on the fact that the word tapissier partly comes from tapis, which means carpet, partly on that a tapissier made what is called tapisserie in French, a word that stands for both woven fabric and embroidery. In Swedish tapetserare (upholsterer) means a craftsperson, who upholsters and covers furniture, stretches fabric on walls, and cuts and mounts curtains. Earlier he also made the stuffing and cover for carriages, whereas now this is a task for the automobile industry. In the past the work of an upholsterer also included the making of festive decorations and the draping of fabric, flags etc. However, it is not the upholsterer who puts up the wallpaper—that is the painter’s work.

The following photo documentation of the upholsterers work is the first of its kind. To make the working procedure clearer different parts of several types of furniture have been exposed. The parts have been chosen so that they together show most of the craft of upholstery. The pictures follow the production thoroughly step-by-step. The purpose of these objects in all different stages is that they were made to be examples of study for the schools of upholstery in Sweden. This is still the case, but especially during the making of these particular objects, the art of complete photo documentation with explanatory notes grew immensely. It is master upholsterer Bernt Stenberg, of Lidingö, who has carried out the work seen in the pictures. Master upholsterer Torsten Åkervall is responsible for the text and designer Fredrik von Matérn for the beautiful photography. The entire planning of the work and the production of the various pieces has been a cooperative effort.