Connecticut Chair Spinning Wheel

Object/Artifact

-

Windham Textile and History Museum

Connecticut Chair Spinning Wheel: The image depicts a traditional wooden spinning wheel, known as a Connecticut Chair Wheel, sitting on a speckled carpeted floor against a light-colored wall. The spinning wheel features a large circular wooden wheel with several spokes radiating from the center, connected to a smaller set of wooden components that facilitate the spinning of yarn. White yarn is threaded through parts of the wheel, indicating its use in textile production. The structure is supported by four sturdy wooden legs, which provide stability and a classic, rustic appearance. A small sign is placed on the wooden base of the wheel, identifying the type of spinning wheel. The overall design and materials suggest a piece that is both functional and historical, reflecting traditional craftsmanship.
Connecticut Chair Spinning Wheel

The image depicts a traditional wooden spinning wheel, known as a Connecticut Chair Wheel, sitting on a speckled carpeted floor against a light-colored wall. The spinning wheel features a large circular wooden wheel with several spokes radiating from the center, connected to a smaller set of wooden components that facilitate the spinning of yarn. White yarn is threaded through parts of the wheel, indicating its use in textile production. The structure is supported by four sturdy wooden legs, which provide stability and a classic, rustic appearance. A small sign is placed on the wooden base of the wheel, identifying the type of spinning wheel. The overall design and materials suggest a piece that is both functional and historical, reflecting traditional craftsmanship.

Name/Title

Connecticut Chair Spinning Wheel

Entry/Object ID

2025.23.01

Description

Connecticut Chair-Style Spinning Wheel. Purchased in an Uxbridge, MA, antique store.

Use

Spinning fibers into thread or yarn.

Context

From Joan Whittaker Cummer, "A Book of Spinning Wheels" (Portsmouth, NH: Peter E. Randall, 1993), p. 156, describing a similar wheel: "Connecticut Chair Wheels are an American invention of the early nineteenth century supposedly first made in Connecticut by a chair maker. The double treadle and the action of the accelerating wheel allow a slow easy treadling rhythm while spinning. At the axle a small solid wooden wheel in attached to the upper wheel. A drive band passing around the rim of the lower wheel and the rim of the small solid wheel, transfers the action of the treadle to the large upper wheel. A double drive band passes from the rim of the upper wheel around the bobbin and flyer whorls in the customary manner. The mother-of-all, threaded at each end, passes through the front left hand post where it is secured by a threaded handle. This allows the tension on the double drive band to be easily adjusted. This seems to be the earliest use of a rocker tensioner. There is one place for a distaff carrier placed at the top horizontal bar behind the wheels."

Collection

General Collection

Made/Created

Artist

Unknown

Time Period

19th Century

Place

State/Province

Connecticut

Country

United States of America

Continent

North America

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Wheel, Spinning

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Textile Manufacturing Equipment

Nomenclature Class

Textileworking T&E

Nomenclature Category

Category 04: Tools & Equipment for Materials

Dimensions

Height

29 in

Width

17-1/2 in

Depth

19 in

Location

Location

Exhibit Room

Thread Mill Square

* Untyped Location

Main Museum Building

Category

Exhibit

Date

March 23, 2025

Condition

Overall Condition

Very Good

Date Examined

Mar 23, 2025

Examined By

Eves, J.

Notes

Distaff missing.

Provenance

Provenance Detail

Purchased by donors at an antique store in Uxbridge, MA.

Created By

historian@millmuseum.org

Create Date

March 23, 2025

Updated By

historian@millmuseum.org

Update Date

April 4, 2025