a look at some Chester Cornett chairs

and an extra copy of a book about him to give away

[I found a copy of The Handmade Object & Its Maker recently and it spurred this look back at some Chester Cornett chairs I saw a few years ago. Details at the end of the post for the book give-away…]

These days my teaching/travelling schedule is much lighter than it once was. One place I aim to get to each year is Lost Art Press. For lots of reasons. One memorable time there included field trips with Brendan Gaffney to see some Chester Cornett chairs. We visited two venues, the Kentucky Folk Art Center and the Mathers Museum at the University of Indiana.

Chester Cornett “settin’ chair”

Chester Cornett (1913-1981) was a legend to some. I had first heard of him when Drew Langsner had a copy of the Appalshop film about him, called “Hand Carved.” I saw that film a couple of times - and my first impression was just being thunderstruck at his “two-in-one” rockers - 8-legged, 4-rocker rocking chairs. And his whole chairmaking approach, it seemed so seat-of-the pants. I could relate to it, but I hadn’t had enough experience at that point to put it in any context. Subsequent viewings I saw beyond the chair and was hit more by Chester’s story - a very sad one - I still feel that way.

I didn’t know it, but had seen photos of his chairs in Jennie Alexander’s first edition of Make a Chair from a Tree in 1978. There’s a short gallery of chairs in the front of that edition, some of which are identified, some aren’t. Chester’s aren’t. A tall chair and a rocker. Maybe one more. Once you learn what Chester’s chairs look like, they’re easily recognized. Often/usually octagonal cross-section posts. Big parts. Shaved, not turned. Seems he learned turning, but shifted to shaved chairs - sounds like Alexander in that regard. I think in Chester’s case it was a broken lathe that leaned him toward shaving the parts.

a Chester chair (right) in JA’s MACFAT first edition 1978

Jennie corresponded with Michael Owen Jones, who wrote two books that featured Chester - the Handmade Object and Its Maker (published in 1975. In this book, Chester is referred to as “Charley” - perhaps to divert unwanted attention away from him) and somewhat later, Craftsmen of the Cumberlands (1989). JA wrote a letter to Jones, dated 5/8/78:

“…I like the Charlie primitive doing the seat picture. He is a good mechanic. The pictures are particularly helpful because they are shaved rather than turned.

…I also think I’ll contact or try to contact Charlie. I don’t want to make any waves - though those chairmakers I have met and corresponded with have been very nice and helpful.”

I find no indication that JA ever did write to Charlie/Chester - most of her outgoing letters exist so it seems she never got to it. Nor did they meet, as far as I know. We would have heard about it, I’m sure. Chester died in 1981, not long after the Appalshop film was made.