This chair was once thought to be a 19th-century reproduction of a “Pilgrim,” or early-American, chair. The paint color gave it a Victorian look and there was very little wear to the arms of the chair, making it seem unlikely to be over three centuries old. Conservation work has revealed many layers of history that date back to as early as 1680 and shows the work of the hands of the craftspeople involved in its creation. The early (but not original) layer of blue paint reflects the design taste of the early 1800s, while the dark red and gold paint visible today was added c. 1850. The seat of this chair is thought to have been made out of woven cornhusks. The chair points to trade systems in early Colonial Newport: the chair seat may have been woven by a local Indigenous weaver, while the chair structure was likely made somewhere nearby (perhaps Little Compton). The local weaver was likely a woman from the Wampanoag or Narragansett tribes.