Description
Set of eight oak and leather arm chairs. The chairs have a label for Karpen Furniture. The chairs are carved solid oak with original leather upholstery. They have brass nailhead trim and horse hair stuffing. A couple of the chairs appear to have the oak repaired, but overall they are in good condition.
Re: Karpen Oak and Leather arm chair
Lots of info about the company and people behind Karpen Furniture here http://skarpenfurniture.com/table-of-contents/
Re: Karpen Oak and Leather arm chair
Your set actually dates from the first quarter of the 20th Century. The Karpen & Bros. furniture company was established in Chicago in 1880 by German immigrants Solomon and Oscar Karpen. At the height of their success in the early 20th century, the company employed several hundred people, and was considered a leader in the upholstered furniture market. Karpen was purchased in 1952 by the Schnadig Corporation.
Currently there is not a lot of demand for furniture of this type and vintage, but Karpen was a well respected maker, so it gets a bit of a bump in value. Currently comparable chairs would go at auction for about $100.00 a chair.