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Most upholsterers will tell you, they learned their skills from another upholsterer, in fact these skills have been passed on for generations from master to apprentice since the Middle Ages.
During the Middle Ages in the wealthiest of homes a textile revolution was beginning. Early upholstery was what you would class today as soft furnishings, comprising of bedding, wall hangings and padded cushions.
It was only at the beginning of the 17-century that ‘traditional’ upholstery started to be adopted in the form of rudimentary stuffing and padding on chair seats. This stuffing comprised of all sorts of materials from sawdust, grass or feathers to deer, goat & horses hair.
It was around this time that the first trade guild in upholstery was established. The Worshipful Company of Upholders (another name for upholsterer), which was granted a Royal Charter in 1626. The guild set a number of standards for practical and decorative upholstering techniques, imposing fines for any violation. One such standard was the restriction of using deer and goat hair.
Developments in upholstery came towards the end of the century when new techniques gave upholsterers more control over the shape and distribution of stuffing, which horsehair was now the material of choice. These new techniques, such as ‘Stitched Edges’, allowed upholstery to be used along sloping shapes, which in turn had a massive impact on the development of new furniture designs.
Throughout the 18th and 19th century art movements, artistic influences often found their way into furniture designs. With many elegant and curvilinear shapes needing upholstering, the continual evolution in stitching techniques allowed the upholstery to follow the curves of the frame.
It wasn’t until the age of Victorian opulence and a new desire for comfort that the over-stuffed look brought new developments in sprung upholstery. This was helped by the availability of better quality steel springs and lashing techniques to keep them in place. Stuffing became bigger and more complex from elaborate scrolls to deep folded buttoning. A perfect example of this style is the Chesterfeild.
Where traditional upholstery techniques are used today, not a lot of progress has been made since the Victorian era. The basic procicples of frame, springs, padding, top-cover and finishes still apply.
It is in fact the materials that have been developed to a far greater extent. Springs are now made as a unit, foam is used instead of layers of horse hair and wadding, and machine stiched top covers. They are of no less quality but can be mass made to cater for todays need of domestic seating.
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