This substantial armchair is what was called a "great chair" in the 1600s, reserved for the head of the household or the most important individual present. The size and decoration of such chairs emphasized the prominence of their occupants. The chair was thought to have been made in coastal South Carolina in the late 1600s, but more recent research points to an origin in the Chesapeake region of Virginia, possibly as early as 1640, making this the earliest known Southern chair. Stylistic details, such as the arms overhanging the front posts, suggest Dutch influence related to early trading relationships with Holland.