J.R. Bunting Company
Many of the gliders I collect were manufactured by the JR Bunting Glider Company of Philadelphia. J.R. Bunting began his business in 1827 as a mattress maker. Later in the century he added cabinetmaking to his craft and offered furniture that included woodworking. Near the turn of the century swinging metal baby cribs were featured in company catalogues. The couch hammock grew out of the fabrication of the crib hammock. These gliders were simple steel frames upholstered with army khaki and canvas. Later the frames were upholstered in coated duck with hanging fringe that resembled the popular sofa styles of that time. Within a few years the company began producing cut-out and embossed steel glider sets. Even though these gliders have been out of production for decades, they are still very popular. Because the gliders were crafted of superior quality American steel, many of these pieces are in good shape eighty years later. The cutout motifs were in production till the late 1940’s.
