Two main chair patterns had developed in Scotland during the 19th century: the ‘Edinburgh’ and ‘Glasgow’ patterns. This is an example of the ‘Glasgow’ pattern which was the plainer of the two, with a simple straight top rail, either reeded or inlaid. The legs were generally square and joined at the base with stringers. Most of these chairs were made with a simple wooded seat, which extended slightly past the frame and was planed off to a gentle curve. John Hill made a suite of furniture for Thomas Burns in the Glasgow pattern of which this chair is a part. It is a well made chair which also resembles the yoke back chairs of the Cairncross region of Scotland (a few miles east of Leith where Hill lived before emigrating) in which the top rail extends slightly past the stile and flares outwards at the top. An example of the ‘Glasgow’ style of chair can be seen on the other side of the room.