Definition: a light, portable chair that's painted and/or decorated with colorful stencils; often has cane or rush seats; derived from Sheraton designs, it developed around the turn of the 19th century in the young United States, and belongs to the Federalist style of furniture (though its popularity continued into the mid-1800s); while primarily associated with chairs, the term "fancy" came to be applied to other sorts of painted furniture, including settees, nightstands, and cabinets
Also Known As: Hitchcock chair (a particular brand)
Example: The 1815 fancy chair would have been much more valuable if the painted fruit designs on the back and gilded arms hadn't faded so much.