ladder back

plural ladder backs

1. alternativeAlternative form of ladderback.

   They had ladder backs with three or more horizontal rungs or with a vertical element in the center.

   1977, Luis M. Feduchi, A History of World Furniture, page 81

   2 more examples

   This chair might be said to reflect a period when our ancestors began to have a little more time to devote to shaping and fitting than was required to make the vertical and horizontal joints of the simpler ladder backs.

   1972, South of the Mountains - Volumes 16-20, page xliv

   However, if you look more closely, you can see that the Shaker ladder back is the more refined of the two: taller, thinner, and designed for greater comfort than its country cousin.

   2000, Christian Becksvoort, The Shaker Legacy: Perspectives on an Enduring Furniture Style