Queen Victoria's chairs are in my parlor

I just kind of inherited these chairs. Not sure exactly how I feel about them. 

After doing some online searching, my husband thinks they are Queen Victoria Parlor Chairs. My in-laws were just going to give them to the Goodwill! As a lover of all things vintage and antique, I could not allow that to happen. 

These were my husband's great aunt's chairs. She apparently covered them in this "lovely" blue velvet herself. Personally, I would have chosen red velvet as they remind me of some chairs that are in my childhood church. And I love red. But that's just me.

I'm not sure what I am going to do with them, but I could not let something this cool get away from me! I think I am going to recover them myself, possibly! I've always wanted a Victorian couch, so maybe this is an omen of things to come!

I wonder what my husband's aunt would think, thirty or forty-some years later here I am writing a blog post about her chairs. I guess we'll never know!

Poor things were covered in mold from being in a musty basement for almost a decade. A little elbow grease should take care of it.

The designs at the top look like they could be hand carved. They probably were if they are truly from the 1800's! I may have to do some more up close investigating for a maker's mark. Or go on Antiques Roadshow!

All cleaned up and looking good! I'm liking them even more already! Actually, I'm not sure which one I like better, the one with the arms or the one without!