I have seen them called "straddle chairs" "gaming or gambling chairs" or "cockfighting chairs" .

They are meant to be sat on (by men, back then) with elbows propped on the back for the above activities.

Thank you. That will help my search on ebay.

It looks like mid-Victorian Renaissance Revival, with touches of Eastlake! Is it walnut? Lovely chair!

Thank you Chibimimi. I don't know what the wood is for sure.

I was thinking of selling it. But it is so pretty and unique. So now I'm thinking of having it reupholstered with something more neutral. But then again it is pretty just as it is.

I see what you mean Chibimimi. I just did some searches and can see some similarities with Eastlake.

Here is a closeup of the chair.

The "curly" wood is walnut burl. The body of the chair is probably walnut, although it's a little hard to tell on my monitor ... but it would be logical, givenI the burl and the style of the chair.

I would suggest reupholstering it in something more neutral, as you said. The current fabric is charming, but conflicts too much with the chair, so you don't notice the lovely lines and detail.