This paper explores the information provided by the components of upholstered seating furniture – from webbing and support fabrics, to filling layers, show covers and trim remnants – and how that information can or cannot help with identifying the history, date, place of origin and original appearance of the furniture. It discusses how the idea of what is real or how the real appearance of a piece of upholstered furniture might vary according to the interpretive needs of an owner. Case studies are presented that illustrate how upholstery evidence has been used to understand upholstered furniture.