OPENING APRIL 28
The Art of Seating:
200 Years of American Design
by Brian J. Lang, Curator of Decorative Arts
For millennia, humans have used chairs.
The earliest surviving three-dimensional
depiction of a chair is a clay model dating
back to approximately 4750-4600 BCE.
The oldest surviving chair is that of the
ancient Egyptian princess, Sitamun, dating
to approximately 1400 BCE.
and a similarly styled Rocking Arm Chair
designed and made by a Shaker adherent
for use in the religious community in
New Lebanon, New York. Made of
locally procured woods, the chairs reflect
a nascent American consciousness. The
Founding Fathers encouraged the domestic
manufacture of finely crafted goods using
native materials and technologies as part of
forging a national identity.
The 19th century was a period of rapid
growth and profound change for the
fledgling republic. In the decorative
arts, particularly furniture, the classical
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