Side Chair
Unknown Artist
1835–50
Medium
Oak
Dimensions
34 5/8 x 17 3/8 x 18 3/8 in. (87.9 x 44.1 x 46.7 cm)
Classification
Side Chair
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, The Edgar J. Kaufmann Foundation Gift, 1969
Accession Number
69.119.1
Art Historical Context
This elegant Side Chair, crafted from sturdy oak between 1835 and 1850, exemplifies the practical yet refined furniture of mid-19th-century America. Measuring 34⅝ × 17⅜ × 18⅜ inches, its compact form made it ideal for dining rooms or parlors, where side chairs were lightweight enough to rearrange for social gatherings. Oak, a durable hardwood abundant in the northeastern United States, was a favored medium for such pieces, prized for its strength and ability to take fine finishes that highlighted the wood's natural grain. Though the artist remains unknown, this chair reflects the anonymous cr...