Design Projects, Table and Chair Elevations c. 1860 - 1870

Carl Furst made this drawing of table and chair elevations, with graphite on paper, sometime in the late 19th century. Furst taught architectural drawing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and this drawing likely served an instructional purpose. We can imagine students learning to design furniture in a neoclassical style, with its references to ancient Greek and Roman forms, but we can also see it in the context of a rapidly industrializing society. Was Furst preparing his students for careers in mass production, or for a more traditional kind of craftsmanship? Were his students learning to design for the wealthy, or for a broader segment of the population? These are the kinds of questions a social historian of art might ask. We might look into the history of the Art Institute, the curricula of its various departments, and the backgrounds of its students. We might also examine furniture catalogs and trade publications to see how Furst's designs fit into the broader marketplace of the time.