Side chair 1772

These gilded side chairs were made by William Gordon in Philadelphia sometime in the late 18th century. At the time, Philadelphia was a burgeoning city, a hub of trade, and the young nation's capital. These chairs reflect an interesting moment in America, when the newly-minted Republic looked to Europe, and especially France, for cultural inspiration. Gordon has closely followed the Louis XVI style, which was popular at the time. We see it in the oval backs, the fluted legs, and the gilded surfaces. But these chairs aren't French, they are American. The existence of these chairs tells us something about the society of the time. Who was wealthy enough to own such elaborate furniture? What kind of labor was involved in producing it? These are the kinds of questions social art historians ask. Gordon’s chairs speak to the aspirations of a new nation and the class dynamics of the period. We can study these through invoices, newspaper advertisements, and other archival sources. Art like this is never just about aesthetics.