Side Chair 1872 - 1875

This side chair was produced in New York by the Pottier and Stymus Manufacturing Company, a firm specializing in elaborate furnishings. Look closely, and you’ll see that it combines several materials and techniques. There's carved and gilded wood, needlepoint upholstery, and a Wedgwood-style ceramic plaque. This combination is typical of the aesthetic called “art furniture,” which flourished in the late 19th century. The idea was to elevate the status of furniture by associating it with fine art. But the methods of production in firms like Pottier and Stymus were highly industrialized, involving many unseen workers. These laborers, often recent immigrants, were responsible for turning out large quantities of objects, decorated by hand to mimic the appearance of individual artistry. This chair, therefore, is a fascinating example of how art and industry came together in the Gilded Age. It invites us to consider the complex relationship between design, labor, and consumption in that period.