Card Table 1845

This is E.W. Hutchings’ card table, crafted from rosewood. It resides now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but would have been at home in a wealthy family’s parlor in the 19th century. The Hutchings card table evokes a world where social rituals and games of chance played out within the confines of domestic space. The card table was more than just a piece of furniture; it was a stage upon which social and economic hierarchies were both reinforced and subverted. Consider how the seemingly innocent act of playing cards could become a battleground for social mobility, where fortunes could be won or lost, and reputations made or broken. The table stands as a silent witness to the complex dynamics of power, gender, and class that shaped the lives of those who gathered around it. This ornate table invites us to consider the hidden stories and unspoken tensions that simmered beneath the surface of 19th-century American society.