Stoel c. 1890

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet created this sketch of a chair using graphite on paper. Cachet was a Dutch artist active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, whose work responded to the changing social landscape of the Netherlands. This sketch, while simple, invites us to consider the cultural significance of everyday objects. Chairs, after all, are not merely functional; they are imbued with social meaning, indicating status, comfort, and belonging. In Cachet's time, the Netherlands was undergoing rapid industrialization and urbanization, leading to shifts in class structures and domestic life. Could this sketch be a reflection on the changing nature of domesticity and social interaction? To understand this work fully, we might turn to sources such as design history, social studies of domestic life, and archival material related to Cachet's artistic practice. Only by exploring the social and institutional contexts in which this sketch was made can we begin to grasp its full significance.