Chaise longue 1895 - 1935

Léon Laroche made this print of a "Chaise Longue Louis XVI." The image comes from a fascinating source - "Le Garde-Meuble," which translates to "The Furniture Repository." This publication documented furniture designs in France. The inclusion of “Louis XVI” in the title tells us this is from the late 18th century. "Le Garde-Meuble" provides a window into the world of elite consumption and design during the reign of Louis XVI. The original "Garde-Meuble" was the Royal storehouse, an institution that controlled the supply of luxury goods to the court. Publications like this helped disseminate those designs to a wider audience. So, while ostensibly documenting design, the print also speaks to social hierarchies. We can look to period inventories, trade records, and design treatises to reconstruct the world of taste and consumption that gave rise to this chaise lounge. Art history thrives when we examine it in its institutional context.