Specimen chair

We do not know the exact purpose of this unusual chair, or who made it. Rather than a chair to sit on, it probably belonged to a cabinetmaker who used it to display samples of the decorative options that his customers could choose from: carved or fluted legs, a seat with curved or straight lines, and exposed or covered seat rails. The chair reflects fashionable designs that appeared in English pattern books published at the end of the 18^th century. Whereas many museums show only the “finished product,” this chair is a reminder of a longer creative process that involved designers, makers, and patrons.