Fire Screen
c. 1855
Medium
Rosewood and white pine with needlepoint panel
Dimensions
170.1 × 108.6 cm (67 × 42 3/4 in.)
Classification
furniture accessory
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
74059
Art Historical Context
This elegant fire screen, crafted around 1855, stands as a charming relic of mid-19th-century American life. Measuring an impressive 170.1 × 108.6 cm, it was designed to shield occupants from the intense heat and flying embers of an open fireplace, a common feature in homes of the era. As a furniture accessory in the Arts of the Americas at the Art Institute of Chicago, it exemplifies the blend of functionality and ornamentation prized during the Victorian period, when hearths were the heart of family gatherings. Constructed from luxurious rosewood and sturdy white pine, the screen's frame hi...