Side Chair
Medium
Rosewood
Dimensions
42 1/2 x 18 1/2 x 23 1/2 in. (108 x 47 x 59.7 cm)
Classification
Side Chair
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Bradford A. Warner, 1969
Accession Number
69.258.8
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant side chair, crafted by the renowned New York firm Joseph Meeks & Sons in1859, exemplifies theulence of mid-19th-century American furniture. Made from rich rosewood—an imported tropical hardwood prized for its durability and deep reddish hue—the chair measures 42½ x 18½ x 23½ inches, designed for comfort in parlors of affluent homes. Meeks & Sons, active from the 1820s to the 1860s, were masters of mass production using steam-powered machinery, yet their pieces retained exquisite hand-carved details, making luxury accessible to the growing middle class during America's industrial b...