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Although the design is different from the present chair, Thomas Jefferson is said to be the inventor of the swivel chair. He greatly modified an English-style Windsor chair and incorporated top and bottom parts connected by a central iron spindle, enabling the seat to swivel on casters of the type used in rope-hung windows. [1] With the advent of rail transport in the mid-19th century, businesses began to expand beyond the traditional model of a family business. The office chair was strategically designed to increase productivity by making it possible to remain seated for long periods of time. A swiveling chair with casters allowed users to remain seated and yet reach a number of locations within the work area, eliminating the time and energy expended in standing.
NOTES:
[1] The chair has been in the possession of the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, since 1836. It was modified by Jefferson with a writing arm some time later. See sidebar on p. 73 of Gregory LeFever's article "Writing Arm Windsors" in Early American Life (Oct. 2008). The swivel mechanism is different from the one on the Reynolda House chair.
ProvenanceFrom 1964
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC, acquired in 1964. [1]
Notes:
[1] In the early 1960s Charles H. Babcock (1899-1967) gave the house and its contents to the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation. The house was then incorporated as a museum and collection (Reynolda House, Inc.) on December 18, 1964 with the signing of the charter at its first board meeting. The museum first opened to the public in September 1965.
DepartmentHistoric House
Office Chair
Date1916-1917
Mediummahogany with upholstery, metal, cane
DimensionsOverall: 35 5/16 × 27 1/8 × 23 in. (89.7 × 68.9 × 58.4 cm)
Credit LineReynolda Estate
CopyrightPublic Domain
Object number1922.2.156
DescriptionOne of a pair of mahogany barrel-back chairs with open arms and backs filled with caning and brown leather cushions on seat and arms were used in Mr. Reynolds' office at Reynolda House. Various historical decorative motifs have been adapted to create chairs suitable for use in an office of the early 20th century, including reeding on the legs and small square carved rosettes marking the transition from frame to legs. These motifs unite the chairs with each other and suggest furniture of the early Republic in America, sometimes called Federal (or Regency period in England). However, the barrel backs and the curve in the design of their top rails are relatively modern in style. In addition, the present chair swivels.Although the design is different from the present chair, Thomas Jefferson is said to be the inventor of the swivel chair. He greatly modified an English-style Windsor chair and incorporated top and bottom parts connected by a central iron spindle, enabling the seat to swivel on casters of the type used in rope-hung windows. [1] With the advent of rail transport in the mid-19th century, businesses began to expand beyond the traditional model of a family business. The office chair was strategically designed to increase productivity by making it possible to remain seated for long periods of time. A swiveling chair with casters allowed users to remain seated and yet reach a number of locations within the work area, eliminating the time and energy expended in standing.
NOTES:
[1] The chair has been in the possession of the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, since 1836. It was modified by Jefferson with a writing arm some time later. See sidebar on p. 73 of Gregory LeFever's article "Writing Arm Windsors" in Early American Life (Oct. 2008). The swivel mechanism is different from the one on the Reynolda House chair.
ProvenanceFrom 1964
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC, acquired in 1964. [1]
Notes:
[1] In the early 1960s Charles H. Babcock (1899-1967) gave the house and its contents to the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation. The house was then incorporated as a museum and collection (Reynolda House, Inc.) on December 18, 1964 with the signing of the charter at its first board meeting. The museum first opened to the public in September 1965.
Status
On view1916-1917
circa 1917
circa 1917
circa 1917
circa 1917
circa 1917
circa 1917
circa 1918
