Side Chair 1865 - 1870

This side chair was created by Léon Marcotte, a French-born cabinet maker active in New York during the second half of the 19th century. Marcotte was one of a number of European designers who catered to America’s wealthy elite during this period. His firm was known for its luxurious interiors and furnishings, often produced in an eclectic mix of historical styles that appealed to his clients’ aspirations to gentility. The marquetry decoration on this chair, for example, draws on classical motifs such as lyres and musical trophies, while the overall form suggests the influence of Louis XVI furniture. The chair is a valuable reminder of the power of taste and consumption in 19th-century America, when newly rich industrialists sought to emulate aristocratic lifestyles through the acquisition of fine art and furnishings. Auction catalogs, trade publications, and historical society records can all help us to understand the complex social dynamics that shaped the production and reception of decorative objects.