Stoel en fauteuil after 1878

This print of a chair and a fauteuil, or open-armed chair, comes from an anonymous source. Its title, "Le Magasin de Meubles" suggests it’s a page from a catalogue of furniture designs. The print gives us a peek into the world of 18th-century French domestic life and the burgeoning consumer culture. These chairs, with their shell-shaped backs and ornate detailing, speak to the aristocratic taste for luxury and display. Consider the social function of these objects. Were they designed for intimate gatherings or grand receptions? Who would have commissioned and owned them? Art historians might look to furniture guilds, upholstery workshops, and design manuals to better understand the labor and knowledge involved in producing these objects. By researching the material culture of the period, we can begin to reconstruct the social world embedded in this design. It serves as a reminder that the meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.