Design for Three Low Gothic Style Arm Chairs 1800 - 1850

This is a design for three armchairs in a gothic style, drawn anonymously on paper in ink. The Gothic Revival was a cultural movement that began in England in the late 1740s. These drawings evoke a romanticised vision of the medieval past. The Gothic style, originally associated with the architecture of cathedrals and castles, became a source of inspiration for furniture design. The pointed arches, intricate tracery, and vertical emphasis seen here are visual codes that reference a time of faith, chivalry, and craftsmanship. These were social structures that the rapidly industrialising society of the 19th century looked back on wistfully. The architect A.W.N. Pugin, whose polemical writings influenced this movement, dreamed of instilling Christian values into British design. The gothic was tied up with a particular brand of social conservatism. Understanding the history of taste involves archival research into pattern books, trade catalogues, and the writings of social commentators. Only then can we grasp the complex social meanings embedded in something as apparently simple as a chair.