Hitchcock Chair 1936

Lawrence Flynn rendered this image of a Hitchcock Chair sometime in the 20th century using graphite, watercolor, and colored pencil on paper. It depicts a style of chair mass-produced in Connecticut during the first half of the 19th century. These stenciled chairs, often affordable, brought a touch of elegance to middle-class homes across the expanding United States. The visual codes, like the classical motifs on the chair's crest rail, reflect aspirations of refinement in a young nation eager to establish its own cultural identity, distinct from its European roots. This particular image was made during a period when there was renewed interest in American folk art and design. Understanding this image requires a look at the history of design and manufacturing in the United States. Research into trade catalogs and period advertisements could reveal much about the social and economic context in which objects like the Hitchcock chair were originally produced and consumed, as well as how it was reinterpreted in the 20th century. Art history is never just about aesthetics; it's about understanding the values and aspirations of a society through its material culture.