Side Chair 1780 - 1800

Editor: This is a wooden side chair from around 1780 to 1800, located here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It strikes me as incredibly sturdy, almost austere. What can you tell me about its creation and the context of its making? Curator: Looking at this chair, I see more than just a functional object. Consider the labor involved. Someone carefully selected the wood, shaped it with tools – probably by hand, and then wove the seat. The construction tells a story about production and skill. Editor: So, you're saying we should think about the chair not just as "furniture" but as a product of labor? Curator: Exactly. Think about the materials used – the type of wood, the fibers woven for the seat. Were these locally sourced? What does that tell us about the chair’s origin and trade networks at the time? Also, how does the design borrow from and contribute to high art, blurring the lines between what is considered simply 'craft' versus art? Editor: It is fascinating to think about this chair as not just a piece of furniture, but as a product of so many processes, choices of material, and labor. I hadn’t thought of decorative arts in that way. Curator: Indeed! This chair exemplifies how the production and materiality shape our understanding of even the most ordinary-seeming objects. By examining labor and its relation to design, the chair becomes an incredibly meaningful artwork. Editor: That really makes you think about how value is assigned, and who decides what gets viewed as art. Thank you for opening my eyes to the social and historical implications behind the creation of this chair!