Armchair
Herter Brothers
ca. 1875 · Gilded wood (probably cherry, maple or ash), modern upholstery with original underupholstery materials · The American Wing
This gilded armchair is nearly identical to a pair of chairs Herter Brothers made for the White House in 1875, during Ulysses S. Grant’s administration. The reproduction blue brocade upholstery is based on a description in a bill for the commission. Skilled immigrant craftsmen were the lifeblood of New York City’s cabinetmaking business, and the Herter brothers epitomize an immigrant success story. Their furnishings informed style and taste not only for their affluent clientele but also for middle-class consumers seeking to emulate the grand interiors publicized in newspapers and magazines.
- Artist
- Herter Brothers
- Date
- ca. 1875
- Medium
- Gilded wood (probably cherry, maple or ash), modern upholstery with original underupholstery materials
- Culture
- American
- Department
- The American Wing
- Credit line
- Gift of Ann Pyne, 1999
