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About the Item

Exceptional in both craftsmanship and provenance, these Renaissance Revival armchairs by Bembe and Kimmel were once housed in the United States Capitol. The pair comes from a set of 262 armchairs specially made in 1857 for the chamber of the House of Representatives, which had been newly renovated that same year. Designed specifically for the new chamber by Thomas U. Walter, the architect of the Capitol, these chairs, also known as the "Lincoln Chairs", boast a remarkable history. Made in 1857, a number of the chairs were sold through public auction just two years later when the Confederate States withdrew 66 members in 1859. Once considered "extras," these chairs are now considered highly prized possessions of collectors and have found their way into important public and private collections through the country, including the Smithsonian Institute, the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan, and the Chicago Historical Society. A set of chairs were also purchased by the celebrated portrait photographer Matthew B. Brady, who photographed a number of historical figures in the chairs, including General Robert E. Lee, General William Tecumseh Sherman, Mark Twain, Andrew Carnegie, and, most famously, President Abraham Lincoln. Beautifully handcrafted of carved oak in a distinctive Renaissance Revival style, these 150-year-old armchairs are in impeccable condition. The chairs' motif mimics the imagery of the chamber's renovation as a whole, with a Federal shield decorated with stars and stripes on the top rail crestings, with turned legs bound by lotus leaves and headed by stars ending in notched toes. To find a matched pair of chairs of such a lovely appearance and with such extraordinary provenance is remarkable. circa 1857. Measures: 39 3/4” high x 25 1/2” wide x 22 1/4” deep. A similar pair is pictured in R. Bishop, Centuries and Styles of the American Chair 1640-1970, 1972, p. 395, fig. 690.

Creator:
Thomas U. Walter 1 (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 39.75 in (100.97 cm)Width: 25.5 in (64.77 cm)Depth: 22.25 in (56.52 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 2
Style:
Renaissance Revival (In the Style Of)
Period:
Mid-19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1857
Condition:
Seller Location:
New Orleans, LA
Reference Number:
Seller: 30-36631stDibs: LU89113246672

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