I had to look twice. And then a third time. Was I really seeing a museum piece, circa 1835, which was an ancestor to a common high school fixture more than a century later?
This writing chair, with a painted finish, would have fit well into the home of a 19th century gentleman.
Fast forward a century and a quarter and the steel, plywood, and laminate model populated American classrooms. Our school even had a few designed for the left-handed among us. (Precursor to equity and inclusion?)
The Deutsch immigrants to fictional Elm Ridge, Illinois, varied widely in their ability to read and write. Perhaps a chair like this was used by a lady to write letters back to Europe. Check out the sweet romance, New Dreams, for more on this mid-19th century river town. https://amzn.to/3vWydWE
