Armchair

CC0 Public Domain Designation

About 1869; patented in 1869

George Jakob Hunzinger (American, born Germany, 1835–1898)

George Hunzinger designed and patented this chair, which uses a novel bracing system from the rear of the front feet to the midsection of the seat as a way to keep it from tipping over while in use. Hunzinger, a German born cabinetmaker who emigrated to the United States in the 1850s, secured more than 20 furniture patents to enhance the comfort and versatility of home furnishings. He also offered customization of the materials and finishes of his designs in order to appeal to a range of buyers; this chair, with its dark ebony and gilt finish was one of his most luxurious versions.

Status: On View, Gallery 161
Department: Arts of the Americas

Artist: George Jakob Hunzinger
Title: Armchair
Place: New York City (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Patented 1869
Medium: Ebonized walnut with gilt decoration and upholstery
Inscriptions: Stamped left front leg verso, middle-bottom: "HUNZINGER // N.Y. / PAT. MARCH 30 / 1869".
Dimensions: 113.7 × 65.5 × 71.8 cm (44 3/4 × 25 3/4 × 28 1/4 in.)
Credit Line: Perry and Gertrude Herst Endowment Fund
Reference Number: 1996.439
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/145683/manifest.json

Judith A. Barter, et al., American Arts at The Art Institute of Chicago: From Colonial Times to World War I (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1998), 219–20, no. 102.

Private collection, Toronto; Andrew Van Styn, Fourth Quarter Antiques, Baltimore, by 1996 [incoming receipt, RX21237, June 25, 1996; copy in curatorial object file]; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1996.

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.