Desk

c. 1890

Attributed to R. J. Horner and Company (American, active 1886–c. 1915)
New York

Imported into the United States as early as the 1860s, East Asian bamboo furniture inspired the manufacture of Western goods such as this faux-bamboo desk and chair (2003.11). Such wares reached the height of their popularity after the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, where Japan’s display of bamboo furniture garnered much public attention. As the demand for Asian-inspired decorative arts and interiors intensified, American companies began using local materials such as this maple to produce faux-bamboo furniture in an attempt to compete with foreign imports. Firms such as R. J. Horner and Company advertised suites such as this one as most appropriate for the dining rooms and bedrooms of country houses.

Status: On View, Gallery 273
Department: Arts of the Americas

Artist: R. J. Horner and Company (Manufacturer)
Title: Desk
Place: New York (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.: c. 1890
Medium: Maple and bird's-eye maple
Dimensions: 174.6 × 46.4 × 67.3 cm (68 3/4 × 17 1/2 × 26 1/2 in.)
Credit Line: Quinn E. Delaney fund
Reference Number: 2003.10
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/180489/manifest.json

With Margot Johnson, Inc., New York, by 2002; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2003.

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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.

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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.