Object Details
Description
More than meets the eye, this 17th-century chair-table is what its name denotes, convertible from a chair into a table. The rounded top of the table flips up to become the back of the chair. Its dual-function was especially popular in homes with limited space. The chair-table originally had a drawer that slid under the seat of the chair, allowing for extra storage space.
The chair-table was part of the “Greenwood Gift,” a collection of over two thousand everyday household objects donated by Arthur and Edna Greenwood. Their gift is among the greatest collections of Americana that the Smithsonian has ever collected. As Edna Greenwood once said, their gift exemplifies, “what America was, that makes it what it is.”
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Arthur M. Greenwood
date made
ca 1675
ID Number
DL.388038
catalog number
388038
accession number
182022
Object Name
chair-table
Physical Description
oak (overall material)
pine (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 78 cm x 60.5 cm x 48.5 cm; 30 11/16 in x 23 13/16 in x 19 1/8 in
Place Made
United States: Connecticut, Guilford
See more items in
Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
Family & Social Life
Domestic Furnishings
Artifact Walls exhibit
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_303889