Politics of furniture design

[Jamie Cowan]

Recently, I've been thinking of furniture design in a new context. Well, not new, but new to me. Woodworking is an art as well as a craft, and I was thinking that furniture design is one of the only arts that has no political component. I was thinking about how Bob Dylan's music was important to social change, Picasso's Guernica was a reaction to the bombing of Guernica, Art Speigelman's graphic novel Maus was about the Holocaust, etc. But furniture seems to be static. Then, I thought a little harder, and realized that Shaker furniture was a rebellion against the excesses of the design of the period, and that in its simplicity, the style actually is a sort of revolution, a rejection of what the accepted norm was, and it still resonates today. Then I thought about how Napoleon's conquests were reflected in furniture design, and there was sort of a neo-classical return to a Roman aesthetic throughout Europe throughout his reign. And then there's the Bauhaus school, which was under constant attack by Nazis as being some sort of communist ideal, as the Reich favored the heavy Bavarian style and Black Forest-type carvings and such. Anyway, I realized that furniture design can actually be quite provocative and controversial. Here's my question: does anyone know of any books that explore furniture design in a social or political context? Dying to learn more. Even if you have any personal observations about the larger context of furniture design, I'd love to hear it.

[Mel Fulks]

Well,not politics but social perception.The big reclining ,vibrating ,heated,saddle bag fitted chairs that first appeared as a sign of post war prosperity are now a symbol of being fat and lazy and fairly often mentioned by stand up comedians. Hey,why don't they have a urinal?

[Jamie Cowan]

You know, my first thought when I read your post was, "This thread isn't going in the direction I hoped it would." Then I took a deep breath, gave it some thought, and remembered Archie Bunker's chair. That thing's in the Smithsonian now. That chair in the context of Archie bunker is actually very interesting. Archie saw himself as king of his castle, even though beyond his front door, he was basically helpless. Good job, Mel. Oh, and as far as the urinal goes, youtube the New England regional commercial for the Hopper, a TIVO like device. The grandfather has a reclining toilet.

[Mel Fulks]

Thanks,Jamie. You might enjoy reading about "hall chairs". They came in mid 18th century for places for servants and messengers to sit .The purpose was to keep them parked ,not comfortable,until needed. Some of the chairs were made of fine woods and even carved with family crests.But they all seem to have been designed to be uncomfortable.They were made into the Victorian era. Some say that in this country windsor chairs were used for hall chairs as the English type don't seem to have been made here and windsor chairs were often in halls.

[John Vernier]

I just added a book to my IN pile, haven't really cracked it yet, but it seems relevant: Taste and Power: Furnishing Modern France, Leora Auslander, California University Press 1996. The subject is the way that changes in political order were reflected in, and influenced, furniture and interior design, from the reign of Louis XIV through the mid-nineteenth century. It seems very heavy going, a serious academic treatment, but I am not aware of a lot of books covering this subject head on.

[John Sanford]

There's actually a fair bit of work on the subject with regards to Arts & Crafts furniture, although it's likely in the large context of the Arts & Crafts movement. It shouldn't be too hard to find....

[Jamie Cowan]

John, I'm going to check that one out, thanks.