Here’s an exciting opportunity to own a piece of American history in the form of Victorian furniture. This chair as well as this desk were made for the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Capitol architect, Thomas Ustik Walter. This is an original Congressional chair used in the Capital between 1857 and 1873. Yes it needs reupholstering and work on the finish but it is a beautiful design and certainly would be worth restoring. There are few of these chairs remaining in existence and many of those are in museums. Bidding starts at $4,000 but we’ll see what the market can withstand when auction ends May 25th. The chair is made by Bembe and Kimbel. Anton Kimbel was a famous maker that started with Charles Boudine and eventually went on to work with Joseph Cabus as the famous Kimbel & Cabus. More info here.
Related items for sale - hover mouse for more information
|
|
|
|
|
|
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
An identical “House of Representatives” armchair sold at Neal Auction company in New Orleans back in their February 2005 auction for $23,500. Of course, the upholstery was in nicer shape, but I think that a person could put respectable cover on a chair for less than $2,000.
See also http://www.nealauction.com/archive/0205/index.html
Nice blog!