We are offering for sale this rare, original Oak Bembe & Kimbel U.S. House of Representatives Chair bearing the maker’s stencil on the inner seat panel.

Bembe & Kimbel manufactured 131 of these chairs for the 1857 remodel of the House, overseen by Montgomery C. Meigs. The chairs were designed by the architect, Thomas Ustik Walter and his original design drawing for the chair can be seen below.

This chair retains what appears to be the original leather chair back and one of the arm rest pads. The 4 casters are intact and are original. The chair has “XXXXXXII” carved into the underside of one of the armrests.

It is identical to the chair design that Abraham Lincoln used as his favorite portrait chair.  The silhouette of the chair can be seen in front of the window in this photo of the Lincoln bedroom in the White House.

An identical chair to this one is in the Lincoln Bedroom in the White House even today.

A wonderful piece of American history.

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