Pugin Folding Chair

www.hrc.utexas... In the 1840s and 1850s, A. W. N. Pugin produced designs for a number of decorative arts objects, including ceramics (especially tiles) and wallpapers. Among the pieces of furniture he made were various trestle tables, chairs, and armoires. This library chair/ladder is a rare example of Pugin’s work and shows evidence of his absorption with Gothic revival forms. With its unusual mechanism, which allows it to be used either to sit and read or to reach a book, it is a splendid example of how Pugin and other British designers of the period were interested in new forms and functions for their pieces. The piece is on view in the exhibition The Rise of Everyday Design: The Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain and America through July 14, 2019.