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The Reading Chair

by Judy Gonyeau

The Scholar Chair from Timothy Oulton is
“inspired by the traditional armchair found in
English Universities,” and brings together
elements that create comfort, great design,
quality, and craft.

ccording to an article published in the Washington Fifty years prior to Darwin’s contribution, Thomas Jefferson
Post in 2016, “a stylish reading chair must combine constructed a new form of chair that enabled him to do a great amount
Alooks and comfort,” and it goes on to reveal a variety of of work without a great deal of twisting and turning in a stationary chair
options from overstuffed chairs to live in to some inspired by creating a swivel chair, and he
by the Mid-Century Modern movement currently used this chair as he was writing
attracting designers everywhere. While there is no the Declaration of Independence.
definitive furniture category The chair started as a Windsor
called “The Reading Chair,” chair, but Jefferson worked with
visions of leather covered a carpenter to add this custom
chairs and couches with feature by dividing the top of
just the right amount of the chair at the seat and the
wear, or a windowseat legs of the chair with a mounted
located facing a southern pastoral view come to mind. set of casters, allowing the chair
Chairs intended for reading were crafted in a to move while on a sturdy
different way than the cozy versions of today. A 1750 era immovable set of legs.
chair in the collection at The Met, along with another Enter Thomas Warren. His
example at the Victoria and Albert Museum, show a Centripetal Spring Armchair
chair meant to be sat upon backwards, straddling the seat featured “springy” iron bands
and facing a book holder of sorts—making it look more mounted to the seat and allowed Thomas Jefferson’s swivel chair, used while
like a podium—with a candle holder attached to each of for a greater range of motion, writing the Declaration of Independence
the arms of the chair. There is a drawer under the seat allowing the sitter to lean or
and while the example shown has leather stretch their position in the chair to expand their reach across the desk,
upholstery, it is not original to the and with casters at the base of the chair, the combination of ideas from
seat but a replacement from the Jefferson to Darwin with Warren’s touch created what could be taken as
late 1700s to early 1800s. While the “modern” office chair – almost.
the construction is sturdy and It was not until the 1970s that the chair reached its new heights when
the shape seems to make sense as Wilhelm Ritz introduced his 232 chair that featured an adjustment
it pertains to comfort, getting for the height of the seat, with the addition of a gas cylinder to make
seated without knocking over a this happen.
candle could prove tricky.

Office or Reading Chair? Reading Chairs
Going back to the time to for Reading Enjoyment
when the gentleman commanded A range of chairs and lounges were creat-
his businesses from his home in a ed over time made to accommodate the reader’s
rather grand room filled to the total physical relaxation in order to enable the reader to
brim with books and documents, concentrate on the words on the page without having to
reading a great deal of material
circa 1750 British reading chair shift and move while reading. These came in many
made from walnut, oak, and and conducting work meant forms and fabrics over time – from tufted cushions cov-
beechwood at the Metropolitan having a chair that could ered with fabric and leather to extravagant lounges of
Museum of Art wicker or handcrafted mahogany to upright wing-back
chairs in the Queen
accommodate both missions. Biologist Anne style for the
Charles Darwin is often credited with more upright gentle-
designing the first office chair in the 1840s man’s approach to
because he wanted to be able to be a bit reading the daily
more mobile in his office without having to paper.
constantly move the chair back and forth all Perhaps the two Side view of the circa 1750
day long as he moved through the day exam- best chair configurations British reading chair at the
ining specimens and taking notes. He solved of a more modern era Metropolitan Museum of
this issue by removing the feet of the chair included a restful space for Art
and replacing them with castiron bed legs the entire body—a
fitted with casters. A genius move to be sure. place to put your feet
Charles Darwin’s 1840s chair; up—the recliner and
the first to feature casters.
20 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles