John Sollie Henry, an armchair, London, 1895

solid mahogany with polished finish, original brown leather; decorative knobs; strikingly high backrest with stylised decoration in bas-relief; rear legs curved, forelegs tapering downward, with widening bases; low-set seat, armrests with arched upholstery; traces of age; small professional restorations; height 120 cm, height of seat 35.5 cm, width 65.5 cm, depth 62.0 cm. (MP) The English journal “The Cabinet Maker and the Art Furnisher” (1895) attributed the fashion for the high back and low seat to American influence. In 1896, designs for several similar bizarre seating pieces appeared there under the title “Furnishing Fancies” (cf.: The Cabinet Maker & Art Furnisher, March 1896, p. 230); An armchair by Henry was acquired for the Trade Museum in 1895 and given to the Austrian Museum two years later, inv. no. H 1260 (cf. drawing in the Trade Museum inventory book, no. 1580): in: Behal, Möbel des Jugendstils, p. 303.