CHAIRS OF DISTINCTION

Chair made ca 1915-1925 now sits in Library.

Chairs... libraries have plenty of them. Some are more important than others especially if they're part of A Celebration of Grand Rapids Furniture Design.  

At the Grand Rapids Public Library, this Jacobean Chair was made about 1915 to 1925. It's made of Oak with the original caning. It was Manufactured by the Century Furniture Company. 

And, it as acquired by the Shakespeariana Club Collection -- a group of savvy ladies in Grand Rapids who obviously know the worth and value of this piece. 

So why is the antique here? Because the Grand Rapids Free Museum has loaned the Library 6 pieces of furniture to familiarize patrons with early 19th century pieces. And the ladies of the Shakespeariana Club were also asked to lend a piece to round out the exhibit. 

Seems that the Jacobean era, 1560, which includes our bard Shakespeare, focused on elaborate architecture, visual arts, decorative arts, and literature which predominated in that period. Heavy oak was part and parcel of tables and chairs. However, none of the pieces at the library date back further than 1800. 

Of course, since Grand Rapids used to be called the "Furniture Capital of the World", the Library does hold the world's finest collections of books devoted to furniture and design. The lot of furniture is worth the view. 

What makes this fascinating is that the Furniture Design Collection was acquired in 1904 from the Louisiana Purchase Exposition World's Fair when the Grand Rapids Library bought every furniture title available from the French book Trade Exhibit.  Someone really was ahead of their time and knew exactly what they were collecting. Plus, there were plenty of funds available for the the big buy.

Does the general public appreciate it? Well... I sure do.

What makes this such a coup for arts curators, antique collectors, students and hobbyists is that both the Library and the Grand Raids Furniture Designers Association have added hundreds of important titles published in various languages. 

Local designers have enhanced the collected with their private donations. There's about 4,000 items and the collection just keeps growing. The thing is, it's for reference only, so it warrants a trip to the former capital of furniture city. 

This library has lots to offer not just those interested in furniture, but also the advertising and design community who can look at the very well designed catalogs and trade periodicals of the early 1900's.   

The library has 5 floors and lots of historic artifacts on each. It's worth a visit. Plus, you'll find plenty of places to sit.