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LIS-LIBHIST  1999

LIS-LIBHIST 1999

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Subject:

Re: Reading chairs

From:

"Roger Kuin" <[log in to unmask]>

Reply-To:

Roger Kuin

Date:

Wed, 1 Dec 1999 00:50:44 -0500

Content-Type:

text/plain

Parts/Attachments:

Parts/Attachments

text/plain (85 lines)

I seem to recall having seen photos of a chair Jefferson designed at
Monticello. Was that a reading-chair or just a chair/desk for paperwork? As
I remember it, it was roundish in form. Sorry to be vague - I'm sure someone
remembers it more precisely.
Roger Kuin
York University, Toronto

-----Original Message-----
From: elizabeth lawrence <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: November 30, 1999 7:38 PM
Subject: Re: Reading chairs


>The Saltram chair is always explained to visitors as having been designed
to
>be sat on back to front, and its appearance suggests it - the seat is
narrow
>at the back and much wider at the front.  There is a picture of someone
>sitting in it, as described, in R. Fletcher "The Parkers of Saltram" BBC,
>1970.  It sounds like it might be identical to the one at Belton, having
the
>bookrest in a sliding brass strip.  The bookrest is rather poorly designed
>and constructed - it seems to be rather close to the back of the chair for
>the comfort of the reader's eyes, it isn't big enough to support anything
>much bigger or thicker than a novel (though this was perhaps the idea!),
and
>the prop that supports it sits in an inadequate groove at too acute an
angle
>and hence collapses violently if anyone so much as breathes within about 6
>feet of it!  I don't know whether it is any more stable with the weight of
a
>book on it, but it is probably in too fragile a condition to try.
>
>It seems possible that the Parkers of Saltram were suckers for devious
>devices, as the library (whose shelves are not terribly high) also
possesses
>no less than two sets of steps which fold up into other pieces of
furniture.
>Perhaps the reading chair came into the same category.
>
>
>Elizabeth Quarmby Lawrence
>
>Gang Farmhouse, St Ive, Liskeard, Cornwall PL14 3NB (01579) 362342
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>At 10:54 PM 11/30/99 +0000, you wrote:
>>Chris:  (and apologies for cross-posting on the lists)
>>
>>There is a reading chair in the Library at Belton House, which always
>>attracts a lot of attention from visitors. It is probably late 18th
>>century - I can check later on its exact description. It has polished
>>wooden arms coming about two-thirds of the way round a circle (i.e. not
>>a padded back), and a book-rest on a sliding brass strip so that you can
>>have the book at any point on the circumference. The idea of this, we
>>tell visitors, is so that ladies could sit semi-side-saddle, rather than
>>astride as men would do, and still have the book in fromt of them.
>>
>>Such chairs are also called "cockfighting chairs" from their use by
>>spectators of this "sport". I'm sure I have seen illustrations of such
>>chairs in use for this purpose - usually by excited young men with pipe
>>and glass in hand!
>>
>>Shall I see you at the LHG on Thursday? I might be able to bring an
>>illustration of the Belton chair.
>>
>>Regards
>>
>>Peter
>>____________________________________________________________________
>>Peter Hoare, 21 Oundle Drive, Wollaton Park, Nottingham NG8 1BN
>>Tel/fax 0115 978 5297 E-mail [log in to unmask]
>>_____________________________________________________________________
>>



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