Slipper Chair (Primary Title)
Pottier and Stymus Manufacturing Company, American, New York, active ca. 1859 - 1910 (Artist)
This richly cared, gilded, and upholstered slipper chair is part of an important set of Egyptian Revival furniture. In its original state, the now-faded upholstery was colored a brilliant turquoise detailed with metallic threads.
Pottier and Stymus was one of the foremost American cabinetmaking and decorating firms during the second half of the 19th century. Established in 1859, it was known for its high-end objects and interiors (an example of which is displayed in the adjacent gallery). Auguste Pottier, a French émigré, was trained as a wood-carver and cabinetmaker. By the late 1850s, he and William P. Stymus, an upholsterer, were employed as foremen at the firm of Rochefort and Skarren. Upon Rochefort’s death, the two colleagues bought the company and expanded its operations. By 1875 – divided into studios for furniture, tapestries, paintings, mosaics, trimmings, upholstery, veneers, and mounts, the company was employing more than 750 people, with sales exceeding a million dollars.
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