Marilyn Monroe drapes her voluptuous curves across a chaise lounge as she gazes seductively into the camera snapping her photo. Roman senators sip plum-colored wine from cage cups as they recline on similar chairs. French courtesans adjust their bodices, fanning themselves as they catch a short rest. They’re popular both as interior furniture or at the poolside. The chaise lounge — or, what the French … Continue reading The Chaise: A Long History
President John F. Kennedy utilized a custom-designed rocking chair to help his chronic back pain, keeping one of the iconic chairs in nearly every room of the White House. Author Harper Lee plunked her characters down in rocking chairs in To Kill a Mockingbird. Enter any child’s nursery, and you’ll find some form of chair that rocks—glider, rocking armchair, or traditional rocker. And your grandparents or … Continue reading Off the Rocker: A Brief History of One of America’s Favorite Chairs
