Attributed to R. J. Horner and Company (American, active 1886–c. 1915)
New York
Desk
INV-1804
Attributed to R. J. Horner and Company (American, active 1886–c. 1915)
New Yorkc. 1890
furniture
Date
c. 1890
Medium
Maple and bird's-eye maple
Dimensions
174.6 × 46.4 × 67.3 cm (68 3/4 × 17 1/2 × 26 1/2 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Quinn E. Delaney fund
Imported into the United States as early as the 1860s, East Asian bamboo furniture inspired the manufacture of Western goods such as this faux-bamboo desk and chair (2003.11). Such wares reached the height of their popularity after the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, where Japan’s display of bamboo furniture garnered much public attention. As the demand for Asian-inspired decorative arts and interiors intensified, American companies began using local materials such as this maple to produce faux-bamboo furniture in an attempt to compete with foreign imports. Firms such as R. J. Horner and Company advertised suites such as this one as most appropriate for the dining rooms and bedrooms of country houses.
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