Eighteenth century France was a time of radical change in the usable arts that people kept in their homes. The armchair (fauteuil à la reine), a new piece of furniture designed for a single-user, symbolized Enlightenment individuality. Explore the construction process from raw material to finished product. Investigate the tools and techniques that permitted the chair to manifest.

“Menuisier, page 24:13:1,” from Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers, etc., eds. Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond D’Alembert. University of Chicago: ARTFL Encyclopédie Project (Spring 2011 Edition), Robert Morrissey (ed), http://encyclopedie.uchicago.edu/.