116.80

Chair

1920 Approximate

Minnesota House of Representatives Chair. Material: textile, wood, metal, leather, rubber. Size: 23 3/4" W. x 39" H. Description: brown leather; upholstered, high-back, swivel office chair; dark stained and finished, curved wooden arms and legs with claw feet on casters -decorative, circular metal tacks around base of seat; printed on bottom: "State of Minn. 13-121"' engraved on bottom: "Hous."

Chair used in the chamber of the Minnesota House of Representatives. It was purchased in 1904 (along with other chairs) and put in the House Chamber for the first legislative session held in the new Minnesota State Capitol building in 1905. The chairs were designed especially by the Capitol architect, Cass Gilbert, and were patterned after chairs used by the Congress in Washington, D.C. They were used for 76 years being replaced by new chairs purchased for the 1969 session. The purchase price of the chair when new is unknown, but "old-timers" have estimated the cost at $25.00.