Armchair, Owned by Mary Todd Lincoln, 1845-1865

In 1866, Mary Todd Lincoln purchased a Rococo Revival style parlor set for her Chicago, Illinois home. This exuberantly carved chair, part of the set, contrasted with the simpler, middle-class furniture the Lincolns had used in their pre-Civil War Springfield home. Mrs. Lincoln, suffering from the tragic loss of her husband and in economic distress, would sell this set a few years later.