Highchair, archival photo

The intellectual currents of Art Nouveau recognized the importance of childhood. Children were no longer seen as small adults, so for some artists, designing children’s furniture became an important task. Béla Pálinkás was one of them. The high chair presented here has the form we are familiar with today. The seat is atop a box, which stands on long legs with X-shaped braces, and to which the footrest is attached. The elongated backrest is curved on top and the two armrests are supported by a row of small slats. There is a crescent-shaped tray between the armrests to hold the plate. The piece owes its charm to the decoration. The triangular ornamentation cut into the edge of the seat is simple, while the three multi-petalled flowers carved into the backrest are more decorative. The backrest is crowned by two, partly turned ‘capitals.’ The field under the seat bears the painted image of a slightly stylized piebald cat, with a coloured ribbon around its neck. The same motif appears on the cushion in the chair. Similar cats can be seen on János Vaszary’s tapestry, Little Girl with Kittens, which was presented in 1901. This high chair is a fine example of attention paid to children. The photograph was published in Bútoripari mintalapok iparosok és ipariskolák számára [Furniture pattern sheets for craftsmen and craft schools], Magyar Iparművészeti Társulat, Budapest, 1903, Vol. I, 7.