Side chair

Prominently stenciled “Lafayette” on the front seat rail, this side chair commemorated the Marquis de Lafayette's 1824-25 “farewell tour” of the United States. Having served in the American Revolution as a commander in key battles, including the decisive siege of Yorktown, Lafeyette returned to his native France after the war. Later in life he returned to the United States and was greeted as a national hero by celebratory crowds along the entire route of his travels. Manufacturers of textiles, ceramics, and furniture turned out a wide range of housewares, such as this fancy parlor chair, that appealed to consumers eager to bring his memory into the social and private spheres of the home.