PEM in an Hour
5. A Pair of Chairs
This museum was among the first in the country to collect American decorative arts. And we are home to a wide range of finely crafted furniture. Creative design flourished in Salem during the 18th and 19th centuries as wealth from maritime trade and industrialization gave many people the means to commission Salem’s and New England’s artists and craftspeople. To express cultural aspirations in tangible ways, people commissioned extraordinary homes and furnishings in the latest styles. Here we have a lovely side chair created in the mid 18th century by Salem’s Nathaniel Gould. What I find so astonishing is that when these pieces were created, there were no power tools, no big hardware stores, no electricity! The chair tells us about Gould’s global connections. He used designs from London, mahogany wood from the Caribbean, and luxury fabric from abroad to create this chair in his Salem shop. Look closely at the exquisite ball and claw feet. The other chair here, with these delicate painted motifs, was made in 1795 for the home of America’s first millionaire. It was in a grand room that looked out on the most beautiful flower garden in Salem. The flowers painted on the chair matched the view from the windows.
We will now continue through this gallery to the exit and go straight through the atrium.