Wharton Esherick
American furniture designer, craftsman, 1887 - 1970
Wagon Wheel Chair
1932
Hickory and Leather
37 x 23 x 22 inches (93.98 x 58.42 x 55.88)
Purchase: Gift of Edith M. Merkle in memory of Dr. Ralph Merkle, 1997.
1997.018.000

Wharton Esherick, a Pennsylvania native, worked as a sculptor, printmaker, and furniture maker. His furniture varied from designs that exploited the grain and colors of individual pieces of wood, to angular, "cubist" forms. This chair was probably made for a harness room, and its forms and materials are appropriate for such a setting; with arms and front legs that could be sections of wagon wheels, and leather straps for its seat and back that recall the harnesses themselves.