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Some historic artifacts have very different lives than originally planned. This bookcase from around 1900 was decorated with parts of an 1857 chair from the House Chamber. Compare it with a Walter chair in the “Related Objects” section: the top of the chair has been used on the bookcase. The cabinetmaker started by splitting the chair’s double-sided shield and leaves lengthwise. The front side adorns the lower lip of the bookcase, and the back side (turned around to show its elaborate carvings) sits atop the piece.
History, Art & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives, “Bookcase,” https://history.house.gov/Collection/Listing/2009/2009-107-000/ (May 28, 2022)
Office of the Historian
Office of Art and Archives
Attic, Thomas Jefferson Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 226-1300
