Offices in the original House Office Building (now the Cannon House Office Building) were furnished with "Turkish" chairs, wide, easy chairs with spring cushioning and elaborate pleating. According to House craftsmen, when these pieces began to wear, more efficient models like the Cannon lounge chair were built by in-house furniture makers. This square-backed, tufted chair complemented the look of Turkish chairs but had fewer pleats and no springs, making it faster to produce and easier to maintain.
