Art Institute of Chicago

Steer Horn Armchair

Artist unknown (American, 19th century)

Date

1870–80

Medium

Horn, silk, brass, and upholstery

Culture

Texas

Department

Arts of the Americas

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Although furniture made from the horns of steer, elk, and deer is rooted in European tradition—it is known to have been used in 16th-century German hunting lodges—it reached the height of its popularity in America in the 1880s. Not only did chairs like this one evoke the romanticism and pioneering spirit of the American West, they also employed innovative, exotic materials that were prized during the Aesthetic movement. Lavishly upholstered, this diminutive example was most likely intended for a parlor.

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