The Museum CollectionEdgar Allan Poe's Chair
Poe's Chair
The seat was originally caned but is now covered with tin.
Detail of the Back of Poe's Chair
The back of the chair was cut down at an unknown date. Traces of gold paint remain to indicate the chair's original color.
Poe's Chair on Display
Poe's chair is displayed beside a desk from the office of the Southern Literary Messenger. The desk is similar to the one Poe used. Poe's desk is show in the next photograph.
Poe's Desk and Chair
This 1921 photograph depicts Poe's desk and chair on display at the Poe Museum.
Description: This is said to be the chair Edgar Allan Poe used while working in the office of the Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond from 1835 to 1837. Legend tells that Poe's boss, Thomas White, cut down the back of the seat to encourage Poe to sit up straight. The chair was once on display with Poe's desk until the owner of the desk, James H. Whitty, took back the desk, which is now in the collection of the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, Texas. The desk and chair were reunited in 2009 for an exhibit at the University of Virginia and the Harry Ransom Center.Among the first items to enter the Poe Museum (the eighth to be specific) the chair was donated to the Museum in 1921 by Mrs. James E. Phillips of Monument Avenue, Richmond. Search CollectionCategories
|
