Material Culture in Focus: Constructing a Relic Chair, Poster 2

In 1884, local amateur historian Henry Sheldon built an eclectic Windsor-style "relic chair." Each spindle of the top two tiers of the chair is a "relic," carved from a fragment of different sites of local, national, and... [ view full abstract ]

In 1884, local amateur historian Henry Sheldon built an eclectic Windsor-style "relic chair." Each spindle of the top two tiers of the chair is a "relic," carved from a fragment of different sites of local, national, and historical significance, from the spire of Middlebury's Congregational Church to a beam from Old Ironsides. In this way, the chair becomes akin to a three-dimensional scrapbook, bringing together different objects and sites that Sheldon found significant and worthy of preservation. Over the course of January 2018, our class researched Sheldon's original chair and the history of its various relics, building a website to share our findings. We also constructed our own version of a 2018 "Relic Chair," selecting objects and items of significance to us to be incorporated into a copy of the chair built by Middlebury alum and professional furniture maker Timothy Clark. In this poster session, we'll share both our website and our newly-made relic chair.