ARMCHAIR

The “great chair” – as this armchair would have been called in the 17th and 18th centuries – was a furniture form that developed in medieval Europe.  At a time when most people sat on benches, the height, arms, and decorative turnings of an armchair marked its occupant as the head of household.  It is no wonder that chairs like this one became family heirlooms.  This armchair descended for many generations in the Harney family of Pasquotank County, North Carolina.