Side Chair
Kimbel and Cabus American
The cabinetmaking partnership of German immigrant Anton Kimbel and French-born Joseph Cabus popularized the Modern Gothic, also known as Reform Gothic, style in America. Their display at the 1876 Centennial International Exhibition, which presented a rich array of Modern Gothic furnishings, received great acclaim for its inventive take on the progressive style. Kimbel and Cabus blended Continental and British design sources. The chair’s form and prominent mortise-and-tenon joints—some of which are simulated—epitomize the "honest" construction promoted by British designers, and the angled stiles and rear legs reference designs published in 1872 by the German architect Edwin Oppler.
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