Elastic Chair
Made by Samuel Gragg
Boston, Massachusetts, ca. 1808
Ash, hickory
Milwaukee Art Museum, on loan from a private collection, L8.1994

What is an Elastic Chair?
Two hundred years ago, the word "elastic" was new to most Americans. Primarily a scientific term, it described an object that returned to its original shape after being altered much in the manner of a modern day elastic band. Gragg called his design an Elastic Chair because the form sudtly yielded to the shape of the sitter. Gragg may have chosen this scientific-sounding name to emphasize the innovation of his design.