School days

Some of us went to school long enough ago that we sat in some version of this 1930s Craftsmen period oak desk chair. Chairs like this, as well as those wooden desks on iron frames from the late 19th century became popular as home decor. I know that we had examples of both desks around our house after Mother and Daddy's burgeoning interest in “junking” for old treasure. They liked to refinish old furniture for fun. I love that they had this shared hobby. They worked so hard, so hard in their family-owned business. The handmade chair on my front porch lost its paddle arm, used for writing in a New Mexico schoolroom of the 1940s, when someone wanted this chair just for sitting.

The 1930s Craftsmen chair and the late 19th century desk were manufactured, likely by companies specializing in mass producing school furniture. The chair from New Mexico was produced in a local shop, an example of what is often referred to as “WPA furniture,” named for the many workshops that were supported by government in work programs that started during the Depression of the 1930s. These programs continued with the G. I. Bill of the 1940s until after the Korean War with the purpose of training and job-creating for G.I.s. These programs were especially important in a poor state like New Mexico.