Side Chair, Used in Abraham Lincoln's Springfield, Illinois Home, 1845-1860

Mary and Abraham Lincoln often hosted dinners and parties at their Springfield, Illinois, home. This simple and light chair, one of a set of six, would have provided convenient seating for guests. When the Lincolns left for the White House in 1861, Harry Wilton, an acquaintance of the Lincolns, bought the set of chairs. The set was later purchased by Henry Ford from Wilton's descendants.