Man of the North Wind

Object NameChair

Datec. 1900

OriginScandinavian

MediumWood

Dimensions37 × 19 in. diameter (94 × 48.3 cm) Other (Floor to seat): 18 1/2 in. (47 cm)

ClassificationsFurniture

Credit LineGift of Ann Munn McCormack. In the Farm House Museum Collection, Farm House Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object number85.11.1

Status

On view

Collections

Culturepossibly Swiss or Scandinavian

Label TextThis chair was part of a set of four chairs that represented the four winds. This one is believed to be the north wind because of the Nordic figure carved into the back of the chair. This chair belonged to Charles Curtiss and appears in the 1907 photograph of the Curtiss Library at the Farm House. Mrs. McCormack purchased it at the sale of furniture when Charles Curtiss died in 1947. The only known existing interior photograph of the house prior to 1910 shows this space as used by Dean Charles F. Curtiss in 1907, reflecting the tastes of a nineteenth century gentleman and college faculty member. The Iowa Agriculturalist magazine of 1907, featured the room in an article explaining the merits of a “well thought-out decorating plan for a pleasant and inviting room.” The black-and-white photograph has been used as an invaluable guide for the library’s restoration, and has led to acquisitions and gifts of pictured objects. The black lacquered oak armchair originally belonged to Dean Curtiss and was featured in the 1907 magazine photograph. Carved into the back of the chair is the Man of the North Wind, a mythological image representing the origin of the bitterly cold winds characteristic of northern Europe. Curtiss also decorated the library with a print of Daniel Webster which hung near the doorway above a bookcase. Webster was an internationally recognized nineteenth century British agriculturalist and remembered for an 1840 quote, “When tillage begins, the other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of civilization.” ---- One interesting thing to look at in the Farm House Museum is some of the older furniture that has been in the house for many years. Within the main floor library there is a black chair with a carved picture on the backrest, which appears to look like a stylized Scandinavian man. This is actually called the Man of the North Wind chair and it belonged to Charles F. Curtiss, first dean of Agriculture, when he lived in the house. There is even a historic picture of the chair when it sat in the Curtiss library in 1907, the only known image of the historic interior of the house. This picture was used in an Iowa Agriculturalist magazine describing the room as a “well thought-out decorating plan.” It was in 1947, after Dean Curtiss passed away, that Ames native Ann McCormack purchased the chair. The house wouldn’t see the chair again until 1976 when in becoming the Farm House Museum, Mrs. McCormack would decide to donate it back to the historic home museum. The chair itself seems to depict the north wind and may be one of a set of four different chairs. This mythological Norse-like figure is a common characteristic of a style of furniture commonly called “North Wind” Chairs. This type of furniture was popularized in the 19th and early 20th century often depicting the wind god Aeolus carved into the backrest of a chair. Typically the images would depict him either stoic or blowing wind in a “grotesque” manner. The maker of this chair decided to carve a more stoic and haunting depiction. This type of imagery was part of the Greek and Renaissance Revival furniture movements. The Greek style, which happened in both Europe and America, would put images of Greek gods on furniture with curved legs and dark ebonized wood. The Renaissance Revival style would try to mimic 16th century designs using mahogany and walnut woods while having high relief carvings of flowers or classic figures to reflect the high style of the renaissance period. This chair is different however because of the Norse imagery, oval solid back rest, rounded seat, slightly akimbo legs and the overall rustic look of the chair’s design. While this chair has some connections to the Renaissance Revival movement, it also is connected to the Black Forest style. Black Forest carvings come from the late 19th century, originating in Switzerland, not Germany as commonly believed, and often depict detailed animals and plants made out of heavily carved wood. Some of the furniture that comes from this style depicts woodsmen that look similar to the Norse figure on this chair. The chair’s rustic look and rounded seat shows that the carver was at a minimum inspired by the Black Forest style, making a chair that wasn’t conforming to the current styles of that period. Ultimately, the Man of the North Wind chair doesn’t fit nicely into any specific style of its period. This type of furniture with a mythical figure on the backrest of the chair that has long flowing hair, has characteristics of several different styles. This chair would have been built around 1900. While the chair’s style is a little different for what was once rural Iowa, it is this uniqueness that make it so treasured and provides insight into the history of the Farm House, its owner Charles Curtiss, and early Iowa State.

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