Some things don't change, thankfully

To beat the winter blues as we stand on the precipice of yet another snowstorm I spent some time perusing images of my last trip to Paris. Among the mood elevating gems was this image of an upholsterer's shop in the fabric district of Montmartre.

The dangling restauration style armchairs seemed odd to my shopping companions but they immediately shot my mind back to images from Denis Diderot's famous Encyclopedie. Diderot, for those not in the know, was a great Enlightenment thinker who produced an encyclopedia documenting the arts, sciences and trades of 18th century France. It is a visual feast and I highly recommend it.

This is Diderot's view of a typical upholstery workshop where one could select from numerous styles of finished and unfinished works. Note the suspended chair frames...

It may seem odd to our 20th century eyes, but thankfully this is far from mass production and dare I say it...Ikea.