Pearson Model 46 Secretarial Chair

At $133, this “secretarial chair” was one of the more expensive chairs purchased for Winterthur’s Crowninshield Building. Knoll designer Max Pearson created the chair to offer sophisticated controls that allowed for more comfort and adjustability. What the chair lacks in the organic streamlined forms we expect from midcentury modernism it makes up for in technological innovation. Chairs like this one provided the foundation for the ergonomic forms popular today. Although most of Winterthur’s secretarial chairs have been removed in favor of more stable office chairs, the paintings conservation team prefers the height of these older chairs and keeps a close eye on the remaining ones.