History of the United States in 100 Objects -- 14: The Winthrop Alchemical Physician's Chair

UNLOCKED after 1 year for patrons only: --Wainscot great chair with turned and carved ornaments --Made of Oak, by unknown maker in New York or Connecticut, 1660-75 --Owned by John Winthrop, Jr.; held by Connecticut Historical Society How do the enigmatic designs on an oak chair belonging to the governor, doctor, and alchemist, John Winthrop, Jr., reflect the teeming underground world of mystical and esoteric thought in colonial southeastern New England? Suggested reading: Neil Kamil, "Fortress of the Soul"; John Brooke, "The Refiner's Fire"; William Woodward, "Prospero's America"; Robert F. Trent, review of “Fortress of the Soul,” in American Furniture, 2005. CORRECTION: This is the fourteenth, not fifteenth, installment in the series. Please support this podcast to hear all installments of History of the United States in 100 Objects -- https://www.patreon.com/user?u=5530632 For non-patrons, to hear all installments in this series on the history of the United States in 100 objects, you can purchase access through a single small payment: https://www.patreon.com/collection/2070759?view=condensed