You Won’t Believe What This Vintage Piece Was Actually Used For!
September 4, 2024
Source: eBay
I still have vivid memory of the afternoons that I spent in my grandmother’s home, where every piece of furniture had a story to tell. In her cozy living room with big windows and lace curtains there was a strange wooden stool that was a kind of folding thing which had always attracted my attention. Although today we do not need such stools due to advancement in medical field, they still can be considered as an example of well-designed and purposeful object from the past.
The vintage wooden folding gout stool which is considered as just another old piece of furniture was an essential part of the late 19th and early 20th century life. Gout which is a painful form of arthritis which occurs due to accumulation of uric acid crystals in the joints was another prevalent form of arthritis, especially among the elderly. Before modern medicine provided cure for gout patients, the sufferers used to put their legs on these stools to ease the pain.
To make these stools our focus was on functionality. These were made of strong wood material and at times had vertical bars and they could be easily folded to create space for storage because people then were in need of more space to spare. It was visible that the wooden frames that supported the stools were not only serving the purpose of holding the stools in shape but also adding a level of workmanship that cannot be seen much in today’s produces due to manufacturing. Many of them were made of oak, walnut or mahogany and therefore fitted well into the interiors of middle and upper class homes.
Gout stools however are more than just medical furniture as they reflect how health and home were connected in this period. Before the age of medical technology people used to have furniture that had different functions in the home, including gout stools which represented the applied approach to healthcare. It could be folded and kept out of sight when not needed, a design consideration that was needed in spaces that had to be multi-functional in homes.
The cultural value of these stools also reside in the fact that they were used in the context of health fads of the given period. It used to be known as ‘rich man’s disease’ because it was assumed that it was caused by overindulgence in food products such as meat and alcohol. This association brings socio-cultural aspect to the item because at some point in the past, some diseases were affiliated to certain classes. For some, the gout stool could have been a useful piece, albeit hidden in the parlor, which would demonstrate both the owner’s prosperity and his/her poor health.
Even if we don’t require gout stools for the reason they were initially made, they can be valuable to collectors of antique furniture. Due to the fact that their look is as good as it works, they are often sold at antique fairs and online marketplaces. For those of us who appreciate the age-old art of creation, a folding wooden gout stool is a delicate piece that speaks volumes about how even everyday items were made with the right amount of passion and ideas.
In an era where products are thrown away as soon as they are no longer required the gout stool is a clear exemplar of the longevity and aesthetics. Whether as a piece of art placed in today’s home, something to talk about or even for the purpose it was made for in some instances, this simple stool makes a link between the past and the present, reminding us of the fact that back then, furniture was made to endure both the test of time as well as mind.
The next time you are using a wooden folding stool, just take some time to consider its background. However, it is not only a chair, but a piece of history which can be used as a furniture.