Turn-Of-The-Century Surprise Chairs

My mom sent our little armchairs away to be reupholstered. The stitches were popping out and the seats sagged. Recently the chairs returned, much plumper and firmer than they've been at any point in my memory. The guy who did the work, a nice older man with a soft Irish accent, told us that our chairs are special. They're more than a hundred years old and stuffed with horsehair, a material that became valuable while I wasn't looking. My parents got them as hand-me-downs from miscellaneous family members (they were vague on that point).

We've always loved these armchairs because they're smaller than what you typically see in furniture stores, and absolutely perfect for curling up with a book and a mug of tea (one of my favorite pastimes). Apparently they also bestow some dubious historical significance on our living room! Even your own possessions can surprise you.

[Collage background via Cornell University Library on Flickr.]