Settee ca. 1876-85 George Jakob Hunzinger Progressive, innovative, and often patented, George Jakob Hunzinger's designs moved away from the historical references so common in nineteenth-century American furniture. Seeking a new source for aesthetic inspiration, Hunzinger frequently looked to the great invention of that era the machine. This settee, with its interlocking, contiguous, and rhythmically repeated elements, conveys energy, implies movement, and resembles the very machines that produced it. One of only two Hunzinger settees of this kind and one of the few finished in black, this piece was part of a suite of furniture that included two armchairs, four side chairs, and a table. A pioneer in the use of interchangeable parts, Hunzinger drew directly from his design for the settee to create the armchairs and side chairs. Like other furniture makers in New York after the Civil War, Hunzinger sought to satisfy the needs of a growing middle class by producing furniture which was not