Armchair attributed to Monticello Joinery Contributor: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Beyond working as domestic or field slaves, many enslaved people were skilled laborers. Physical and historical evidence of this armchair points to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello joinery. The Monticello estate included a number of enslaved artisans who worked in a row of shops near the main house. Among the facilities was a “joinery” where most of Monticello’s architectural woodwork and some of its interior furnishings were fabricated. More research is needed, however skilled laborers of African descent produced furniture and other utilitarian products throughout the Americas.