Carved walnut chair by Herter Brothers, commissioned for the billiard room of Milton Latham's estate, Thurlow Lodge, Menlo Park, California. Circa 1872. The chairs are believed to be part of a set of eight, two are held by Stanford University, and one in the Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Virginia. Dimensions: 53.5"h x 31"w x 27.5"d. Provenance: Thurlow Lodge, Butterfield & Butterfield, 1942, Bonham's May, 2009, Estate of William B. Ruger, Jr. Brothers Christian and Gustave Herter were German immigrants. The Herter Brothers firm (1864-1906), in New York, specialized in comprehensive interior design and cabinet making to the Gilded Age. Among their clients were William Vanderbilt, Mark Hopkins, Jay Gould, Ulysses Grant (for the White House), Milton Latham (Thurlow Lodge) and Ruggles S. Morse (a Southern hotel baron). Their work is known for its complex carvings and ornamentation as well as skill of workmanship. Thurlow Lodge is the no-longer-extant Menlo Park California mansion of former California governor and United States senator Milton Slocum Latham (1827–1882) and his second wife, Mary McMullin. Mr. and Mrs. Latham commissioned the interior design for their home from the New York City firm of Herter Brothers, whose San Francisco outlet catered to prominent patrons such as Mark Hopkins, James Flood, Darius Ogden Mills, and John D. Spreckels. Shipping within California: Delbert McCrea 831-566-6088. Outside of California: Alexander Services 203-324-4012. Replaced velvet. Conserved to museum standards by Mark Adams.