In the 1930s, my grandmother bought a hand-carved Queen Anne couch and matching chair that belonged to a nurse who cared for Joan Bennett, the glamorous Hollywood star. It was golden velvet with a full angel bust and wing on each armrest.
Along with the furniture, my grandmother also received an autographed photo of Joan Bennett, with a pesonal note thanking the nurse for her care. I remember my grandmother used to lounge on this couch and smoke a non-filter Camel after serving a big family dinner. Meanwhile, my grandaddy would sit in the matching chair and read. It was always called "The Judge's Chair" because he was a Superior Court judge in San Diego and that was where he liked to sit.
Seventy years later, I inherited the couch and chair from my mother. By that time, the stuffing had petrified and crumbled, and the wooden frame was broken in two places. The seat on Judge's Chair was sunken down and the springs were poking through. It was still beautiful, but you'd sit at your own risk.
