Alexander, Nathaniel
unknown · Contribution: 1911
Improved folding chair with a pivoting, integrated book rest, designed for churches, Sunday schools, auditoriums, and choirs
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Impact on the world
First U.S. patent for a folding chair incorporating a book rest, useful for singers and students (folding chairs themselves long predate him).
Life & background
African-American inventor of Lynchburg, Virginia; biographical details are scarce and conflicting.
Sources
- U.S. patent record; BlackPast.org; Hyperallergic
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