Meet Seth Kinman, A California Hunter and Trapper who lived in the 1800s:
By today’s standards he looks pretty eccentric. Back then he was considered to be pretty eccentric too… If there is one thing you will come away from this article learning, it is that try as you will… you will never be as badass as him.
Behold Seth Kinman, with a textbook “Haters Gonna Hate” look, leg crossed over, rifle in hand, knife jammed into the floor, while sitting in the Grizzly Bear chair he presented to president Andrew Johnson on September 8th, 1865:
Another view of the chair:
A view from the front of the chair. By touching a cord, the head of the monster grizzly bear with jaws extended, would dart out in front from under the seat, snapping and gnashing its teeth.
Seth Kinman on Wikipedia – HERE
Funny article in the NY Times archive from December 9th, 1885 where the title is “Seth Kinman; The Pacific Coast Nimrod Who Gives Chairs To Presidents” – HERE
Although not quite the same caliber as Seth Kinman’s chair, Sarah Palin’s grizzly bear couch cover is fairly badass, along with that respectable looking king crab on her coffee table.
Comments
13 responses to “Grizzly Bear Chair – You Will Never Be This Badass”
The first thing that came to mind after seeing this was: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlGUwb2R5sQ
wow that is epic LOL
I was that badass once – but then in college I took a class where we watched “The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” – and I lost it. I think I menstruated a little.
hahah yea that’ll do it
Haters gonna hate is right… that photo is great
[…] yesterday I talked about the Grizzly Bear Chair which California hunter and trapper Seth Kinman presented to president Andrew Johnson back in 1865.. then today I see this: TRENTON, N.J. – New […]
Is that Russia I see through the window in that last photo?
Peter, that comment is so old it doesn’t even deserve a groan. You do realize it was Fey, that said that and not Sarah?
[…] For December, we begin with Democrat Andrew Johnson, whose rise and fall was as epic as any rock-and-roll star’s. He was born in a log cabin and never received a formal education—he learned math and even literacy from his wife. He was a skilled tailor and, once he ran away from his tailoring apprenticeship, a skilled fugitive, eluding capture for years with a reward on his head. He ascended to the Presidency in spite of all this, but unfortunately squandered most of his time hindering Reconstruction and civil rights progress. He came within one vote of being impeached. It’s generally agreed that he showed foresight in the decision to purchase Alaska, though at the time they called it “Johnson’s Polar Bear Garden.” Oh, and he had an awesome Grizzly Bear Chair. […]
The last photo is from Sarah Palin’s home.
This is my grate grate grate uncle . This is epic and I want to draw him
Seth Kinman is an ancester of my husband’s family. We’ve traced the geneaology back…it’s pretty interesting! Anyway, connect with me if you’d like to share Kinman history! I’m trying to acquire or at least locate as much as I can about Seth Kinman for mu husband and my son.
I just now heard of Seth Kinman on the Antiiques Road Show. I am very interested about learning about him. I’m a self described Californian history fanatic. Through the years I’ve studied and found some rare books and have visited throughout California. I’m a fifth generation Californian.
Please share if you can and I can do the same.
Thank you, Chris Rios-Moorpark, CA