"Time and a Chair," an exhibit of historic photographs depicting ordinary Americans posing in chairs in remote parts of the country from 1840 to 1940, is on display until Aug. 29 on the Cornell University campus.

The photos, in the gallery of Martha Van Rensselaer Hall's east wing, use the chair to symbolize the interiors of the portrait sitters' homes.

"'Time and a Chair' reminds us that ordinary life, then as now, is subject to manipulations of taste, ambition and desire. The exhibit allows us to see everyday things in new ways," says Jan Jennings, associate professor of design and environmental analysis at Cornell.

The 17 graduating seniors and graduate students in Jennings' spring graduate seminar, DEA 668: Design Theory and Criticism, designed the exhibit and cataloged the historic photographic collection, which reflects cultural diversity. They studied contemporary design theory about art museums, display aesthetics and exhibition and installation designs.

"Taking our lead from contemporary theory studies, we turned to taxonomy as a method to aid in the categorization and comprehension of the more than 150 photographs that comprise the collection," says Jennings. The students used chair taxonomy and taxonomy of poses to categorize the photographs. Taxonomy is the science of classifications.

Her U.S. Department of Agriculture Hatch grant -- Ideal Interiors, Practical Realities: Dimensions of Living in Remote Parts of the Country -- supported the acquisition of the pictorial database of ordinary American houses and interiors.

The exhibit is open Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 4. p.m.