The Oprah Winfrey Show dominated daytime television and ran for 25 seasons—a total of 4,561 episodes—from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011. The highest-rated talk show in history, the program started public conversations about issues surrounding race and racism, gender roles, and sexuality, while emphasizing women’s experiences and perspectives. The set of The Oprah Winfrey Show served as an idealized extension of television viewers’ living rooms, encouraging them to feel as if they were at home with Winfrey.
Couch from the set of The Oprah Winfrey Show in Harpo Studios
Object Details
- Date
- 2002; reupholstered 2015
- Manufactured by
- Dakota Jackson, American, born 1949
- Used by
- Harpo, Inc., American, founded 1986
- Designed by
- Dakota Jackson, American, born 1949
- Description
- A sectional leather couch or sofa, used by Oprah Winfrey and her guests, from the set of The Oprah Winfrey Show at Harpo Studios in Chicago, Illinois (2016.7.7.1ab - .3ab). The couch is upholstered in a light yellow leather. The couch sections fit together to form a semi-circular shape. Two (2) sections are for sitting, the proper left (.1ab) and the proper right (.3ab). The center section (.2ab) is topped with a removable cushion. Underneath the center cushion is a table top which Winfrey and her guests could use to hold cups or other items. The design for this custom couch is based on the Dakota Jackson Cosmoledo line.
- 2016.7.7.1ab: The proper left section of a 3-piece curved sectional yellow leather couch. This end section (.1a) is a customized version of the Cosmoledo club chair, with a curved back and a flared arm on its proper left side only. The contoured chair back slopes upward towards the proper left corner, away from the center of the seating configuration. The chair back and cushion are heavily padded, with less padding on the armrest. The seat cushion (.1b) is square, with a zipper at the back to insert or remove the cushion. The underside of the cushion is covered in a tan cloth fabric. The spring decking is covered in the same tan cloth fabric. The cushion secures to the chair on its back and side with strips of Velcro (TM). The couch section has four (4) tapered wood feet, one on each corner, which are painted yellow. Two (2) metal forks on the underside of the proper right side connect this section to the center section. The forks have tines with teeth ridges on the inside with a small release catch, and are set on a swivel.
- 2016.7.7.2ab: The center section of a 3-piece curved sectional yellow leather couch. This section (.2a) is a wedge shape, intended to fit in between other sections to create a curved couch. The section has a rounded and heavily padded chair back, with no arm rests. The seat cushion (.2b) is a triangle shape, with a zipper at the back to insert or remove the cushion. The underside of the cushion is covered in a tan cloth fabric. Underneath the cushion is a wood tabletop, in the same triangle shape as the cushion, painted yellow. When the cushion is removed, the table can be used to hold drinks or other items for Winfrey and her guests. The cushion does not attach to the tabletop below. The couch section has three (3) tapered wood feet, one on each corner, which are painted yellow. On the underside of the proper left side, two (2) metal wedges connect this section to the section on its proper left. Two (2) metal forks on the underside of the proper right side connect this section to the section on its proper right. The forks have tines with teeth ridges on the inside with a small release catch, and are set on a swivel.
- 2016.7.7.3ab: The proper right section of a 3-piece curved sectional yellow leather couch. This end section (.3a) is a customized version of the Cosmoledo club chair, with a curved back and a flared arm on its proper right side only. The contoured chair back slopes upward towards the proper right corner, away from the center of the seating configuration. The chair back and cushion are heavily padded, with less padding on the armrest. The seat cushion (.3b) is square, with a zipper at the back to insert or remove the cushion. The underside of the cushion is covered in a tan cloth fabric. The spring decking is covered in the same tan cloth fabric. The cushion secures to the chair on its back and side with strips of Velcro (TM). The couch section has four (4) tapered wood feet, one on each corner, which are painted yellow. Two (2) metal wedges on the underside of the proper left side connect this section to the center section.
- Place used
- Harpo Studios, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
- Topic
- African American
- Communication
- Entertainers
- Mass media
- Television
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Props and Set Design
- Exhibition
- A Changing America: 1968 and Beyond
- On View
- NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 1, C1 053
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Oprah Winfrey
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2016.7.7
- Type
- sofas
- Restrictions & Rights
- No Known Copyright Restrictions
- Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
- Medium
- leather, cloth, polyurethane foam, wood frame, metal springs and Velcro (TM)
- Dimensions
- H x W x D ((.1ab-.3ab) OVERALL): 34 1/2 × 90 × 50 in. (87.6 × 228.6 × 127 cm)
- H x W x D (.1ab): 34 1/2 × 34 1/2 × 37 in. (87.6 × 87.6 × 94 cm)
- H x W x D (.2ab): 33 1/2 × 28 × 38 in. (85.1 × 71.1 × 96.5 cm)
- H x W x D (.3ab): 34 1/2 × 34 1/2 × 37 in. (87.6 × 87.6 × 94 cm)
- Record ID
- nmaahc_2016.7.7