I have only seen one like this when I visitd New York for the World's Fair back in the 60's. The person, wanting their shoes shined, climbed up the steps of the bench and rested their feet on the upper step for the person doing the work to shine them. The person shining shoes had supplies in the drawers below.
This bench has got to be very old and very appropriate to have it displayed in an art gallery! It is sort of an eclectic place with a coffee shop next door and tables and chairs to drink it in --in the actual gallery. I went there because the Marketplace building is a new place where they sell bus passes downtown now. I already had mine for this month because I happened to be at the transit center but wanted to check it out. We never know where we might find another bench or two. Yes I found a couple more also. . . Ü They are for another day.
If you enlarge the photo, you will notice the gold "hangers" on the right side. I wonder if those were for the cloths (shoe shine buffer rags) they used to shine different colors of shoes? I will have to look that up! (I tried but I couldn't find any information.)
