The Jasper Seating Company, Inc. was founded in 1929 in southern Indiana, an area where, because of its abundance of forests, German cabinetmakers settled in the 19th century there and established a centre of handcrafted furniture making. Jasper maintains its own forest and sawmill and prides itself on its wood steam bending technology. The most famous Jasper model is the 980 chair, an imposing armchair with a rocking mechanism. Its backrest, along with its struts, armrests and seat, is impressively anatomically modelled. The steam bending takes the timber to its stress limit, especially in the backrest – which almost inevitably leads to cracks or gaps there, but this does not noticeably affect either the seating comfort or the chair’s durability. For decades, judges and jurors took their seats in it; now, the film industry exploits its awe-inspiring effect when depicting the American court system. In addition to courtrooms, Jasper Chairs are so common in American libraries that they are often called “Library Chairs” in the United States.