Tramp chair
Encyclopedia
The tramp chair was a one-person retaining device used by American police, largely during the 19th century, as a mild form of torture
and public humiliation
.
Invented in the early 19th century, the tramp chair was a cage made of bent and riveted metal strapping into the shape of a chair. An individual could be placed inside the chair and locked up securely (thus also acting as a jail cell in towns too small to build a jail). It was sometimes placed on a wheeled platform so that it (and the prisoner) could be moved around easily.
It was often used for vagrants (earning it its name) who could be left inside it for a day or two as encouragement to move along. Made of iron, it would heat up or cool down uncomfortably depending on the weather, and town residents could jeer at and harass the occupant. It left no room to move around, so would be very uncomfortable to sit in for a prolonged stretch of time. The American Police Hall of Fame
and Police Museum in Miami states that "often the prisoner was stripped naked and the kids from the area would poke him with sticks."
The tramp chair was invented and made by Sanford Baker of Oakland, Maine
. An original chair is in the Smithsonian
and in the Bangor (Maine) Police Museum.
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
and public humiliation
Public humiliation
Public humiliation was often used by local communities to punish minor and petty criminals before the age of large, modern prisons .- Shameful exposure :...
.
Invented in the early 19th century, the tramp chair was a cage made of bent and riveted metal strapping into the shape of a chair. An individual could be placed inside the chair and locked up securely (thus also acting as a jail cell in towns too small to build a jail). It was sometimes placed on a wheeled platform so that it (and the prisoner) could be moved around easily.
It was often used for vagrants (earning it its name) who could be left inside it for a day or two as encouragement to move along. Made of iron, it would heat up or cool down uncomfortably depending on the weather, and town residents could jeer at and harass the occupant. It left no room to move around, so would be very uncomfortable to sit in for a prolonged stretch of time. The American Police Hall of Fame
American Police Hall of Fame & Museum
The American Police Hall of Fame & Museum is located at 6350 Horizon Drive just south of Titusville, Florida. It houses law enforcement exhibits, a memorial and a Hall of Fame. It is the nation's first national police museum and a memorial dedicated to law enforcement officers killed in the line...
and Police Museum in Miami states that "often the prisoner was stripped naked and the kids from the area would poke him with sticks."
The tramp chair was invented and made by Sanford Baker of Oakland, Maine
Oakland, Maine
Oakland is a town in Kennebec County in the U.S. state of Maine. The population was 6,240 at the 2010 census. . Gateway to the Belgrade Lakes region, Oakland is 4 miles west of Waterville and approximately 18 miles north of Augusta, the state capital.-History:It was first settled about 1780 by...
. An original chair is in the Smithsonian
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
and in the Bangor (Maine) Police Museum.