The drawing room furniture set was one of the first exhibits in the Ulyanovsk Museum named after Ivan Goncharov. It was a wedding gift from Ivan Goncharov to Alexandra Treygut — his housekeeper’s daughter.

Goncharov took great care of his adopted children’s future and strove to provide a good education for them. He tutored them in Russian and French, as well as literature and history. The Treygut sisters also had a music tutor — a pianist and violist Alexander Rezvetsov. In 1891, 41-year-old Rezvetsov married 22-year-old Alexandra Treygut. As a wedding present, Goncharov gave Alexandra a walnut furniture set with red upholstery. Such furniture was very expensive in the late 19th century, and walnut was especially valued for its unique grain characteristics. Those qualities could be enhanced by polishing, and the wood could also be stained to achieve a different tone.

Furniture sets that consisted of a sofa, chairs and armchairs were usually placed in drawing rooms, where guests gathered for a cup of tea or coffee after dinner and attended musical and literary soirees. Sometimes, gentlemen chose a drawing room instead of a study to discuss their business affairs. In the evenings, the room was used by a whole family for reading or chatting. A piano was usually placed there too. Drawing room walls were decorated with fabric that matched the upholstery and held landscapes, still-lifes and family portraits.