It is commonly recognized that the first chests of drawers were made in France. This name is of French origin and may be translated as comfortable. Despite this, Spain and England claim their right to be the homeland of this type of furniture, so the place of its origin is still argued.

The chest of drawers became a widespread fashion and showed its variety as early as in the 17th century at the time of Louis XIV reign. They were crafted in different shapes and decorated with wood carving, painting and inlaid with stones. The chest of drawers became an indispensable element of furniture of aristocratic houses.

At the beginning of the 17th century, more expensive materials were commonly used for decoration of the chest of drawers: ivory, turtle punches plates, gold and mother-of-pearl inserts. The decorations became more complicated, small carved drawings were replaced by solemn Baroque-style patterns: vitrified plant ornaments, salient, wavy and puffy forms of furniture elements.

Since the middle of the 18th century, expensive inlays, that required slow and painstaking work, were superseded by mosaic patterns - elements for them were made of a cheaper wood. The process of construction of chest of drawers has also undergone strong changes. Heavy and massive parts, monolithic wooden frames were almost out of use and their advantage was given to thin and light plywood sheets. The furniture has become lighter and it made it easier to assemble and to transport.

The chest of drawers on the show at the museum was made at the end of the 19th century, but it makes a nod to the style of the 17th century furniture. Heavy, treated of a whole linden, the chest of drawers is decorated with an ordinary wood carved plant ornament. The chest of drawers has four sliding drawers - two small above, and two deep drawers below.

Originally, this chest of drawers was owned by Ignatiy Shashkin, who served as an accountant for Mikhail Chelyshev - a peasant who acquired his wealth, a member of the IIIrd State Duma from Samara Governorate. In 1910-1912, he was elected as Head of the Samara city. Chelyshev built baths, trade enterprises and houses in the city, and as the Head of Samara, he had organized an Alcohol Combat Commission, which was supported by writer Leo Tolstoy, lawyer and judge Anatoly Koni and other prominent persons of the early 20th century.

The chest of drawers was inherited by Aleksandra Oshina - the elder daughter of Ignatiy Shashkin. After Aleksandra’s death in 1980, it remained in the house of her grandson and from there it was moved to the museum.