Freud Museum London: Psychoanalysis Podcasts Study: Freud Museum London Audio Guide [English]
Mar 25, 2026
A guided walk through Sigmund Freud’s study, spotlighting his desk piled with papers and antiquities. Learn about his custom chair and trademark reading posture. Hear the story of the famous couch’s gift and how sessions were conducted with Freud out of sight. Discover how the Vienna furnishings were reassembled in London and the study’s final years.
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Desk As The Centre Of Freud's Work
- Freud positioned his desk as the literal and symbolic centre of his work and life in the study.
- The crowded desk and surrounding antiquities show how material culture and scholarship were woven into his thinking.
Custom Chair Designed For Freud's Reading Habit
- Freud had a specially designed chair by Felix Augenfeld that allowed him to read with his leg hooked over the armrest.
- The customised chair reveals personal habits shaping the room's design and comfort for long periods of study.
The Couch Came From A Patient Donation
- The famous psychoanalytic couch was donated by a patient, Madame Benvenisti, around 1891 and became central to Freud's practice.
- Freud sat out of patients' view in a green tub chair so he 'could not stand being stared at for eight hours a day.'