Chairs having a very low seat and a padded top rail, designed for female spectators of card games, who could kneel while resting their arms on the padded top rail. Males would sit astride a "voyeuse" with a somewhat higher seat, but it was considered inelegant for women to sit astride. For chairs having a very similar design but intended for prayer, use "prie-dieu chairs." Prie-dieu chairs may be made of humble materials, such as a wooden frame with a rattan seat-kneeler, or they may be upholstered; they may include a shelf for prayer books. If they are part of a set, it is usually a bedroom set. Voyeuses à genoux are always upholstered, and are generally part of a larger set along with voyeuses intended for males.
