Thonet Bentwood Chair History

Classic furniture in bent wood and tubular steel.

Thonet bentwood chair history.

American craft december 1990. An original older model the schaukel fauteuil no. They were exhibited at the great exhibition of 1851 in london and were sold in vast quantities throughout europe and the united states for the rest of the century. As to whether or not you can tell the age of your chair.

How to include the bentwood chair into your home. Which states that your chair is probably a reproduction. 1 produced in 1890 in koritschan moravia would have shorter armrests and less. A brief history of thonet bentwood chairs.

An authentic original thonet tone ette bentwood rocker would not have a made in poland on it anywhere. Michael thonet s death on march 3 1871 may have marked the end of an era but it did not stop the thonet family from continuing research and experimentation. 11 9 99 alexander von vegesack. The no 18 chair was launched in 1876 one of a group of chairs with back inserts consisting of curves and loops of bentwood.

It all began with the bentwood chair. In 1830 michael thonet began experimenting with what was soon to be known as bentwood furniture and it was not long before thonet and his sons were producing this furniture on an industrial scale. Michael thonet and his sons set up a bentwood furniture factory in bystřice pod hostýnem. Michael thonet an austrian cabinetmaker working in vienna experimented with designs based on birch rods bent into curvilinear shapes his bentwood chairs are among the most successful examples of early mass produced furniture.

Rizzoli new york 1997 isbn 0 8478 2040 8. His solid bentwood furniture never out of production was again made fashionable in the 1920s by the renowned modern architect and designer le corbusier the utilitarian chairs mass produced at low prices were seen all over the western world and shown in the paintings of such artists as toulouse. During the 1860s the thonet bentwood chairs were popular among many fashionable cafes in vienna and these days similar bentwood products can be found in homes workspaces cafes hotels and restaurants. Architectural digest august 1996.

The origin of the bentwood or thonet chair from the 19th to the 20th century. The name thonet quickly became synonymous with a high standard of exquisite craftsmanship and thonet s bentwood products soon joined the ranks of the most famous and most imitated furniture. Among thonet s most popular designs were those of café chairs rocking chairs and hat stands. 18 one of the first models which was produced here and is still a part of our portfolio today.

Whether a historically significant cantilever chair a bentwood classic or a contemporary design there s a favourite chair for everyone in our comprehensive collection.