Austrian, 1796−1871
Vienna Café chair, model 214
Manufactured by Gebrüder Thonet GmbH, Frankenberg, Germany
Solid beech wood, bent and laminated; woven cane, 1973
84 x 43 x 53 cm
Accession number:
B74.0381
Arts/Design and Architecture
Michael Thonet was the first to patent a mechanized process for steam-bending wood, thereby revolutionizing furniture by introducing mass production into an industry that until then had been based exclusively on handcraft traditions. Manufactured in component parts, the Vienna Café chair could be shipped as a kit and assembled at its destination at a low cost. By 1930, over 50 million chairs had been sold, making it one of the most successful chairs in the history of mass consumption.
Exhibitions:
The Design and Architecture Collection, Selected Works, Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 25/07/2010 - 31/12/2010
