DSS thumbnail 1
DSS thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

DSS

Stacking Chair
1950 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

'DSS' stood for Dining (D) height, Side (S) chair, on Stacking (S) base and is a development of both the organic forms of the Eameses' plywood furniture from the 1940s and their designs for the Low Cost Furniture competition staged at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, in 1948. The Eameses were not alone in designing chairs made of new plastics, but they were the first to use the marble effect of the fibreglass strands to strengthen the polyester as a decorative effect, unashamedly celebrating the modernity of the design. Herman Miller documents from 1957 show that countless numbers were sold to stadiums, hospitals, schools, colleges, universities, clinics, government offices and the DSS helped, perhaps more than any model, to put the Eames plastic shell chairs into modern modern culture. The first chairs to be produced to this design were in more muted shades than later production.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleDSS (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Moulded glass-fibre seat with chromium-plated tubular steel leg frame
Brief description
Chair (one of six) designed by Charles Eames, 'DSS' stacking chair, manufactured by Hermann Miller, dark blue fibreglass shell on chromium-plated legs, 1950
Physical description
A dark blue stacking chair with glass-fibre seat shell and chromium-plated tubular steel leg frame with linking feature on either side.
Dimensions
  • Height: 79cm
  • Width: 61cm
  • Depth: 58cm
  • Seat height: 43cm
Production typeMass produced
Object history
Purchased from the manufacturer
Production
Attribution note: There are six DSS stacking chairs in the museum collection, each with a different colour.
Subjects depicted
Summary
'DSS' stood for Dining (D) height, Side (S) chair, on Stacking (S) base and is a development of both the organic forms of the Eameses' plywood furniture from the 1940s and their designs for the Low Cost Furniture competition staged at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, in 1948. The Eameses were not alone in designing chairs made of new plastics, but they were the first to use the marble effect of the fibreglass strands to strengthen the polyester as a decorative effect, unashamedly celebrating the modernity of the design. Herman Miller documents from 1957 show that countless numbers were sold to stadiums, hospitals, schools, colleges, universities, clinics, government offices and the DSS helped, perhaps more than any model, to put the Eames plastic shell chairs into modern modern culture. The first chairs to be produced to this design were in more muted shades than later production.
Associated objects
Collection
Accession number
CIRC.397-1970

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Record createdDecember 30, 2008
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