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Chair

after 1872 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This chair bears a stamp with the maker's name and the date of 21 May 1872. This refers to the patent number, 127,045, that the firm had taken out for a 3-ply veneer chair seat. The firm of Gardner and Co. was active from 1863 to about 1887. It manufactured plywood seat furniture on a vast scale, establishing a new industry.

This chair is a typical Gardner product. It is comparable to examples that were shown at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876. Gardner's selling agents, Hutchins & Mabbett, advertised it as the strongest chair made for its weight. They recommended it highly as a church, Sabbath school or reception chair. In 1875 it cost $3.25.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Walnut frame, moulded and perforated plywood seat and back panel, stained mahogany-colour, with decorative brass nails
Brief description
Chair, manufactured by Gardner & Company, moulded, 3-ply stained birch plywood seat and back, walnut frame, brass nails, New York or New Jersey, after 1872
Physical description
Chair, the frame of turned and joined walnut, the seat continuous with the back and made of 3-ply birch plywood perforated with a neo-gothic pattern. Stained mahogany red all-over. Two sets of nails of different sizes, the ones of the chair back are smaller and bifurcated, those on the seat are larger and flatter but we cannot see if they too are bifurcated.
Dimensions
  • Height: 85.8cm
  • Width: 42.2cm
  • Depth: 54cm
Marks and inscriptions
'Gardner's Patent May 21st 1872' (Makers's mark of Gardner & Co who were active from 1863 to about 1887 and manufactured plywood seat furniture on a vast scale. The date refers to patent no. 127,045 for a three-ply veneer chair seat. This chair must thus date from 1872.)
Gallery label
  • Text from Plywood: Material of the Modern World (15 July-12 November 2017) CHAIR After 1872 During the 1870s, the New York firm Gardner & Company patented a chair with a single piece seat and back of moulded plywood. The seat and back ingeniously formed a self-supporting structure that could be attached to any minimal frame. This made the chair lighter and cheaper to produce. It was commercially successful and imitated across Europe. Manufactured by Gardner & Company New York or New Jersey, USA Moulded, 3-ply stained birch plywood seat and back; walnut frame; brass nails V&A: W.7-1986 (2017)
  • CHAIR W.7-1986 'American and European Art and Design 1800-1900' This chair bears Gardner's patent stamp of May 21st 1872, referring to their patent, No. 127045, for a three-ply veneer chair seat. Gardner & Co., active from 1863 to about 1887, manufactured plywood seat furniture on a vast scale, establishing a new industry. Chairs similar to this example were shonw at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876.(1987-2006)
  • Plywood Chair After 1872 Gardner manufactured plywood seat furniture on a vast scale, establishing a new industry. This chair is typical of their output. Comparable examples were shown at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876. USA, New York; designed and made by Gardner & Co. Walnut frame, plywood seat and back panel, brass nails Museum no. W.7-1986(2011)
Summary
This chair bears a stamp with the maker's name and the date of 21 May 1872. This refers to the patent number, 127,045, that the firm had taken out for a 3-ply veneer chair seat. The firm of Gardner and Co. was active from 1863 to about 1887. It manufactured plywood seat furniture on a vast scale, establishing a new industry.

This chair is a typical Gardner product. It is comparable to examples that were shown at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876. Gardner's selling agents, Hutchins & Mabbett, advertised it as the strongest chair made for its weight. They recommended it highly as a church, Sabbath school or reception chair. In 1875 it cost $3.25.
Associated object
B.89-2014 (Object)
Bibliographic reference
Wilk, Christopher. Plywood: A Material Story. London: Thames & Hudson / V&A, 2017
Collection
Accession number
W.7-1986

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Record createdJune 1, 2001
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