Armchair thumbnail 1
Armchair thumbnail 2
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Armchair

1904 (made)
Artist/Maker
Van Dorn Iron Works Company (maker)
Wright, Frank Lloyd (designed)
Place of origin
America (made)

When Wright designed this chair, metal furniture was in its infancy, and restricted mainly to filing cabinets and cupboards. This chair was designed for the administrative building of a mail order soap company in Buffalo, New York State. Part of a range of metal chairs, desks and combination seat/desk units, its rectilinear geometry and innovative design were characteristic of the building itself. This followed Wright’s view that ‘It is quite impossible to consider the building as one thing and its furnishings as another’.

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read Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (1867 – 1959) is widely viewed as the foremost American architect of the 20th century, designing more than a thousand buildings during his career, including their accompanying interiors and furnishings.

Object details

Category
Furniture
Object type
Armchair
Materials and techniques
Frame: painted steel, with cast-iron base and rubber casters Upholstery: slip seat with horsehair(?) stuffing, and leather cover (probably original)
Steel
Leather
Horsehair
Painted
Upholstered
Brief description
Coppered steel chair with slip seat designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Larkin Building, Buffalo, New York, America, 1904
Physical description
Coppered steel chair, painted sheet metal with cast-iron base and rubber casters. The upholstery of the slip seat has horsehair(?) stuffing and a leather cover which is probably original.

Dimensions
  • Height: 95.5cm
  • Width: 62.8cm
  • Depth: 55cm
  • Of seat frame height: 47.3cm
  • Of seat upholstery height: 50.3cm
Measured on object
Gallery label
(10/11/2005)
Wright designed a variety of metal chairs and desks for the headquarters of this mail-order soap company. The client's requirement that the building be fireproof provided the impetus for Wright's use of metal. The form of the chair and the decoration of perforated squares on the back indicate Wright's likely awareness of contemporary Viennese design.
(01/12/2012)
Office Chair
1904
Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1949)

USA (Oak Park, Illinois)
Probably manufactured by the Van Dorn Iron Works Company, Cleveland, Ohio

Frame: painted, folded and punched steel, with cast-iron base and rubber castors
Upholstery (probably original): slip seat with horsehair(?) stuffing and leather cover

Designed for the Larkin Administration Building, Buffalo, New York

Museum no. W.43-1981

Metal office furniture was in its infancy when Wright designed this swivel chair for the Larkin Building in Buffalo. Metal is an extremely functional material: strong, easy to clean and fireproof.

The chair, with a pivoting back, was created with the user in mind. By modern standards, however, it is far from ‘ergonomic’.
Object history
Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Larkin Building, Buffalo, New York. Probably made by Van Dorn Iron Works Company, Cleveland, Ohio.
Production
Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Larkin Building, Buffalo, New York
Summary
When Wright designed this chair, metal furniture was in its infancy, and restricted mainly to filing cabinets and cupboards. This chair was designed for the administrative building of a mail order soap company in Buffalo, New York State. Part of a range of metal chairs, desks and combination seat/desk units, its rectilinear geometry and innovative design were characteristic of the building itself. This followed Wright’s view that ‘It is quite impossible to consider the building as one thing and its furnishings as another’.
Collection
Furniture and Woodwork Collection
Accession number
W.43-1981

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Record createdMay 18, 2005
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O112088/armchair-wright-frank-lloyd/
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