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Leg splint

Leg Splint
ca. 1942 (designed)
Artist/Maker
Evans Products Company (manufacturer)
Eames, Charles (designer)
Eames, Ray (designer)
Place of origin
Los Angeles (manufactured)

During World War II, the U.S. Navy asked Charles and Ray Eames to create a lightweight, inexpensive leg splint. The resulting design is sculptural yet functional and could be mass produced. With access to military technology and manufacturing, the designers were able to develop the design to create their first mass-produced product. By 1945, 150,000 had been produced.

The shape of the splint serves two important functions: comfortable support and a stacking form to facilitate safe shipping. The holes in the splint relieve stress on the moulded plywood to prevent splitting and provide easy access to thread the bandages that secure the leg to the splint. The splint's biomorphic form evokes the Eames' subsequent influential plywood furniture designs.

Object details

Categories
Health
War
Object type
Leg splint
TitleLeg splint (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Moulded 5-ply birch plywood
Birch Plywood
Moulding
Brief description
Leg splint, designed by Charles and Ray Eames, manufactured by Evans Products Company, moulded plywood, 1941-1942 (designed)
Physical description
A leg splint constructed of moulded plyformed wood made from one piece with a shaped section for the foot and heel and slots for bandages to secure the leg in place.
Dimensions
  • Length: 107.5cm
  • Width: 19.5cm
  • Height: 10.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
'S2-1790' (Marked on the inside of the splint with the stock number)
Gallery label
(2017)
Text from Plywood: Material of the Modern World (15 July-12 November 2017)

PLYWOOD LEG SPLINT

American designers Charles and Ray
Eames experimented with plywood during
the Second World War. In 1942 the US
Navy commissioned them to design a
lightweight leg splint that was stackable
and could float. They produced this
plywood splint, made from five veneer
layers each cut to a slightly different
shape. Up to 150,000 splints were
manufactured, and the Eames’s work
on this project greatly influenced their
furniture design.

LEG SPLINT
About 1942
Designed by Charles (1907–78) and
Ray Eames (1912–88)
Manufactured by the Evans Products Company,
Molded Plywood Division
Los Angeles, USA
Moulded 5-ply birch plywood

V&A: W.31-2016

THE MANUFACTURE OF THE EAMES LEG
SPLINT, FROM CUTTING VENEERS (ABOVE)
TO MOULDING (BELOW)
Photographs taken at the Evans Products Company,
Molded Plywood Division

© 2017 Eames Office LLC (eamesoffice.com)

Text from Values of Design, V&A Gallery, Design Society, Dec 2017 - August 2019

Moulded Plywood

Plywood is made by gluing together thin layers of wood, each layer oriented 90 degrees to its adjacent layer. As plywood grew into a major industry in the 1900s, designers found the material attractive as it was cheap, available, and could be steam-bent into a variety of shapes. During the Second World War, Charles and Ray Eames experimented with moulding plywood to produce leg splints. It was subsequently used in many popular furniture designs of the 1950s and 60s.

Leg Splint
Charles and Ray Eames
USA, 1941-1942

Given by Christopher Monkhouse
(2017)
Text from Plywood: Material of the Modern World (15 July-12 November 2017)

PLYWOOD LEG SPLINT

American designers Charles and Ray
Eames experimented with plywood during
the Second World War. In 1942 the US
Navy commissioned them to design a
lightweight leg splint that was stackable
and could float. They produced this
plywood splint, made from five veneer
layers each cut to a slightly different
shape. Up to 150,000 splints were
manufactured, and the Eames’s work
on this project greatly influenced their
furniture design.

LEG SPLINT
About 1942
Designed by Charles (1907–78) and
Ray Eames (1912–88)
Manufactured by the Evans Products Company,
Molded Plywood Division
Los Angeles, USA
Moulded 5-ply birch plywood
V&A: W.31-2016

THE MANUFACTURE OF THE EAMES LEG
SPLINT, FROM CUTTING VENEERS (ABOVE)
TO MOULDING (BELOW)
Photographs taken at the Evans Products Company,
Molded Plywood Division

© 2017 Eames Office LLC (eamesoffice.com)
Object history
The Eames Leg Splint was an innovative re-design of the medical support apparatus and made a significant contribution to the World War II effort.

This leg splint was included in ‘Values of Design’ at the V&A Gallery, Design Society in Shenzhen, China in 2017.
Summary
During World War II, the U.S. Navy asked Charles and Ray Eames to create a lightweight, inexpensive leg splint. The resulting design is sculptural yet functional and could be mass produced. With access to military technology and manufacturing, the designers were able to develop the design to create their first mass-produced product. By 1945, 150,000 had been produced.

The shape of the splint serves two important functions: comfortable support and a stacking form to facilitate safe shipping. The holes in the splint relieve stress on the moulded plywood to prevent splitting and provide easy access to thread the bandages that secure the leg to the splint. The splint's biomorphic form evokes the Eames' subsequent influential plywood furniture designs.
Bibliographic reference
Wilk, Christopher. Plywood: A Material Story. London: Thames & Hudson / V&A, 2017
Collection
Furniture and Woodwork Collection
Accession number
W.31-2016

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Record createdNovember 17, 2015
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1325102/leg-splint-leg-splint-eames-charles/
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