Armchair
1937-1939 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Frank Lloyd Wright designed both the building and the interior furnishings for the headquarters of the Johnson Wax Company in Racine, Wisconsin. Wright believed that it was impossible to detach a building from its furnishings and so designed the office furniture to echo the design of the company's headquarters. The circular form of the chair was created to reflect the treatment of the supportive columns in the main area of the building, the Great Workroom.
The chair is made from cast-aluminium piping, rather than from the tubular steel that was used extensively by designers such as Marcel Breuer and Mies van der Rohe.
The upholstery on the furniture within the building was colour coded to distinguish different operations within the company. The Cherokee red seat on this chair indicates that it was used in the credit department. Green was used for the billing department, blue for the records department, and beige for the sales department.
The chair has only three legs and was designed to promote good posture in the sitter. If the sitter adopted any other position rather than one with two feet on the ground with weight evenly distributed, the chair would become unstable.
The chair is made from cast-aluminium piping, rather than from the tubular steel that was used extensively by designers such as Marcel Breuer and Mies van der Rohe.
The upholstery on the furniture within the building was colour coded to distinguish different operations within the company. The Cherokee red seat on this chair indicates that it was used in the credit department. Green was used for the billing department, blue for the records department, and beige for the sales department.
The chair has only three legs and was designed to promote good posture in the sitter. If the sitter adopted any other position rather than one with two feet on the ground with weight evenly distributed, the chair would become unstable.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Enamelled steel, with walnut arms and wool and cotton upholstery (re-woven after the original); white plastic feet are later additions |
| Brief description | Frank Lloyd Wright for the Johnson Wax Building, 1937-39 |
| Physical description | Enamelled steel chair with walnut arms, wool and cotton upholstery (rewoven after the original), white plastic feet (later additions) |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | DESK CHAIR
Johnson Wax Building, Racine, Wisconsin, USA
Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, 1937-39
Painted steel, walnut arms, wool and cotton upholstery
(rewoven after the original)
Manufactured by Metal Office Furniture Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan
W.8-1992
Given by S C Johnson Wax in honour of the Hon John J Louis Jr, through the American and International Friends of the V&A
Rejecting the arguments of the manufacturer who was afraid that the chair might tip over, Wright insisted that a three-legged chair would ensure that employees sit with correct posture.(1993) |
| Credit line | Given by the American Friends of the V&A through the generosity of S.C. Johnson Wax, in honour of the Hon. John J. Louis Jnr. |
| Object history | Designed for the headquarters of Johnson Wax Company in Racine, Wisconsin. S.C. Johnson has kept the desks and chairs in continuous use and as a result none have survived without refurbishment. The company refurbished several sets since 1982 for the purpose of loans to exhibitions, and it is believed that this chair is one of these. |
| Production | Replacement upholstery most likely manufactured by Timme Corporation of Wilmington, North Carolina. |
| Summary | Frank Lloyd Wright designed both the building and the interior furnishings for the headquarters of the Johnson Wax Company in Racine, Wisconsin. Wright believed that it was impossible to detach a building from its furnishings and so designed the office furniture to echo the design of the company's headquarters. The circular form of the chair was created to reflect the treatment of the supportive columns in the main area of the building, the Great Workroom. The chair is made from cast-aluminium piping, rather than from the tubular steel that was used extensively by designers such as Marcel Breuer and Mies van der Rohe. The upholstery on the furniture within the building was colour coded to distinguish different operations within the company. The Cherokee red seat on this chair indicates that it was used in the credit department. Green was used for the billing department, blue for the records department, and beige for the sales department. The chair has only three legs and was designed to promote good posture in the sitter. If the sitter adopted any other position rather than one with two feet on the ground with weight evenly distributed, the chair would become unstable. |
| Associated objects |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.8-1992 |
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| Record created | March 1, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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