Short Chair thumbnail 1
Short Chair thumbnail 2
+9
images
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Short Chair

Chair
1936 (designed), 1936 (made)
Artist/Maker
Isokon Furniture Company (manufacturer)
Breuer, Marcel (designer)
Place of origin
London (designed)
London (made)

This design was Marcel Breuer's first for the progressive furniture company of Isokon. (Jack and Molly Pritchard had established Isokon in Britain in 1931.) The design was a direct translation into plywood of Breuer's steel and aluminium chairs of 1932-1933. It shows the influence of the plywood furniture of Alvar Aalto (1898-1976), the Finnish architect and designer. Aalto's furniture had a soft, organic aesthetic that was more favourably received in Britain than the tubular steel designs from Germany and France. Breuer's chair came in a 'Short' and 'Long' version. Originally it would have been used with a cushion. Only a few were made, because the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 put an end to Isokon's manufacturing.

Object details

Categories
Furniture
Household Objects
Interiors
Product Design
Object type
Chair
TitleShort Chair (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Laminated birch frame, with zebrano veneer, and moulded plywood seat and back. The seat is 5 ply, cross-grained. The veneers are between 1.5 and 2 mm thick. The frame is 10 ply, laminated. The veneers are between 1.5 and 2 mm thick. There are two vertical struts that support the arms, and one horizontal strut that braces the legs. These are both 7 ply, cross-grained, the veneers between 1.5 and 2 mm thick.
Birch Plywood
Zebrano
Plywood
Moulding
Veneering
Laminating
Brief description
Short Chair, designed by Marcel Breuer, manufactured by the Isokon Furniture Company, moulded birch plywood and laminated birch faced with zebrano veneer, 1936 (designed)
Physical description
A reclining chair with a moulded laminated birch structure composed of two vertical posts and a plywood seat.
Dimensions
  • Height: 79cm
  • Depth: 62.5cm
  • Width: 99.5cm
  • This is the depth of the feet only those parts of the chair that are in contact with the floor. width of bottom of frame (not including overhang of seat) width: 82cm
Style
Modernism
Gallery label
(2021)
The new tastemakers

In Britain between the wars, businesses sprang up to cater to a middle-class market of homemakers with an interest in modern design. Retailers altered their advertising to fit more progressive tastes. Manufacturers adopted new and sometimes cost-effective techniques of making furniture and products. The armchair and freestanding bookcase are by London-based furniture producer Isokon, using new methods of bending plywood. The tea set, produced by pottery entrepreneur Susie Cooper, is made from earthenware, an affordable alternative to bone china.

Plywood armchair
Short chair, 1936
Designed by Marcel Breuer
Manufactured by Isokon Furniture Company, UK
Laminated birch and zebrano veneer frame with moulded plywood seat
Given by Mr and Mrs Dennis Young
Museum no. CIRC.80-1975

Freestanding plywood bookcase
Penguin Donkey, 1939
Designed by Egon Riss
Manufactured by Isokon Furniture Company, UK
Moulded and flat plywood
Given by Mr J.E. Tinkler
Museum no. W.19:1 to 3-1993

Items from a tea set, about 1938–39
Designed by Susie Cooper
Manufactured by Wood & Sons, decorated by Susie Cooper Pottery, UK
Earthenware with aerographed and banded decoration
Given by Mrs M. Collins
Museum no. C.100&A to E-1978

The object sits in the 'Housing and Leaving' section of the Design 1900-Now gallery opened in June 2021.
(2017)
Text from Plywood: Material of the Modern World (15 July-12 November 2017)

SHORT CHAIR
1936

This chair’s thin and light seat was
moulded as a single piece of plywood.
The strength of the material gives the
impression of a seat floating on air,
suspended in its frame. Plywood seats
for Breuer’s Short Chairs were moulded
in batches by the Estonian company
Luterma. They were shipped to Britain
and then attached to locally-made
laminated wood frames.

Designed by Marcel Breuer (1902–81)
Manufactured by the Isokon Furniture Company
London, Britain
Moulded 5-ply birch plywood seat/back; 10-ply
laminated birch frame, with 7-ply birch plywood struts,
faced with zebrano veneer

Given by Mr and Mrs Dennis Young
V&A: CIRC.80-1975
Credit line
Given by Mr and Mrs Dennis Young
Object history
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. D. Young, London, 1975.
Production
Reason For Production: Retail
Subjects depicted
Reclining Chair
Modernist
Arm Chair
Summary
This design was Marcel Breuer's first for the progressive furniture company of Isokon. (Jack and Molly Pritchard had established Isokon in Britain in 1931.) The design was a direct translation into plywood of Breuer's steel and aluminium chairs of 1932-1933. It shows the influence of the plywood furniture of Alvar Aalto (1898-1976), the Finnish architect and designer. Aalto's furniture had a soft, organic aesthetic that was more favourably received in Britain than the tubular steel designs from Germany and France. Breuer's chair came in a 'Short' and 'Long' version. Originally it would have been used with a cushion. Only a few were made, because the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 put an end to Isokon's manufacturing.
Bibliographic references
  • Wilk, Christopher, ed. . Western Furniture 1350 to the Present Day. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1996. 230p., ill. ISBN 085667463X.
  • Wilk, Christopher. Plywood: A Material Story. London: Thames & Hudson / V&A, 2017
Collection
Furniture and Woodwork Collection
Accession number
CIRC.80-1975

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdNovember 27, 2002
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O70961/short-chair-chair-breuer-marcel/
Download as: JSON