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| LCW chair | |
|---|---|
| Name | LCW chair |
| Designer | Charles Eames; Ray Eames |
| Year | 1946 |
| Manufacturer | Herman Miller; Evans Products Company |
| Type | Lounge chair |
| Material | Plywood; fiberglass; leather |
LCW chair The LCW chair is a mid-20th-century lounge chair designed by Charles Eames and Ray Eames that became a hallmark of modern furniture design. Introduced during postwar American industrial expansion, it influenced Dieter Rams-era minimalism, informed collections at the Museum of Modern Art, and altered production approaches at firms such as Herman Miller and Evans Products Company. Its significance spans exhibitions like the Good Design program and publications including Arts & Architecture and Domus.
Developed after World War II, the LCW chair emerged from experiments at the Crane Company and the U.S. Navy projects in plywood molding, which attracted the attention of the Eameses following collaborations with Alvin Lustig and contacts at Wright State University. The Eameses refined molded plywood techniques alongside engineers at Molded Plywood Corporation and technicians from Buckminster Fuller’s circles, presenting prototypes at the MoMA's famed 1946 competition judged by curators including Alfred H. Barr Jr. and critics like Ada Louise Huxtable. Early commercial production involved licensing agreements with Evans Products Company and later distribution through Herman Miller, forging links with retailers such as R. H. Macy & Co. and galleries including Galerie Maeght. The LCW’s development intersected with legal and patent disputes in the 1950s involving firms like Decca Records only insofar as industrial processes and material patents circulated among postwar manufacturers.
The LCW’s profile is recognizable by its flowing, cantilevered silhouette and separate seat and back panels cradled by a wooden frame, realized through continuous research into ergonomics championed by Henry Dreyfuss and human-factors studies published in journals edited by Julius Shiskin. The chair’s low-slung posture and reclined angle reflect influences from Scandinavian designers such as Alvar Aalto and Arne Jacobsen, while its formal simplicity resonates with contemporaries like Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Construction emphasizes a plywood shell joined to a molded wooden base using metal fastenings developed in collaboration with industrial suppliers including General Motors and machine-tool firms similar to Bridgeport Machines. Its proportions and seat depth were iteratively adjusted in response to feedback from critics like Sigfried Giedion and curators at the Design Research Unit.
Originally produced in multi-ply hardwood veneers such as birch and walnut sourced from mills like Weyerhaeuser, the LCW later saw versions in fiberglass reinforced plastic introduced during experiments paralleling research at DuPont and material science groups at MIT. Manufacturers applied adhesives and bonding techniques similar to those patented by companies like Kny-Scheerer and tested finishes comparable to lacquer systems used in Knoll productions. Cushioning and upholstery options incorporated leathers from tanneries supplying fashion houses like Hermès and textiles from mills affiliated with Kvadrat for reissues. Production methods evolved from manual press-molding in small workshops to larger scale stamping and CNC-assisted cutting in factories operated by Herman Miller and subcontractors in regions including Grand Rapids, Michigan and European facilities near Varese, Lombardy.
The original LCW spawned numerous variants and inspired related models by the Eames office, such as the plywood dining chairs used in collaborations with Eero Saarinen and seating for public commissions at institutions including Pentagon interiors and corporate lobbies for General Electric. Later reissues and reinterpretations were produced by firms like Vitra in Europe and boutique ateliers reworking the shell for armrests, swivel bases, or metal sled frames akin to designs by Harry Bertoia. Parallel developments in molded seating included pieces by Isamu Noguchi, Finn Juhl, and the plywood work of Alvar Aalto, while contemporary designers such as Philippe Starck and Patricia Urquiola have cited the LCW as a touchstone in experiments with composite materials and sustainable sourcing programs.
The LCW chair occupies a prominent place in museum collections and archives at institutions like the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, and features in exhibitions curated by figures such as Paola Antonelli and Terence Riley. It has appeared in films and television series that evoke postwar modernity, from works by directors like Wes Anderson to period dramas overseen by production designers influenced by Edith Head. The LCW shaped furniture pedagogy at schools including the Royal College of Art and the Yale School of Art and continues to inform curricula and research at the RCA and Harvard Graduate School of Design. Collectors and auction houses such as Sotheby's and Christie's regularly trade original examples, and contemporary conservation work draws on restoration practices developed at institutions such as the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts.
Category:Chairs