THE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF FOLDING CHAIRS © designboom - Traveling within the World
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historyrole of the folding c…
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2011-02-08T21:56:29.439Z
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<tbody><tr><td colspan="2"><b>history</b><br></br><font class="arial30">role of the folding chair</font></td>
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<tr><td colspan="2">.....................................................................................................</td>
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<tr><td height="111" valign="bottom" width="339"><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/egypt.html"><img border="0" height="72" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/1.gif" width="90"></img></a> - egyptian -<br></br>---…</td>
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<tbody><tr><td colspan="2"><b>history</b><br/><font class="arial30">role of the folding chair</font></td>
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<tr><td colspan="2">.....................................................................................................</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="111"><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/egypt.html"><img height="72" width="90" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/1.gif" border="0"/></a> - egyptian -<br/>---</td>
<td rowspan="25" valign="top"><br/>---<br/><b>folding chairs through the ages</b><br/><br/>many centuries the folding chair was considered <br/>one of the most important pieces of furniture in the <br/>house and a prized status symbol. <br/>in ancient civilizations folding stools were used not <br/>merely for sitting but also for ceremonial use. <br/><br/>---<br/><b>among the most significant examples of egyptian</b> <br/>furniture is the folding stool, which was developed <br/>2000-1500 b.c. as a portable chair for the commanding <br/>officer in the army. <br/>the folding chair was the symbol of the worthy divinity <br/>(see tutankhamun's throne, the foldable seat with a <br/>back support). its history as symbol of authority is <br/>also traceable in the following cultures:<br/><br/>the egyptian folding stool and later, the greek and <br/>the etruscan form, became the prototype of the <br/>roman chair, the 'sella curulis', which was adapted <br/>to the plebeian tribunal in the roman republican period.<br/><br/>the folding stool as a ceremonial chair developed in <br/>two ways: one secular, and the other ecclesiastical.<br/>the makeup of the roman 'sella curulis' assumes, <br/>through the longobard 'sella plicatilis' in steel, <br/>the form of the carolingian 'faldistorium'. <br/>here we notice another typological alteration.<br/>the crossed legs are frontal instead of being placed <br/>laterally. this was to emphasize the crossing <br/>'X' - structure which became a symbol of authority. <br/>the most emblematic example is the throne of dagobert I, <br/>king of the franconians.<br/><br/>the typology of the folding chair appeared just before <br/>the renaissance. in the 16th century we find the <br/>'sedia della forbice' (the scissors chair) that descended <br/>from the 'faldistorium'. there are two principal variations: <br/>the 'savonarola' and the 'dantesca',<br/>followed by the 'chair of petrarca' and the 'sedia a tenaglia'<br/>(the pincer chair). they represent the return of the crossed <br/>legs placed laterally.<br/><br/>during the baroque period chairs with crossed legs <br/>were not always foldable, especially during the period of <br/>louis XIV-XVI, the 'X' structure had exclusively symbol<br/>ic value. the field chair of napoleon I, the 'fauteuil'<br/>derived etymologically from the older french 'faldestoel',<br/>which derived from the latin 'faldistorium'. <br/>the denomination maintains the concept of dignity which <br/>was associated with the folding chair in the past. <br/>the fauteuil is a forerunner of the director's chair in the <br/>20th century.<br/><br/>as the folding chair itself became more common historically, <br/>so naturally did the folding variety and the technical <br/>achievements. while this reduced the status value of the <br/>object, it lead to the development of new uses and new <br/>design solutions. <br/>by the 19th century, folding chairs were a widespread <br/>utilitarian feature of public spaces where there was a <br/>regular need to rearrange or remove seating. <br/><br/><b>military</b> -<br/>the folding chair has a long history in military use. <br/>military objects respond above all to precise, immediate <br/>functionalities. from it emerges an aesthetic, anchored <br/>in thecollective memory. <br/>but it was never desgned to be beautiful. <br/>the field chair of napoleon I (fauteuil) derived etymologically <br/>from the older french 'faldestoel' which derived from the latin <br/>'faldistorium'. the denomination maintains the concept of <br/>dignity which was associated with the folding chair in the past.<br/>the ' napoleonic fauteuil' is a forerunner of the director's chair <br/>in the 20th century.<br/><br/><b>patent</b> -<br/>novel ideas for folding chairs and stools are registered in <br/>thousands of patents all over the world. <br/>patent designers, inventors and general gadget makers <br/>turned their energies to chair design and the notion of <br/>foldability, adjustability and flexibility of design was paramount, <br/>but the prolificacy of new projects does not always coincide <br/>with a refinement. <br/><br/><b>recreation</b> - <br/>mobility / travel has increased to the point where there is a special <br/>industry producing the smallest and lightest pieces of folding <br/>furniture which can cope with every climate. <br/>folding chairs are designed for camping, sitting on the beach, <br/>attending a sporting event...<br/>chairs for every habit, need and necessity.<br/><br/><b>utility</b> - <br/>folding chairs are designed for high school assemblies, <br/>tip-up seats for theatres and cinemas ... <br/>the main goal is to create a basic seating surface that is <br/>comfortable for a short time and can be folded up <br/>(and stored) easily.<br/><br/><b>'good design'</b> -<br/>the folding chair became an integral part of domestic furnishings.<br/>the most completed modern folding chairs were created in <br/>a period with social debates and technological progressions:<br/>the first years of the industrialization (thonet), in the ambient <br/>of the german rationalism (bauhaus), in the years of <br/>scandinavian welfare and in the years of social objection (1965-75).<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/></td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="96"><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/greek.html"><img height="59" width="88" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/2.gif" border="0"/></a> - greek -<br/>---</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="102"><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/greek.html"><img height="65" width="89" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/3.gif" border="0"/></a> - etruscan -<br/>---</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="114"><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/greek.html"><img height="63" width="78" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/4.gif" border="0"/></a> - roman -<br/>---</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="137"><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/medieval.html"><img height="91" width="90" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/5.gif" border="0"/></a> - medieval -<br/>---</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="143"><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/medieval.html"><img height="103" width="76" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/6.jpg" border="0"/></a> - renaissance -<br/>---</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="130"><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/asia.html"><img height="96" width="85" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/7.gif" border="0"/></a> - asia -<br/>---</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="152"><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/18th.html"><img height="105" width="70" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/7.jpg" border="0"/></a> - 17th / 18th century europe -<br/>---</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="256">---<br/><font class="arial18">MODERN HISTORY</font><br/><br/>classification of folding chairs according to the location of <br/>the folding mechanism / pivot.<br/><br/><br/>---<br/>FOLDING STOOLS<br/><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/stoolx.html"><img height="82" width="85" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/8.jpg" border="0"/></a> - X-shape - <br/>---</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="133"><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/stickstool.html"><img height="106" width="70" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/9.jpg" border="0"/></a> - sticks -<br/>---</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="137"><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/sitstool.html"><img height="106" width="65" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/10.jpg" border="0"/></a> - sit and stay -<br/>---</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="194">---<br/>FOLDING CHAIRS <b>(pivot under seat-level)</b><br/><br/><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/sidex1.html"><img height="108" width="75" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/11.jpg" border="0"/></a> - side- x chair (page 1) -<br/>---</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="154"><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/sidex2.html"><img height="118" width="70" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/12.gif" border="0"/></a> - side- x chair (page 2) -<br/>---</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="145"><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/sidexarm.html"><img height="115" width="75" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/13.jpg" border="0"/></a> - side- X chair with armrests -<br/>---</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="130"><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/director.html"><img height="95" width="80" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/14.jpg" border="0"/></a> - front- X / deckchair -<br/>---</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="132"><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/napoleon.html"><img height="98" width="75" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/16.jpg" border="0"/></a> - front-X / director's chair -<br/>---</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="140"><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/tripolina.html"><img height="92" width="75" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/17.jpg" border="0"/></a> - front-X / tripolina chair -<br/>---</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="206">---<br/>FOLDING CHAIRS <b>(pivot over seat-level)</b><br/><br/><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/beach.html"><img height="102" width="95" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/18.jpg" border="0"/></a> - beach chair -<br/>---</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="160"><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/triangle.html"><img height="122" width="79" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/19.jpg" border="0"/></a> - triangle shape -<br/>---</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="147"><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/trianglearm.html"><img height="103" width="84" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/20.jpg" border="0"/></a> - triangle shape with armrests -<br/>---</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="201">---<br/>FOLDING CHAIRS <b>(pivot on seat-level)</b><br/><br/><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/onlevel.html"><img height="95" width="85" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/21.jpg" border="0"/></a> - x-shape -<br/>---</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="145"><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/theatre.html"><img height="109" width="82" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/22.jpg" border="0"/></a> - theatre / tip-up seats -<br/>---</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="160"><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/normal.html"><img height="115" width="78" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/23.jpg" border="0"/></a> - 'normal legs' -<br/>---</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="133"><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/floor.html"><img height="89" width="90" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/24.jpg" border="0"/></a> - floor seat -<br/>---</td>
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<tr><td width="339" valign="bottom" height="180">---<br/>FOLDING CHAIRS <b>(other)</b><br/><br/><a href="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/other.html"><img height="91" width="85" src="http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/folding/icon/25.jpg" border="0"/></a> - demountable -<br/>---</td>
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<br/><br/><br/><font class="arial10">THE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF FOLDING CHAIRS<br/>has been compiled by birgit lohmann <br/>(a thesis publication, july 1988, revised in june 2003)<br/><br/>© designboom<br/>this history timeline is provided for educational purposes only,<br/>no reproduction, re-use or transcription for any commercial purpose <br/>or use of the content or images is permitted.<br/>a print-publication will soon be available, <br/>for inquieries : <a href="mailto:mail@designboom.com">mail@designboom.com</a><br/><br/>---<br/>acknowledgement<br/>many thanks to the participants of designboom's second <br/>design-aerobics course - a special thanks goes to the following <br/>people for their contributions:<br/>art perper, takashi ifuji, radu comsa, joshua larrabee, jim nagel, <br/>erin caruth, larry cheng, carolina jimenez, michelle brick, <br/>kevin mc donald, stanley ruiz, joellen schilke, marcos breder, <br/>phil clowes, beatriz crespo, peter pontano,<br/>susana salomon, oscar riano and haral jarabek.</font>