The previous installment of this series on the topic of shell chairs included a 1957 crossover piece by Hans Olsen that had small wing-style arms, but the design element appeared much earlier than that. Eero Saarinen and Charles Eames designed their Organic Chair in the late 1940s, and Eames capitalized on the design later with his DAX chair, which will be included in yet another category.
Harry Bertoia's svelte Bird Chair made subtle use of the feature, while Robin Day's spectacular Royal Festival Hall chair took modern seating to the brink of flight.
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| Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen Organic chair - 1940 loc.gov |
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| Eero Saarinen Womb chair - 1948 treadwaygallery.com |
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| Jupp Ernst chair by Helmut Lortz - 1950s grainedit.com |
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| Thonet - 1950s 1stdibs.com |
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| Robin Day Royal Festival Hall chair - 1951 theargus.co.uk |
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| Harry Bertoia Bird chair - 1952 knoll.com |
