Chair | Definition, Types, & Facts

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class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/chair">chair</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <span class="toc-extra-link selected link-gray-900 mt-15"> Introduction </span> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/chair/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/chair">Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/chair/images-videos">Images & Videos</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/04/42804-050-C831FF3A/Flamboyantly-chair-boxwood-Baroque-Andrea-Brustolon-1690.jpg" data-href="/media/1/104474/35375" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/04/42804-004-502F99DE/Flamboyantly-chair-boxwood-Baroque-Andrea-Brustolon-1690.jpg" alt="Baroque chair" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/05/7505-050-DF32AB97/Mahogany-ribbonback-chairs-style-Rococo-Thomas-Chippendale.jpg" data-href="/media/1/104474/4836" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/05/7505-004-5B1E12C9/Mahogany-ribbonback-chairs-style-Rococo-Thomas-Chippendale.jpg" alt="mahogany ribbonback chairs" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/25/134025-050-674FB9A1/Side-chair-mahogany-Honduras-ebony-inlay-silver-1907.jpg" data-href="/media/1/104474/141365" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/25/134025-004-C62E030C/Side-chair-mahogany-Honduras-ebony-inlay-silver-1907.jpg" alt="side chair" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/54/27054-050-8BB97D2A/armchair-Walnut-craftsman-Philadelphia-Art-Institute-of.jpg" data-href="/media/1/104474/14105" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/54/27054-004-9781C92F/armchair-Walnut-craftsman-Philadelphia-Art-Institute-of.jpg" alt="walnut armchair" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/99/150199-004-BFCBD4D3/Art-Deco-club-chair-ebony-mahogany-Maurice-1924.jpg" data-href="/media/1/104474/191910" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/99/150199-004-BFCBD4D3/Art-Deco-club-chair-ebony-mahogany-Maurice-1924.jpg" alt="Maurice Dufrène: club chair" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/32/99032-050-1D47F0FD/chair-Barcelona-cowhide-straps-Ludwig-Mies-van-1929.jpg" data-href="/media/1/104474/95010" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/32/99032-004-A06D67EA/chair-Barcelona-cowhide-straps-Ludwig-Mies-van-1929.jpg" alt="Barcelona chair and stool" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/20/6320-004-14FFF956/Bath-chair.jpg" data-href="/media/1/104474/4457" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/20/6320-004-14FFF956/Bath-chair.jpg" alt="Bath chair" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/99/30199-004-D119240F/armchair-Brewster-ash-American-Plymouth-Massachusetts-Pilgrim.jpg" data-href="/media/1/104474/72021" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/99/30199-004-D119240F/armchair-Brewster-ash-American-Plymouth-Massachusetts-Pilgrim.jpg" alt="Brewster armchair, ash, American, about 1660–80; in Pilgrim Hall Museum, Plymouth, Massachusetts." height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/06/135306-050-030A1D0A/horseshoe-armchair-Chinese-huanghuali-Qing-dynasty-Honolulu.jpg" data-href="/media/1/104474/147602" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/06/135306-004-9BE17872/horseshoe-armchair-Chinese-huanghuali-Qing-dynasty-Honolulu.jpg" alt="horseshoe armchair" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/28/99028-050-A9B2F201/chair-Costes-wood-Philippe-Starck-leather-1982.jpg" data-href="/media/1/104474/95037" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" 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Voting Rights Act, civil rights." width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div> <div class="card-body ilf-content"> <a class="font-weight-semi-bold d-block mb-5 font-16 ilf-title" href="/list/timeline-of-the-american-civil-rights-movement" >Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <button class="drawerToggle btn position-sticky border btn-xs btn-white btn-circle rounded-sm d-none d-lg-flex " type="button" aria-label="Toggle Drawer"> <em class="material-icons font-18 text-blue" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="h-100 ml-0 pr-lg-0 "> <div class="h-100 grid gx-0 gx-lg-20"> <div class="h-100 col-sm"> <div class="h-100 infinite-pagination-container d-flex flex-column position-relative"> <div class="position-absolute top-0 h-100 w-100"> <div class="toc-sticky-header d-none d-lg-none bg-gray-50 px-10 px-sm-30 position-sticky w-100 "> <div class="toc-sticky-header-inner-container 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align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/104474/35375"> <picture> <source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/04/42804-050-C831FF3A/Flamboyantly-chair-boxwood-Baroque-Andrea-Brustolon-1690.jpg?w=300"> <img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/04/42804-050-C831FF3A/Flamboyantly-chair-boxwood-Baroque-Andrea-Brustolon-1690.jpg?w=400&h=300&c=crop" alt="Baroque chair" loading="eager" /> </picture> <button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"> <em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em> </button> </a> </div> <figcaption class="card-body"> <div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"> <span> <a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" 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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/chair/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Key People: </dt> <dd><a href="/biography/Harry-Bertoia" topicid="62839">Harry Bertoia</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Marcel-Breuer" topicid="79018">Marcel Breuer</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Arne-Jacobsen" topicid="299099">Arne Jacobsen</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Topics: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/wheelchair" topicid="679509">wheelchair</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/throne" topicid="594121">throne</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Broom-Chair" topicid="2201122">Broom Chair</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/LC1-chair" topicid="2198423">LC1 chair</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Louis-Ghost" topicid="2201119">Louis Ghost</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/chair"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref239496"></span>chair</strong>, seat with a back, intended for one person. It is one of the most ancient forms of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/furniture" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">furniture</a>, dating from the 3rd <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="dynasty" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dynasty" data-type="MW">dynasty</a> of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Egypt" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">ancient Egypt</a> (<em>c.</em> 2650–<em>c.</em> 2575 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>).</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">It was common for early Egyptian chairs to have legs shaped like those of animals. The seats were corded or dished (hollowed) in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/wood-plant-tissue" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">wood</a> and topped with a pad or cushion. The ancient Greek <span id="ref239497"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/klismos" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true"><em>klismos</em></a> was once considered one of the most elegant chair designs. The seat, of plaited cord, was supported on sharply curved sabre-shaped legs, tapering to the feet. The horizontal back rail, curved to fit the body, was supported on three uprights. The <span id="ref239498"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/scissors-chair" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">scissors chair</a>, or X-chair, which had a seat supported on an X-shaped frame, dates back at least to Roman times. It was especially popular in the 14th and 15th centuries in western Europe and reached great heights of elegance in Italy during the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Renaissance" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Renaissance</a>. Renaissance chairs were of two principal varieties: those light enough to be moved easily and those heavy thronelike seats used by the head of a household or other important people.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In Tudor <span id="ref239499"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/England" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">England</a> the chair for the master of the house had a heavy boxlike frame and was placed on a <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="dais" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/dais" data-type="EB">dais</a> in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/great-hall-architecture" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">great hall</a>. Turned (shaped on a lathe) chairs, which had been used from early times, reached their most elaborate forms at this time, their frames consisting of turned posts and spindles. Many chairs in the 16th century depended on <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/upholstery" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">upholstery</a> for decoration. Square in outline, this type had a back formed by a pair of uprights spanned by a strip of velvet or brocade trimmed with fringes or a strip of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/leather" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">leather</a>, sometimes tooled. The material was held in place by large-headed brass nails. In the 17th century large numbers of richly carved chairs were produced. In Italy many pieces of furniture were the work of sculptors, the most outstanding of whom was <span id="ref239500"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Andrea-Brustolon" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Andrea Brustolon</a>. His suite of chairs now in the Ca’ Rezzonico in Venice, with legs and arms carved as gnarled tree trunks and branches, arms supported by black boys with heads and arms of ebony and breeches of boxwood, marked his <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="zenith" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/zenith" data-type="EB">zenith</a>.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-read-more-module" href="/technology/furniture/Upholstery-and-covers#ref609976" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/28/134028-050-E9567531/Card-table-mahogany-patina-gold-maker-stenciling-1828.jpg" alt="mahogany card table" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-navy-dark">More From Britannica</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">furniture: Chair</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In <span id="ref239501"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/France" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">France</a> the square lines of 16th-century chairs gradually gave way to more luxurious padding and carved arms ending in scrolls or animals’ heads. During the reign of <span id="ref239502"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Louis-XIV-style" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Louis XIV</a>, furniture became grander. Chair backs became higher and had curved tops, arms were sometimes upholstered, seats were wider, and woodwork was finely carved and gilded or painted.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="4836" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/05/7505-050-DF32AB97/Mahogany-ribbonback-chairs-style-Rococo-Thomas-Chippendale.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/104474/4836"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/05/7505-050-DF32AB97/Mahogany-ribbonback-chairs-style-Rococo-Thomas-Chippendale.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/05/7505-050-DF32AB97/Mahogany-ribbonback-chairs-style-Rococo-Thomas-Chippendale.jpg?w=300" alt="mahogany ribbonback chairs" data-width="1333" data-height="1046" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/05/7505-050-DF32AB97/Mahogany-ribbonback-chairs-style-Rococo-Thomas-Chippendale.jpg" data-href="/media/1/104474/4836">mahogany ribbonback chairs</a><span>Mahogany ribbonback chairs in the Rococo style, designed by Thomas Chippendale, 18th century</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">In England the Restoration brought a similar trend toward more luxurious living, but the exuberant styles imported by large numbers of immigrant Continental craftsmen had to be modified for English tastes. A finely carved front stretcher became fashionable but was abandoned at the end of the 17th century with the introduction of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/cabriole-leg" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">cabriole leg</a>. The gently curved back and cabriole legs of chairs first used in the <span id="ref239503"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Queen-Anne-style" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Queen Anne</a> period in England remained popular for half a century. Rococo design showed itself in the ribbonback, or ribband-back, chairs (chairs whose splats are curved in an <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="intricate" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/intricate" data-type="EB">intricate</a> pattern of ribbons and bows) and “French chairs” illustrated in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Chippendale" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Thomas Chippendale’s</a> <em>Gentleman and Cabinetmaker’s Director,</em> which also recorded the popularity of Gothic and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/chinoiserie" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">chinoiserie</a> (Chinese-style) designs.</p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="141365" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/25/134025-050-674FB9A1/Side-chair-mahogany-Honduras-ebony-inlay-silver-1907.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/104474/141365"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/25/134025-050-674FB9A1/Side-chair-mahogany-Honduras-ebony-inlay-silver-1907.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/25/134025-050-674FB9A1/Side-chair-mahogany-Honduras-ebony-inlay-silver-1907.jpg?w=300" alt="side chair" data-width="835" data-height="1600" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/25/134025-050-674FB9A1/Side-chair-mahogany-Honduras-ebony-inlay-silver-1907.jpg" data-href="/media/1/104474/141365">side chair</a><span>Side chair, Honduras mahogany and ebony with inlay of silver, abalone, copper, pewter, and exotic woods, designed by Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene, <em>c.</em> 1907; in the Brooklyn Museum, New York.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">American furniture makers sometimes adapted simplified versions of English styles from the late 17th century. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Windsor-chair" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Windsor chairs</a> were particularly popular in the late 18th century and were developed to a greater degree than in England.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The Neoclassical movement in the 1760s led a return to straight but more delicate lines, with England and France setting the fashion for Europe. Straight tapering and reeded legs and square, oval, or shield-shaped backs were the mode. The most elegant English chairs of the Regency period and French chairs of the Empire period adapted the sabre leg of the Greek <em>klismos</em>. French chairs after the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/French-Revolution" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Revolution of 1789</a> were much simpler and more <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="austere" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/austere" data-type="MW">austere</a>. England and France continued to dominate chair fashions throughout most of the 19th century, but styles were largely <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="adaptations" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adaptations" data-type="MW">adaptations</a> of those of previous eras.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=black-friday-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">After <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-I" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">World War I</a> the architect and designer <span id="ref239504"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marcel-Breuer" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Marcel Breuer</a> developed the first tubular steel chair, a cantilevered form with a frame made from a continuous tubular strip. <span id="ref239505"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ludwig-Mies-van-der-Rohe" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ludwig Mies van der Rohe</a>’s <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Barcelona-chair" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Barcelona chair</a> of 1929, with its gently curved steel supports and buttoned leather upholstery, is a modern classic. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Le-Corbusier" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Le Corbusier</a>, a Swiss-born architect, experimented with laminated bentwood chairs, as did the Finn <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alvar-Aalto" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Alvar Aalto</a>. Molded forms were extended to entire chairs in both <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/plywood" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">plywood</a> and plastic by the Americans <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Eames-and-Ray-Eames" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Charles Eames and Ray Eames </a>and the Finn <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Eero-Saarinen" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Eero Saarinen</a>. Among the developments of the late 20th century were the beanbag chair and an inflatable plastic chair. <em>See also</em> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/ladder-back-chair" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">ladder-back chair</a>; <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/wainscot-chair" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">wainscot chair</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span> <span class="md-signature">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/editor/Adam-Augustyn/6394">Adam Augustyn</a>.</span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":104474,"pageLength":790,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"B","adLeg":"B","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Chair | Definition, Types, & Facts | Britannica