Charles Eames
1907-1978

Charles Eames was head of the department of experimental design at Cranbrook Academy of Art (1937-1940), working with Eero Saarinen in the 1940s, and later with Harry Bertoia.

 

 

This Eames chair, known as the "LCM" chair, was designed in 1946. It is made by the Herman Miller Furniture Company of molded walnut plywood and metal rods. The back and seat are attached by shock-absorbing rubber disks.

By 1989, only one example of this chair could be located at Trent University. It was propping open the carpentry shop door under Champlain College. Current status unknown.

 

Eames chair

Photo credit: Bernadine Dodge

 

In 1946, Eames was given a one-man show at MoMA as a result of his LCM chair design; Herman Miller bought rights to produce his designs after the show, and in 1950, started producing Eame's fibreglass resin chair featuring a molded single-piece seat and back with slender metal legs. These chairs were "a standard" for three decades afterwards (Guy Julier, 20th Century Design, p.76).

 

Green molded fibreglass chair

Photo credit: Bernadine Dodge