Revolutionary design of 1920's Dining Chair Model No. 56 by Thonet
This is one of the most iconic and commercially successful chairs designed and produced by famous Gebruder Thonet Company. It was first designed in 1883 by August Thonet, and can be find in Thonet catalogues in a slightly modified version, AKA Model No. 56.
Cover of the Gebrüder Thonet Catalogue
In Thonet’s long history, this chair was in many ways revolutionary and it was this design that started Thonet’s "Classic Line II.”
Excerpt from the catalogue with the chair No. 56 and its variations
The first major innovation behind this chair was the huge saving in the quantity of material/wood needed to make it.
Czech poster promoting Thonet furniture shortly after World War I.
Only two 90 cm long pieces together with one additional 40 cm long piece in the middle were necessary to build the back of this chair. That meant significantly shorter pieces could be used in contrast to the 230 cm long wooden rods which were needed for chairs in Classic Line I.
That also meant that the transport and handling of the shorter parts in the factory was much easier and quicker.
Thonet 1910’s Catalogue for a French market. Chair number 56 is offered with a slightly different leg support
Another big advantage of building a chair from shorter multiple pieces was the technique of wood bending. Instead of the difficult technique of manual bending that required well trained and highly skilled labour, it was possible to bend these shorter parts on a machine. This resulted in a higher efficiency with more pieces being produced in a much shorter time.
An example of the Thonet Catalogue from the 1930’s
Last but not least was the big innovation in the design of the chairs. All the previously mentioned improvements meant that Thonet could produce vast numbers of different variations of the back rest, with more ease and speed.
Thonet Production Catalogue from 1908
The particular chair has got a striking honeycomb colour on all parts. This natural colour of the wood looks great in this simple design where the main features are the gently curved legs and backrest.
Old illustration of chair number 56, from early 20th century
Thonet label used from 1919
Example of chair number 56 this time produced by TON, Czechoslovakia in the 1960’s
The chair has the original Thonet Company label positioned underneath the seat. The label says simply Thonet, without mentioning Vienna or Gebruder Thonet, therefore we can be sure that this chair was produced after 1919 as the result of political changes in Europe after First World War erased any mentioning of connection to Austria from the label.
Thonet label on the underneath of the seat
We are lucky to have this No. 56 Thonet chair in our collection and is available to buy! For more information, go to our shop: