Bentwood Chair Mod. No. 51

• Design: August Thonet (1829–1910)
• Execution: Gebrüder Thonet
• c. 1885
• Bentwood, dark stained beech, caned seat
• Leopold Museum, Vienna

The Gebrüder Thonet, the Austrian furniture company founded by Thonet Brothers, developed the technique of softening wood with steam to make bentwood furniture. The result was the first industrialscale production of chairs and other furniture that were light and easy to make. Thonet’s furniture were met with great success internationally. This chair consists of six bentwood components whose curved lines connect with each other to showcase the stable elegance of structural design. As the Gebrüder Thonet’s designs were simple and efficient, they were available for mass production, leading to the industrialization of furniture design.