Armchair

This high-backed, reclining, fire-side chair had been part of the Utility range since the early 1940s, although the mechanism to tilt the back is more complex on this chair than other models. The simple timber frame relates the chair to the functional Arts and Crafts style of Gordon Russell in the 1930s, rather than to the exuberant club chairs of Art Deco, but it can also be understood as a simplified version of Modernism. Although plain, this refined style of modern lounge chair became widespread in the 1950s. This chair dates from after 1948, when the strict wartime controls by the government on furniture production and design were somewhat relaxed. Although the specifications controlling

Armchair · England · 1949-1951. Wooden frame; upholstery has been replaced. By Unknown. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.