In 1903, Thomas Lee spent time with his large family in Westport, New York. Their family home had a shortage of patio furniture, so he started nailing boards together, designing a new chair for the 22 members of his family to sample. The story goes that Lee created a chair with slanted back and seat with wide armrests.
Thomas Lee showed his new chair design to a carpenter in town by the name of Harry Bunnell. The carpenter knew right away that the chair had potential for monetary profit, so, without telling Thomas Lee, he secured a patent for what became one of the most recognized pieces of American outdoor furniture.
Bunnell's original chairs were made of hemlock, painted in either dark brown or green, and were signed by Bunnell himself. Today, one of those original chairs sell for about $1,200. Back in the early 1900s, he sold them for $4.
3 comments:
We have two similar to the ones shown in the photo, one made by hubby and one by me father-in-law. We keep them in our lean-to and enjoy them each summer.
There's something special about the chair, to me anyway, that urged me to write about it. Now we see them made out of modern-day materials instead of wood. That saves some trees, and for that I'm thankful. The picture was taken a few years back when we stayed at a cabin in southern Iowa.
Your chairs are extra special, because they were made by your family members. Those will need to be passed down as heirlooms. Thanks for your interesting comment.
Our chairs are a treasure.
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