Armchair (USA)

In the late nineteenth century Viennese bent wood furniture was imported into the United States and American furniture factories worked to create homegrown imitations. One such factory was the South Carolina Vienna Bent Wood Furniture Company, whose name makes clear their mission of replicating the Viennese original. This side chair belongs to an early line of production for the manufacturer, which was founded around 1885 in Charleston, South Carolina and soon opened a second factory in the nearby city of Columbia. On January 31, 1885, the Western Manufacturer reported "...Vienna bent wood furniture has been imported from Charleston, S.C and business has been so brisk that another factory to make 200 chairs a day is to be erected at once in Columbia, S.C." The journalist continues, "Half of the articles imported into this country could be made just as well at home." [1] The South Carolina Vienna Bent Wood Furniture Company was one of the first American manufacturers to produce affordable chairs modeled after the Viennese original, which due to high import tariffs became increasingly unattainable for the average consumer.

[1] "As Good as the Best," The Western Manufacturer 13 (1) January 31, 1885, p. 113.

Armchair (USA); Manufactured by South Carolina Vienna Bent Wood Furniture Company; bent wood, caning; 99.7 x 55.5 x 59 cm (39 1/4 x 21 7/8 x 23 1/4 in. ); 1972-17-1