A chair in striped blue and yellow upholstery with a black frame.

Chair

1929-30

Joseph Urban (American, b. Austria, 1872-1933), designer
Mallin Furniture Co. (American, 1929-1953), manufacturer
Sarah Mason Walden (American, b. 1976), designer of reproduction fabric
Dyenamix Inc. (American, est. 1991), fabric printer

lacquered pine and modern upholstery fabric
Gift of Mrs. Thomas J. Reis
1973.165

In the gentle sway of its back, the refined curves of its legs, and its bright striped upholstery, this chair gains a liveliness that its serious black finish cannot stifle. Here, we see Urban’s brilliance for creating modern yet approachable forms with the power to entice even the most timid converts. Urban first employed this chair design in the 1928 exhibition bedroom Repose. There, the chairs were covered with solid, dark, ribbed upholstery. The colorful, bold upholstery fabric chosen for Elaine’s chairs adds a sense of youth and hope to her room.