Designed before 1887

Chaise Longue, Model No. 2

The curves and spiral flourishes that fill the space between the seat and the base of this chaise lounge are both decorative and functional, supporting and bracing the long seat that also forms a leg rest. The flowing interplay of linear elements is intrinsic to the design and production of bentwood furniture, a process Thonet pioneered, in which solid lengths of beechwood are steam bent into lightweight, curvilinear shapes and assembled simply with screws. This elaborate model, with scrolled curves and an adjustable back, was first shown in the Royal Jubilee Exhibition held in Manchester, England, in 1887 by Thonet’s British representative, B. Hembry & Co., and illustrated in Thonet’s sale catalogue the following year.