No. 6516 / Armchair for the Österreichische Postsparkasse

Otto Wagner

Otto Wagner designed the model No. 6516 for his Österreichische Postsparkasse in Vienna, which was completed in late 1906. For the monumental functional building, Wagner had used the most advanced materials and methods then available to achieve a new aesthetic. In formal terms, the armchair is based on the widely admired fauteuil by Gustav Siegel dating from 1900, which Wagner had used to furnish the dispatch bureau of the newspaper 'Die Zeit' back in 1902. By making minimal changes – e. g. using rungs instead of upholstery for the backrest –, Wagner was able to give his own model an even lighter, more elegant appearance. The armchair was varied depending on where it was to be used. The simplest version had a caned seat and cost 18.50 Kronen; somewhat more expensive was the version with a perforated wooden seat, and a version with a cowhide cover. The version shown here was for public spaces, while the top-of-the-range model, stained mahogany with brass trim, and red velour, was reserved for the offices of the director. This was the first time that industrially manufactured bentwood furniture had been used in a genuinely conservative context in which image was a crucial factor. Its comfort and elegance made the Wagner armchair a much-coveted piece of furniture in later years and Thonet produced several versions of it as late as the 1920s. The model thus instances a line of development linking Viennese Jugendstil to Classical Modernism. Text: Anne-Katrin Rossberg