One of Michael Thonet’s earliest designs, the Boppard Chair is also an early example of the new method of making furniture that he had been developing at the time. Thonet, a master cabinetmaker, began experimenting with wood-bending techniques in the 1830s at his workshop in Boppard am Rhein, eventually developing the so-called lamination technique (patented in 1841). This entailed gluing together stacks of veneer, which he then cut into strips along the grain. The strips were bent inside a mould when wet and left inside the mould to dry.
Using this method Thonet was able to manufacture seats and chairs that were lighter and cheaper and could be manufactured much faster than traditionally made chairs with a veneered frame. Thonet went on to produce several small furniture series. The 'Denkschrift' published in 1896 in honour of the centenary of his birth showed chairs, armchairs, a canapé, and even a bed made using the technique in his Boppard workshop.
Thonet presented his products at a trade show in 1841 in Koblenz, where Clemens Prince of Metternich, the Austrian State Chancellor, was so delighted with them that he invited Thonet to settle in Vienna. As Thonet’s patent application had left him heavily indebted and even on the verge of bankruptcy he followed the invitation to Vienna in 1842, where, in the course of the 1850s, he became a pioneer in the serial production of furniture.
Text: Eva B. Ottillinger
