Gilbert Rohde and Troy Sunshade Company
Reclining Chair (No. 22) with Leg Rest (No. 29)
Designed 1934
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- Designer: Gilbert Rohde
- Manufacturer: Troy Sunshade Company
Reclining Chair (No. 22) with Leg Rest (No. 29)
Designed 1934
Physical Qualities
Chrome-plated steel, spring-filled cushions, replaced upholstery, Chair: 29 x 26 1/4 x 39 1/2 in. (73.7 x 66.7 x 100.3 cm.)
Ottoman: 14 1/4 x 21 1/4 x 20 3/4 in. (36.2 x 54 x 52.7 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Michael and Anis Merson, Baltimore
Object Number
2009.197.1-2
The Great Depression stimulated furniture manufacturers to introduce modernist design in hopes of boosting sales. Gilbert Rohde, as skilled at publicity and marketing as he was innovative in design, transposed European design principles into furnishings suitable for American lifestyles. Nos. 22 and 29 combine to express the pliability, lightness, and strength of steel, with cantilevered arms creating a gracious sweeping line. The wood armrests were added for comfort, while the deep upholstered cushions were modeled after an automobile seat.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by gift, 2009; Michael and Anis Merson, Baltimore
Phyllis Ross, Gilbert Rohde: Modern Design for Modern Living, New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 2009. Illustrated, fig. 69, p. 105.
