This Tuesday afternoon I sat in my kitchen, giving an interview for an art magazine, talking about the plastic chair and why it is better we come to terms with it. Naturally one question came up: When exactly did the first monobloc appear? I had no precise answer to that, only the usual muttering about Eames, Saarinen, Day, the Bofinger chairs etc. But hey, this is a work in progress here and all answers will be found in the course of the next couple of months.

Since then I have worked through numerous websites and feel now quite able at least to introduce what seems to be the first monobloc chair ever.

The only reference to this chair I found was here, citing a book by Virginia Wright “Modern Furniture in Canada 1920 to 1970″, published by the University of Toronto Press in 1997 .

This chair is obviously a monobloc – but it is not exactly plastic as we understand it now. The curved form is obtained through laminating multiple layers of glass-fibre-reinforced cotton with synthetic resin adhesives. Looks pretty much ok and contemporary, doesn´t it? It is only a prototype designed and built (?) by James Donahue and Douglas Simpson at the Canadian National Research Council (NRC) . Probably it did not go into production but I don´t know yet. I am trying to get in touch with Mrs. Wright and look forward to learning the whole story of what might be the first monobloc on earth´s surface.

Anyway there is a surprising twist here: It´s not an Eames design. Usually the Eameses are credited as the parents of the first fiberglass chair, what might still be right when it comes to actual mass production. But come on: Look at the chair above and compare it to the Eames one. See what I mean? Eames et al. are up next anyway.

After all: Did I say 1946?
1946 then.

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