The Eames Chair Turned 50!

It’s hard to believe that the Eames Chair is 50 years old! Can it really be? It was first debuted on the Today Show in 1956. That was the era of Doo Wop music, pompadours, poodle skirts and fins on automobiles, yet the Eames chair is still a fashion icon. While few women would wear their poodle skirt anywhere but a 50’s party or costume contest, almost anyone would welcome the elegant, leather upholstered rosewood veneered chair in their home in a minute.

Eames originally designed the chair as a birthday gift for his friend film-maker Billy Wilder so he could comfortably watch TV. Eames said he wanted it to have “the warm receptive look of a well used first baseman’s mitt.” Instructions that come with the chair suggest you clean its soiled leather with a damp, soft cloth lathered with a mild soap and lukewarm water. Sounds just like how I took care of my old mitt. But this birthday gift became one of Eames’ most important designs and is today regarded as an icon of modernism. It is part of the permanent Design Collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.