Bentwood in perfection – the Thonet company

How a joiner shaped the Viennese café culture

Wood is pliable. There is lignin in wood (the tree’s „putty substance“ that provides strength), which is solid at normal temperatures and becomes liquid when heated. When the wood is heated moist (under steam), it becomes pliable and retains its bent shape after it has dried and cooled. The Thonet brothers used this method for their famous chairs. Ash and beech are particularly suitable for bentwood.

Michael Thonet (1796-1871) a German-Austrian master joiner settled in Vienna in 1842 because he found too little recognition in Germany. In 1853, he and his five sons founded the Gebrüder Thonet company, retaining management until his death. In 1856 he was granted a patent for bending solid wood using steel templates.

Template for bending an armchair backrest.

He already displayed his products at the world exhibitions in Paris and London during this time. He numbered his products consecutively and in 1859 developed Chair No. 14, which is still considered the chair of all chairs and the traditional chair of Viennese coffee houses. By 1930 alone, 50 million chairs had been sold. He also optimized ordering, by catalog numbers, packaging and shipping. His chairs were shipped in pieces of 10 each and could be easily assembled with the screws provided.

By 1870, there were already 4 factories in the monarchy. In 1889, a factory was founded in Frankenberg, which is now the company headquarter. Around 1900, the Thonet brothers employed about 6000 people who produced about 4000 pieces of furniture a day. Until 2006, there was still an Austrian production facility in Friedberg, Stmk. There is also still a small Thonet museum.Template for bending an armchair backrest.

From May 12 to August 12, 2012, the LIGNORAMA dedicated a special exhibition to the Thonet company.

 

View of the special exhibition in LINORAMA 2012.

Stamp dedicated to the million-selling Thonet chair No. 14. .

Sources: Museumsführer des Holztechnischen Museums Rosenheim. Rosenheim 2001
Wikipedia und www.Thonet.de