Looking for an original Eames leg splint?
During World War II, American designers Charles and Ray Eames (1907–78; 1912–88) worked with the United States Navy to make a new leg splint. Recognizing that metal splints could further injure a wounded person through the vibrations of their material, the couple created a new model with molded plywood.
Charles and Ray met at Michigan’s Cranbrook Academy of Art, a breeding ground for some of the best known mid-century modern designers in America. The couple married in 1941 and soon after moved to Los Angeles, California, and lived in an apartment building designed by architect Richard Neutra. Charles worked on set design at MGM, and at night, in a humble workshop they established in the guest bedroom, he and Ray experimented with molded plywood on a homemade device they called the “Kazaam!” machine.
In 1942, the couple won a Navy contract to create molded plywood leg splints that would be used to support wartime medical efforts. Soon, the Evans Product Company was producing the splints and the Eameses opened the famed Eames Office and studio.
This wartime experience propelled the Eameses to continue their explorations in plywood. After establishing the Eames Office, Charles and Ray would garner universal renown for their pioneering work in architecture, film, graphic design and furniture, producing timeless designs in their DCM chair, lounge chair, Dax chair and many more for Herman Miller, a legendary manufacturer that fostered some of the boldest expressions of what we now call mid-century modern style.
Under the direction of George Nelson, an architect who had written widely about modern furniture design, Herman Miller would embrace new technologies and materials and audacious biomorphic forms. The manufacturer helped transform the American home and office, and some of the most iconic furniture produced by Herman Miller includes a range of works created by the Eameses.
Find original Eames leg splints and vintage Eames furniture today on 1stDibs.