Warren McArthur Corporation Chairs
American
Few 20th-century designers had influential furniture that regularly flew at 30,000 feet, but Warren McArthur did. His work — and the work of his company, the Warren McArthur Corporation — on seating for military aircraft came near the end of his career, following decades of Machine Age furniture shaped from tubular forms and made of steel, chrome and aluminum.
Warren McArthur Jr. graduated with an engineering degree from Cornell University in 1908. After moving to Los Angeles in 1929, he founded the Warren McArthur Corporation a year later. His initial output of sleek, metal designs were popular in offices and hotels.
At the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, Americans witnessed a new “Streamlined America” campaign, which included everyday furniture made from metal, opening the door for McArthur and other Machine Age designers to a residential audience. With this increase in demand for metal furniture, the Warren McArthur Corporation relocated to Rome, New York, and sold their aluminum furnishings out of a showroom on Park Avenue in New York City.
Actors Marlene Dietrich, Fredric March and Clark Gable were among his A-list clientele. McArthur also produced furniture for the dining cars on the Union Pacific Railroad and the Chrysler Headquarters. His designs were featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 1934 exhibition “Contemporary American Industrial Art.”
During World War II, McArthur pivoted production after a ban on the private use of aluminum. McArthur made an estimated three-quarters of all American military aircraft seating, including adjustable seats for the Beechcraft C-45 and revolving seats for navigators aboard the Grumman HU-16 Albatross.
Warren McArthur closed his business in 1948. He died in 1961.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Warren McArthur armchairs, tables and other seating.
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Creator: Warren McArthur Corporation
Pair of Warren McArthur Pull-Up Chairs, 1930's
By Warren McArthur, Warren McArthur Corporation
Located in Chicago, IL
Pair of Warren McArthur pull-up chairs, 1930's Aluminum tubular frame with back-slats.
Manufactured in Rome, New York Decal underside.
We reupholstered with new Iron Cloth, a polye...
Category
1930s American Industrial Vintage Warren McArthur Corporation Chairs
Materials
Aluminum
$6,400 Sale Price / set
20% Off
Warren McArthur Desk Chair
By Warren McArthur Corporation, Warren McArthur
Located in Chicago, IL
Warren McArthur Desk Chair, Aluminum frame with upholstrey.
Reupholstered
Seat height 20"
Category
1930s Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Corporation Chairs
Materials
Aluminum
$3,040 Sale Price
20% Off
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Warren McArthur Jr. was an innovator in Machine Age/ Art Deco furniture design.
McArthur moved from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1929 to pursue metal furniture manufacturing; . he founded the Warren McArthur Corporation there in 1930. His furniture designs while unique were true to the Machine Age aesthetic. Machine Age design emphasized sleek forms inspired by automobiles, locomotives and airplanes. These objects were symbols of progress and modernity to the American consumer and industrial designers began constructing furniture in streamlined designs from steel, chrome and aluminum.
Prior to the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, known as the “Century of Progress Exhibition.” The fair’s tagline, “See America Streamlined,” and the abundance of metal furniture and home goods exhibited finally presented the concept of utilizing metal designs in the typical American household. The Museum of Modern Art followed suit in subsequent years with exhibitions like "Machine Art," (1934), and "Bauhaus 1919-1928" (1938), further exposing the American public to this design style.
The Warren McArthur Corporation moved manufacturing to Rome, New York in 1933, just as metal furniture was gaining popularity; the company’s products were sold out of a showroom in New York City on Park Avenue. As a manufacturer, McArthur filed numerous patent designs which he utilized in advertisements to exhibit the innovations he developed. The company also proudly printed patent numbers on furniture...
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Warren Mcarthur Corporation chairs for sale on 1stDibs.
Warren McArthur Corporation chairs are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Warren McArthur Corporation chairs, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original chairs by Warren McArthur Corporation were created in the industrial style in united states during the 1930s. Prices for Warren McArthur Corporation chairs can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $4,060 and can go as high as $8,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $6,030.