Set of Rare Red Aniline Herman Miller DCM Chairs by Evans circa 1950-1960
View Similar Items
Set of Rare Red Aniline Herman Miller DCM Chairs by Evans circa 1950-1960
About the Item
- Creator:Charles and Ray Eames (Designer),Herman Miller (Manufacturer)
- Design:
- Dimensions:Height: 29 in (73.66 cm)Width: 19 in (48.26 cm)Depth: 21 in (53.34 cm)Seat Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 4
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950-1960
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor structural damages. Minor fading.
- Seller Location:San Francisco, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1280223833452
DCM
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. That wartime experience propelled the Eameses to continue their explorations in plywood. In 1946, they debuted the DCM, its shortened name referencing the “Dining Height (D) Side Chair (C) on Metal (M) Rod Base.”
The DCM was featured in “New Furniture Designed by Charles Eames” at the Museum of Modern Art, even though the pieces on view were the fruit of the highly collaborative process between Charles and his wife, Ray. In fact, the sculptural form of the DCM’s seat and separate back — which earned it the nickname “Potato Chip” chair — were largely influenced by Ray’s interest in abstract art, such as Alexander Calder’s mobiles and Joan Miró’s biomorphic forms. Inventive in its application of the plywood molding process for its birch material, the DCM is shaped to fit the sitter’s body. Its use of tubular steel is also worthy of note — an innovation that makes it look as if the plywood seat and back are floating in place. Rubber “shock” mounts allow the parts to be easily screwed together.
When it was brought to the mass market by Herman Miller in 1947, the DCM was an almost instant success for its lightweight portability and versatility. It is still among the most popular models produced by Herman Miller, exemplifying the Eameses’ influential legacy in modern living.
Charles and Ray Eames
Charles Eames and Ray Eames were the embodiment of the inventiveness, energy and optimism at the heart of mid-century modern American design, and have been recognized as the most influential designers of the 20th century.
As furniture designers, filmmakers, artists, textile and graphic designers and even toy and puzzle makers, the Eameses were a visionary and effective force for the notion that design should be an agent of positive change. They are the happy, ever-curious, ever-adventurous faces of modernism.
Charles (1907–78) studied architecture and industrial design. Ray (née Beatrice Alexandra Kaiser, 1912–88) was an artist, who studied under the Abstract Expressionist painter Hans Hofmann. They met in 1940 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in suburban Detroit (the legendary institution where Charles also met his frequent collaborator Eero Saarinen and the artist and designer Harry Bertoia) and married the next year.
His technical skills and her artistic flair were wonderfully complementary. They moved to Los Angeles in 1941, where Charles worked on set design for MGM. In the evenings at their apartment, they experimented with molded plywood using a handmade heat-and-pressurization device they called the “Kazam!” machine. The next year, they won a contract from the U.S. Navy for lightweight plywood leg splints for wounded servicemen — they are coveted collectibles today; more so those that Ray used to make sculptures.
The Navy contract allowed Charles to open a professional studio, and the attention-grabbing plywood furniture the firm produced prompted George Nelson, the director of design of the furniture-maker Herman Miller Inc., to enlist Charles and (by association, if not by contract) Ray in 1946. Some of the first Eames items to emerge from Herman Miller are now classics: the LCW, or Lounge Chair Wood, and the DCM, or Dining Chair Metal, supported by tubular steel.
The Eameses eagerly embraced new technology and materials, and one of their peculiar talents was to imbue their supremely modern design with references to folk traditions. Their Wire chair group of the 1950s, for example, was inspired by basket weaving techniques. The populist notion of “good design for all” drove their molded fiberglass chair series that same decade, and also produced the organic-form, ever-delightful La Chaise. In 1956 the Eames lounge chair and ottoman appeared — the supremely comfortable plywood-base-and-leather-upholstery creation that will likely live in homes as long as there are people with good taste and sense.
Charles Eames once said, “The role of the designer is that of a very good, thoughtful host anticipating the needs of his guests.” For very good collectors and thoughtful interior designers, a piece of design by the Eameses, the closer produced to original conception the better, is almost de rigueur — for its beauty and comfort, and not least as a tribute to the creative legacy and enduring influence of Charles and Ray Eames.
The collection of original Eames furniture on 1stDibs includes chairs, tables, case pieces and other items.
- Eames Soft Pad Lounge Chairs by Herman Miller in Ivory Leather-Price per chairBy Charles and Ray Eames, Herman MillerLocated in San Francisco, CAABOUT Price is per chair. Designed as part of the iconic Aluminum Group, the Eames Soft Pad Lounge Chair has a high back, a relaxed pitch, and comes with its own pillowy headrest. ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs ...
MaterialsMetal, Aluminum
- Mid-Century Milo Baughman Scoop Lounge Chair and Ottoman, C.1950-1960By Milo BaughmanLocated in San Francisco, CAABOUT An original Milo Baughman Scoop chair and matching ottoman. Maple frame with tufted linen fabric in a molecular pattern. CREATOR Milo Baughman. DATE OF MANUFACTURE c.1950-...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLinen, Maple
$2,995 Sale Price48% Off - MCM Hans Wegner Fdb Mobler J-16 Rocker C.1960By Hans J. Wegner, FDB MøblerLocated in San Francisco, CAABOUT An original J-16 rocking chair by Hans Wegner. A Danish update off the classic Windsor silhouette with elongated turned spindles, braided papercord seat, and matte black lacqu...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsPapercord, Wood
$1,145 Sale Price47% Off - Set of 8 Mid-century Danish Teak Dining Chairs c.1960Located in San Francisco, CAABOUT Contact S16 Home San Francisco for more photos of each chair. A set of 8 ladder back dining chairs with a Solid Teak frame. Reupholstered in a Navy Blue fabric. CREATOR...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Teak
$5,836 Sale Price / set20% Off - Mid-century Studio Archotypo Rocking Chair c.1974By ArchotypoLocated in San Francisco, CAABOUT Contact us for more shipping options: S16 Home San Francisco. An original studio handmade bent wood rocking chair. Impressed signature and date to underside of base. CR...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood, Pine
$3,895 Sale Price21% Off - Mid-century DUX Sweden Dining Chairs c.1960-Set of FourBy Dux of SwedenLocated in San Francisco, CAABOUT A set of four original DUX Sweden Teak dining chairs. Original paper cord seats. Beautiful paper cord work on the sides. Solid Birch and Teak. CREATOR DUX, Sweden. DA...Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsPapercord, Teak, Birch
$2,895 Sale Price27% Off
- Early Eames Aniline Dyed DCM Chair for Herman MillerBy Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Cincinnati, OHBlack aniline dyed wood seat and back DCM (dining chair metal) chromed metal framed side chair, domes of silence foot pads and early foil label....Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Eames LCM Lounge Chair, Herman Miller, USA, 1950sBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in London, GBAn Eames LCM lounge chair, Herman Miller, USA, 1950s. Ash plywood, chrome-plated steel and original rubber feet caps. With manufacturers label. ...Category
Vintage 1950s North American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Set of 16 Saddle Leather DCM Chairs by Eames for Herman MillerBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Dallas, TXHard to find an incredible set of 16 classic EC-127 padded DCM dining chairs designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller, circa 1971-1981. This version was developed in 1969 in an effort to sidestep the challenges of the glued shock mounts found on the plywood versions. These famed chairs...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- A set of 6 Herman Miller DCM chairs circa 2008. Recently refurbishedBy Herman MillerLocated in Houston, TXA set of 6 Herman Miller DCM chairs circa 2008. Recently refurbished and in pristine condition. “The Eames Molded Plywood Dining Chair began as an experiment in the California apartment of Charles and Ray Eames and quickly became a favorite of artists and designers around the world. The body-friendly molded shapes and springy rubber shock mounts of the original chair bring ergonomic comfort and classic mid-century style to the table today. This plywood dining chair with metal base...Category
Early 2000s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsPlywood
- Eames "DCM" Molded Plywood Chairs for Herman Miller in Rare CherryBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in BROOKLYN, NYBent plywood chairs produced by Herman Miller and designed by Charles and Ray Eames. This chair is in great vintage condition, shows better than expected with little signs of use. Of...Category
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Pair of C. 1953 Herman Miller Eames LCW Lounge Chair Wood Refinished Red AnilineBy Herman Miller, Charles and Ray EamesLocated in Philadelphia, PA"Listed for sale is an original pair of circa 1953 production Eames LCW (Lounge Chair Wood) chairs, originally specified in red aniline dye. These examples were refinished and restor...Category
Vintage 1950s American Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWood
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
A Guide to Herman Miller’s Most Iconic Furniture
The prolific manufacturer has partnered with many of the world’s top designers since opening its doors in 1923. Here are some of the company’s greatest hits, which helped transform the American home and office.