2008 42c Eames, Stackable Chairs

U.S. #4333c
Charles and Ray Eames
Stacking Chairs

Issue Date: June 17, 2008
City: Santa Monica, CA

Charles and Ray Eames dedicated their lives to designing furniture, buildings, exhibits, films, and more to improve people’s lives.  To achieve this, they created simple designs that could be mass-produced from affordable mate...  more

U.S. #4333c
Charles and Ray Eames
Stacking Chairs

Issue Date: June 17, 2008
City: Santa Monica, CA

Charles and Ray Eames dedicated their lives to designing furniture, buildings, exhibits, films, and more to improve people’s lives.  To achieve this, they created simple designs that could be mass-produced from affordable materials.

In 1948, the husband-and-wife team designed a shell-shaped chair for the International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture Design sponsored by New York’s Museum of Modern Art.  Sculpted in one piece to fit the shape of the body, the chair’s ergonomic design made it comfortable without the need for padding.  Meeting their goals of offering the best possible product at the lowest possible price, the Eameses’ plastic chairs were first mass-produced in 1950.  The chair’s body-hugging shape was achieved with a fortified plastic used during World War II.  Armchair and side chairs were available with several leg options.  These included the straight-leg model, a multi-wire chair dubbed “the Eiffel,” and a rocker.  With the ability to be stacked over 15 chairs high, the Eames Stacking Chair was especially popular for public areas.

In 2008, the Eames Plastic Chair was featured on a 42¢ stamp, one of a pane of 16 issued by the U.S. Postal Service to honor the contributions of Charles and Ray Eames to American design.