Chairs! Modern Chair Mystery Chair Designer Chair Handbag Chair Odd Chair Big Chair Ideal Chair and a Shout Out to Gary Panter

My favorite chair of all time is the one Gary Panter designed for Pee Wee Herman long ago. He also made one for the "kid's rec room" at the Paramount Hotel on West 46th Street, and I used to sneak dates in there late at night after shows in Times Square. He recreated the Playhouse in miniature, and for years it was the best-kept secret in Hell's Kitchen. Then they locked it...then they closed it. Sigh. Gary Panter is one of my favorite artists, search him up, you won't be let down. He is also a terribly nice fellow, I've met him briefly several times. He doesn't really look like Jimbo the pre-historic punk rocker.

The first chair here is a discovery. I found it in a flea market 15 miles from Herman Miller central, so I suspect it is an early prototype. It is handmade, without nails (glue) and the cut-out in the chair back is uneven...this was not a manufactured piece, although it should have gone into production, it is literally more sculpture than seat. As you can see from the average size banana clump, it is also quite small. I've submitted it to the editors at Atomic Ranch for their experts to figure out...any help out there in the meantime would be very much appreciated. The plywood is ancient. I said ANY HELP OUT THERE?

The other chairs here? In order: The metal "one arm" school chair at the National Inventor's Congress in 1932 (are they only that old?) The fashionable "handbag chair" which is indeed that. A purse which opens up to "support the heaviest sitter" in 1925. The R. J. "IDEAL" chair in 1926. Finally, a huge chair made in the largest chair town in the world!


Modern three-leg chair, c. 1950 Collection Jim Linderman

Original Press Photos, 1932, 1925, 1926 Collection Jim Linderman

Gardner Largest Chair real photo post card 1908 Collection Jim Linderman