While I’ve been sitting in adirondack chairs for as long as I can remember, this weekend was my first time sitting in an adirondack chair while I was actually in the Adirondacks. This chair is found on everything from souvenirs like mugs and keychains to welcome signs, to the front porch of the great camps, so is clearly an integral part of Adirondack history and culture. This prompted me to wonder how adirondack chairs have become so widespread outside of the Adirondacks and what their origins were.
The adirondack chair was invented in 1903 by a man named Thomas Lee, while he was vacationing in the Adirondacks. He came up with the design after becoming dissatisfied with the poor quality of his lawn furniture. He tested over twenty different designs amongst his family members before deciding on the one we know as the modern adirondack chair – wide arms, a sloping back, and deep seat. After the chair was patented by a carpenter not long after, it began to gain more local attention. However, it wasn’t until the 1920s that the chair began to gain more popularity and began appearing in photos and paintings of the Adirondacks.
 |
| Adirondack chairs on the dock at Camp Wenonah |
Today, many large companies continue to manufacture the adirondack chair, keeping up with its continuing popularity. However, while some are satisfied with a cookie-cutter chair from llbean or smith and hawken, others prefer to search for the antiques. While old adirondack chairs do exist, they are considerably harder to find. One would have to seek out a multitude of summer flea markets or antique sales before finding an original – especially if they are looking for pristine condition.
These chairs have spread far beyond the Adirondacks, and are now just as likely to be found in a California garden or at a Nantucket beach house. While the Adirondacks definitely had a slow start and have struggled to maintain vitality over some years, the adirondack chair has persisted as a symbol of summer across the nation.
Works Cited:
Price, Debra Muller. "Adirondack Chairs." Country Living 25.7 (2002): 69. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.
I always wondered about the Adirondack chair and how/when it was first designed! I'm also wondering, are there different styles to the chair? When we were in the Adirondacks, I feel like I saw a bunch of "Adirondack chairs" of different shapes and sizes that don't look like the quintessential one we recognize. Do they fall under that same category?
ReplyDeleteI always wondered about the Adirondack chair and how/when it was first designed! I'm also wondering, are there different styles to the chair? When we were in the Adirondacks, I feel like I saw a bunch of "Adirondack chairs" of different shapes and sizes that don't look like the quintessential one we recognize. Do they fall under that same category?
ReplyDeleteI always find it interesting where inspiration for truly unique designs come from. Thanks for sharing such a concise history of one of the most pervasive symbols of the region!
ReplyDelete