Utility armchair with curved arms and upholstered back and seat cushion.
Identifier
FPF451
Title
Utility armchair with curved arms and upholstered back and seat cushion.
Date
Designed 1946-1948, manufactured 1948-1953.
Description
An armchair with upholstered seat and back and curved arms, PK1450 Fireside chair made by Parker Knoll within the WW2 Utility regulations.
Full Description
This upholstered armchair is model number PK1450, designed by Parker Knoll to comply with the Utility regulations and manufactured from 1948. It has fixed upholstery to the back and the seat frame, with Parker Knoll tension springs under the loose seat cushion. The tension springs are each covered in a cotton sleeve and they are supported on strong, woven flexible tape with the name Parker-Knoll woven into it. The back springing is not visible beneath the cover but there are metal components, some of which have become detached inside the cover. The frame is beech, while the arms are steam-bent ash. The legs are also ash, straight at the front and raked at the back. Although the covering on this chair is not original, the upholstery is, the back stuffing being of kapok while the seat cushion is latex foam. On the inside of one of the side seat rails is printed "PARKER KNOLL UTILITY CHAIR" with the Utility symbol, ‘CC41’.
This design was initially developed in 1946 with a coil spring seat, generally similar to pre-war fireside chairs. In 1948 the design was altered to allow tension springs to be fitted. This model was extremely successful as soon as it was launched and Parker Knoll struggled to meet the demand during a period of shortages of materials and skilled labour.
The Utility scheme was set up during the Second World War to control the supply, price and quality of clothing and household goods in response to wartime and post-war shortages. The CC41 symbol showed the item was licensed by the government, and became a guarantee of fine workmanship, enduring materials, good design and a moderate price. In November 1941 the Board of Trade took over control of the furniture industry by requiring companies to have licences in order to manufacture. It was controlled more tightly than any other field. January 1943 saw the publication of the first Utility catalogue featuring twenty types of furniture, for the exclusive use of those made homeless due to the bombing, and of newly-weds.
During the war Parker Knoll had turned to production of military supplies and aircraft parts, and only resumed furniture production when the regulations began to be relaxed in 1946; the ‘Cotswold’ fireside chair, number 1450 was one of their first Utility models. In 1948 Parker Knoll updated the 1450 to the 1450PK with tension springs and a loose seat cushion, as in this chair, which was approved by the Board of Trade assessors and became very successful. The Utility scheme did not finally come to an end until January 1953.
This design was initially developed in 1946 with a coil spring seat, generally similar to pre-war fireside chairs. In 1948 the design was altered to allow tension springs to be fitted. This model was extremely successful as soon as it was launched and Parker Knoll struggled to meet the demand during a period of shortages of materials and skilled labour.
The Utility scheme was set up during the Second World War to control the supply, price and quality of clothing and household goods in response to wartime and post-war shortages. The CC41 symbol showed the item was licensed by the government, and became a guarantee of fine workmanship, enduring materials, good design and a moderate price. In November 1941 the Board of Trade took over control of the furniture industry by requiring companies to have licences in order to manufacture. It was controlled more tightly than any other field. January 1943 saw the publication of the first Utility catalogue featuring twenty types of furniture, for the exclusive use of those made homeless due to the bombing, and of newly-weds.
During the war Parker Knoll had turned to production of military supplies and aircraft parts, and only resumed furniture production when the regulations began to be relaxed in 1946; the ‘Cotswold’ fireside chair, number 1450 was one of their first Utility models. In 1948 Parker Knoll updated the 1450 to the 1450PK with tension springs and a loose seat cushion, as in this chair, which was approved by the Board of Trade assessors and became very successful. The Utility scheme did not finally come to an end until January 1953.
Condition
Upholstery re-covered.
Materials
Beech, Ash.
Steel springs.
Upholstery.
Steel springs.
Upholstery.
Physical Dimensions
H. 88
W. 67
D. 82
W. 67
D. 82
Marks
Stencil marks on inside of seat rails: ‘Registered Trade Mark Parker-Knoll Utility CC41’. PARKER-KNOLL is woven into the fabric tape which holds the tension springing.
Parker Numbers
PK1450.
Provenance
Manufactured by Parker Knoll from 1948. Acquired by the Frederick Parker Foundation in c.2000.
Notes
Stephen Bland, Take a Seat, The Story of Parker Knoll, 1834-1994, Parker Knoll, 1995, p.108-9 and 113-7.
