American Lawn Chair 1940s, Designer unknown - as featured in Chair: 500 Designs that Matter

Why the American Lawn Chair matters

On July 4 celebrate an American icon by sitting in the sun, sinking a cold beer and breathing in that smokin' BBQ!

Portable and easy to store, the American-style Lawn Chair is the ultimate symbol of the ideal summer day, along with cold beers and smoking barbecues. Constructed from lightweight aluminium and designed to fold flat, the chair is ideal for any number of seasonal excursions, whether beach trips, tailgating or indeed, tonight's Fourth of July fireworks.

The rise of this all-American staple came with the post-war growth of suburbs, when homes with gardens became more affordable. The aluminium folding chair, with its fabric strapping, was first created back in 1947 by the Fredric Arnold Company in Brooklyn, New York.

Today, the classic lawn version is better known for its clipped-on synthetic webbing and plastic armrests. Cup holders are a late-twentieth-century optional innovation too. 

Check out this and 499 other wonderful-in-their-own-way chairs in Chair: 500 Designs that Matter. But don't sit there too long, it's going fast. . .

Chair: 500 Designs that Matter
Chair: 500 Designs that Matter