Lawn chairs have become an indispensable summertime fixture in America, used at campsites, tailgate parties and Fourth of July fireworks shows alike. But finding these utilitarian metal folding chairs wasn’t always so straightforward: In 1947 a former P-38 combat fighter pilot created one using aluminum from airplanes for strength and affordability.
History
Modern lawn chairs emerged during the late 1940s with postwar suburbia’s expansion, coinciding with an increase in suburbanization. Popular among homeowners looking for comfortable places to sit in their yards, book clubs and Bible studies often used these sturdy aluminum-webbed American classics as portable chairs that they could transport easily onto neighbors’ lawns for chats while lounging comfortably on the grass.
Ed Warmack invented the first stamped metal chairs around 1946 and they could be found across America during the thriving years of the Atomic Era. He devised a slip together three piece frame so more chairs could fit into boxes for shipping via rail car resulting in lower costs for his customers.
One way to identify an early lawn chair is with its distinctive drain holes in its seat. Drain holes were intended to drain rainwater away from the frame and slow rust formation; however, their presence can create sharp edges in the seat that lead to further corrosion of its tube frame.
By the 1990s, traditional lawn chairs had fallen out of favor among Americans; most opting instead for nylon camp chairs with thin webbing and steel frames that quickly rusted. But in 2010, brothers Mark and Gary Pokrandt revived this American classic in their Florida workshop through Lawn Chair USA; now offering five styles with durable aluminum webbing patio chairs to ship nationwide – with one percent of proceeds annually going directly back into charity programs.