Fidgety Philip! 3205775716, 9783205775713

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Bö h I a u

EvaB. Ottiiiinger (ed.)

FIDGETY

PHILIP

A Design History of Children's Furniture

Vol. 24

B Ü H L A U

V E R L A G

W I E N

•

KÖLN

•

W E I M A R

eine publikationsreihe M

M D

der museen des mobiliendepots

This publication is published in conjunction with the exhibition »Zappel, Philipp! D i e Welt der Kindermöbel.« at H o f m o b i l i e n d e p o t - M ö b e l M u s e u m W i e n , 4 October, 2 0 0 6 - 7 January, 2007 at M A R T a Herford, 17 M a r c h 2 0 0 7 - 1 3 M a y 2007

Hofmobiliendepot - Möbel Museum Wien Andreasgasse 7 A - i o i o Wien

M A R T a Herford G m b H Goebenstraße 4—10 D - 3 2 0 5 2 Herford

Hofmobiliendepot

Möbel Museum Wien

MARTa Herford Museum Zentrum Forum

F u n d i n g for this publication has been provided b y : Bundesmobilienverwaltung - Bundesministerium fiir Wirtschaft und Arbeit M A R T a Herford g G m b H Schloss Schönbrunn Kultur- und Betriebsgesellschaft Translated from the G e r m a n by Rebecca Law, V i e n n a (pp. 6, 9 - 4 4 , 5 3 - 6 6 , 1 3 9 - 7 8 ) ; N i t a T a n d o n , Vienna (pp. pp. 7 - 8 , 4 5 - 5 2 , 6 7 - 8 6 , 1 0 3 - 1 0 ) ; and Peter W a u g h , V i e n n a (pp. 8 7 - 1 0 2 , 1 1 1 - 2 8 ) Bibliografische Information D e r Deutschen Bibliothek: D i e Deutsche Bibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.ddb.de abrufbar. I S B N 10: 3 - 2 0 5 - 7 7 5 7 1 - 6 I S B N 13: 9 7 8 - 3 - 2 0 5 - 7 7 5 7 1 - 3 A l l rights reserved. N o part o f this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any f o r m or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the permission o f the publisher. © 2006 by Böhlau Verlag Ges. m. b. H . & C o . K G , V i e n n a • C o l o g n e • Weimar http://www.boehlau.at http://www.boehlau.de C o v e r photos: Kat. Nr. 21 and 68 © Museen des Mobiliendepots/Photos: Fritz Simak Printed o n environmentally friendly, chloride-free and acid-free paper Druck: freiburger graphische betriebe, 79108 Freiburg Printed in Germany

CONTENTS

6: Foreword • Ilsebill Barta 7 : Introduction and Acknowledgements • Eva B. Ottillinger 9 : Colour Plates

25 : 1. Children's Furniture, Nurseries and an Imperial Childhood • Eva B. Ottillinger 3 5 : 2. Pioneers in the Design of Children's Furniture • Eva B. Ottillinger 45 : 3. A Room for Children, but none for Research? Children's Furniture at the Bauhaus • Jeannine Fiedler 5 3 : 4 . Furniture for Kindergartens: A Social Project • Eva B. Ottillinger 67 : 5. 'Use your hands!' rather than 'Sit still with your hands on the table!': The History of School Furniture in Austria • Ulrike Scholda 8 1 : 6 . Children's Furniture in International Design from 1900 to 1970 • Eva B. Ottillinger 7. Children's Furniture in Germany and Austria after 1945 87 : 7.1 Children's Furniture in Vienna during the Reconstruction after the Second World War • EvaB. Ottillinger 97 : 7.2 From the Economy of Scarcity to Ecological Approval: The Child's Room in Germany from 1945 to 1975 • Jeannine Fiedler 103 : 7.3 Therapeutic Toys • Renate Muller 107 : 7.4 Designing the Functional Object • Walter Papst 109 : 7.5 Interview with Giinter Beltzig • conducted by Eva B. Ottillinger 1 1 1 : 7.6 Interview with Burkhard Liibke • conducted by Eva B. Ottillinger 1 1 5 : 7.7 Luigi Colani's Children's Furniture Made Design History • Gerd Siekmann 1 1 9 : 7.8 Anastasia and Frederic — Impressions of the 2006 Cologne Furniture Fair and the Time Before • Wolfgang Schepers 129 : Catalogue compiled by Eva B. Ottillinger and photographed by Fritz Simak 174 : Children's Rooms in Vienna photographed by Petra Rainer 179 : Short Biographies of Contributors 1 8 1 : Publications by the Museums of the Imperial Furniture Collection

CONTENTS

: 5

FOREWORD

without Dr. Reinke's great dedication and the support of other lenders. I should like to thank them all. Dr. Eva B. Ottillinger devised the concept and

The steadily growing series of publications by the

realized the project with great expertise and the nec-

museums of the Imperial Furniture Collection has

essary stamina. Many thanks are due to our curator

now for over a decade been concentrating on the

and to all the authors of the publication.

furniture and dining culture at the Viennese court,

We are delighted about the cooperation with the

and national and international furniture design. In

museum MARTa in Herford, where the exhibition

this history of children's furniture, both subjects are

will also be shown from March 2007. Dr. Reinke in-

combined in a varied way.

itiated the contact between the two museums. Col-

In the eighteenth century, the 'Austrian ma-

laboration between the Imperial Furniture Collec-

triach' Maria Theresa, as an enlightened monarch,

tion in Vienna, originally a store for the court set up

introduced compulsory education, providing ba-

by Maria Theresa in 1747, and the new museum for

sic schooling for all sections of the population. The

'furniture, art and ambience' that opened in 2005

classroom thus became an environment that shaped

demonstrates that children's furniture is a highly

children's lives.

topical field in design. We would like to thank the

Maria Theresa's own children — sixteen in total Art Director Jan Hoet and all of the team at MARTa — always featured in full force in official family por- for their great interest and for the financial support traits, the youngest child of the time in a cradle. Her for the English edition of this book. grandchildren already sat on highchairs — modern furniture in that period (colour plates 3, 4) - as we

M R Dr. Ilsebill Barta

can see on the family portraits of her children who

Curatorial Director of the Museums of the

were married throughout Europe.

Imperial Furniture Collection

Her son Emperor Leopold II stipulated that his

Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and

son Archduke Francis, later Emperor Francis II (I),

Labour

should not be swaddled as was customary at that time, so that he could move about more freely. Baby walkers (fig. 1.1), leading strings and infant safety hats (colour plate 4), however, were used to protect children from the hazards of too much freedom. The catalogue continues by tracing the design history of children's furniture in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and for the first time introducing this to the public in such a broad scope. This book and exhibition were inspired by the collection of Dr. Stefan Reinke from Enger in Westphalia. We got to know him in 2004 when he loaned objects to the exhibition Experiment 70: Design Visions ofLuigi Colani and Günter Beltzig. This book and the exhibition would not have been possible

6:

FIDGETY

PHILIP

I N T R O D U C T I O N

A N D

A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S

1919, furniture for children also became an issue in an all-encompassing design reform. Marcel Breuer, Erich Dieckmann, Peter Keler and Alma SiedhoffBuscher created new objects in wood and tubular

EvaB. Ottillinger

steel furniture. After the First World War, furniture for kindergartens and classrooms became an important and socially motivated designing task. It was required

Being a child acquired new meaning in the late

that the traditional unity of bench and desk be re-

eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Develop-

placed by single pieces of furniture that were flexible

ments in children's furniture took place before the

and mobile; and kindergartens had to be furnished

backdrop of deep social change. The entire house' as

according to Maria Montessori's ideas. Ferdinand

a community of life and economy disintegrated with

Kramer, Franz Schuster, Franz Singer, Margarete

the onset of industrialization. This division between

Schiitte-Lihotzky and Wilhelm Schütte developed

home and work led to stronger emotional ties among

children's furniture for 'Rotes Wien' [Red Vienna]

family members, as a consequence of which greater

and 'Neues Frankfurt' [New Frankfurt].

attention was paid to the child's environment. A

Children's furniture was an important theme in

closer inspection of children's furniture from Vien-

international design movements before and after

na's imperial household can show the emergence of

the Second World War. Acclaimed architects and

innovative furniture in a totally new light.

designers such as Alvar Aalto, Jean Prouve, Charles

The history of nineteenth and twentieth century

and Ray Eames, Harry Bertoia, Hans J. Wegner and

design will be accompanied and illustrated by the

Arne Jacobsen all designed new furniture for chil-

developments in children's furniture. However, the

dren in plywood and metal. Moreover, a variety of

focus of our exhibition is mainly on contributions

children's toys were also designed.

from Germany and Austria from the late nineteenth century to the 1970s.

In the 1960s and 1970s, children's furniture attained a new status when Johannes Spalt in Vienna

The beginnings of children's furniture as design

and Günter Beltzig, Luigi Colani and Walter Papst

objects can be retraced very accurately: In 1866 a

in the FRG developed new child-friendly furniture

page in the catalogue of the bentwood manufactur-

in wood and plastic. The German furniture indus-

ers Gebriider Thonet offered for the first time seri-

try in Westphalia with factories like Kinderlübke

ally produced furniture that was specifically designed

had become the centre of this development, while

for children. Numerous new models were added to

Renate Müller designed therapeutic toys and objects

the list in the following years and children's furniture

for children in the G D R .

became a significant segment in the bentwood furniture industry. After 1900, furniture for children became an in-

A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S

teresting task for modernist architects and interior designers in Vienna. Even Josef Hoffmann, Robert

This exhibition and catalogue could only be realized

Oerley and Otto Prutscher designed furniture for

due to the excellent collaboration between numer-

children.

ous people and institutions. Our thanks go first and

At the Bauhaus, founded by Walter Gropius in

foremost to the children's furniture collector and

INTRODUCTION

AND

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

design gallery owner Dr. Stefan Reinke from Enger,

The staff of the Bundesimmobilienverwaltung

Westphalia, without whose long and intensive years

[Federal Real Estate Administration] undertook the

of collecting this exhibition would not have been

careful restoration, logistics and transportation of

possible.

the loaned items. I would like to thank all the mem-

We would also like to thank all other lenders,

bers of their staff for the invaluable help. Further-

who loaned us the exhibits. They are (in alphabetical

more, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude

order): Bauhaus Museum, Klassik Stiftung Weimar;

to my colleagues Dr. Ilsebill Barta, Andreas Gugler,

Wolfgang Bauer / Bel Etage, Vienna; Gemeentemu-

Dr. Kurt Schimak and Ingrid Hajek for their great

seum, The Hague, Freundeskreis der Bauhaus - Uni-

support.

versity of Weimar; Prof. Arch. Wolfgang Haipl,

I would like to conclude by thanking the staff of

Vienna; Julius Hummel, Vienna; MAK - Austrian

Bohlau Verlag for the good cooperation and MARTa

Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna; Patrick Metzl,

in Herford for financing the English translation of

Hochheim; Wolfram Schefcik, Villach, Austria;

this catalogue.

Georg Schrom, Vienna; Gerd Siekmann / Popdom, Cologne; Prof. Arch. Johannes Spalt, Vienna as well as those lenders who do not wish to be named. My special thanks go to the authors Dr. Ulrike Scholda, Jeannine Fiedler, Renate Müller, Dr. Wolfgang Schepers, Walter Papst, Gerd Siekmann and my interview partners Günter Beltzig and Burkhard Lübke for their stimulating contributions, and to the photographers Petra Rainer and Dr. Fritz Simak for their perceptive photographs of children's furniture and rooms. For material for the illustrations, we would like to thank the archive of the University of Applied Arts Vienna, the Bauhaus Museum, Klassik Stiftung Weimar; the photo archives of O N B [Austrian National Library], Vienna; the Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag; Girsche Archive, Berlin; MAK - Austrian Museum of Applied Arts; Wien Museum Karlsplatz, the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna; the Collections of the Principality of Liechtenstein, Vienna; the Vitra Museum, Weil am Rhein and Wiener Stadt- und Landesarchiv. Over and above, we would like to extend our thanks to Kommerzialrat Karl Fostel of Sonett and Mrs. Hermi Schedlmayer from the Otto Prutscher research project at the Archive of the University of Applied Arts Vienna and Wiesner-Hager for information and material.

8

FIDGETY

PHILIP

COLOUR

PLATES

i) Pieter de Hooch, Woman with Child and Maid, oil painting, c. 1670/75, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

2) Archduchess Maria Christine, The Lying In ofIsabella ofParma, gouache on paper, signed Maria fecit 1762, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

COLOUR

PLATES

3 ) Anonymous artist after Johann Zoffany, Grandduke Leopold of Tuscany with his Family, gouache on metal, after 1776, Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna

4) F. Walter after Johann Zoffany, Four of Archduchess Maria Amalia of Parma's Children, watercolour, after 1778, Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna

10 :

FIDGETY

PHILIP

5) Peter Fendi, Prince Johann II of Liechtenstein as a Child, watercolour, signed 1841, Collections of the Prince of Liechtenstein, Vienna

6) Turk, Archduchess Elisabeth on a Bentwood Highchair, photo, c. 1881/82, Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna

j)

Johann Passini after Peter Fendi, Family Gathering, print of a watercolour, 1834, Wien Museum Karlsplatz

8) Child's armchair Vienna, c. 1820/30 Walnut-veneered, polished, original upholstery H: 39, H S : 2 9 , W : 4 8 , D : 4 0 Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna, M D 5.213

12 :

FIDGETY

PHILIP

9) Rudolf von Alt, Study at Palais Rasumovsky, watercolour, 1842, Collections of the Prince of Liechtenstein, Vienna

10) Child's seat and table Gebriider Thonet, c. 1885 Solid and bent beech H: 60.5, HS: 24, W: 79.5, D: 42 Private collection

COLOUR

PLATES

: 13

BR

F R ATE LU THOTi E T

Stockseesel. Chaise canne, Walking Stick chair. Sedia a bastone con stoffa. ft. 4 . -

Feldstockerl

fl.

Damen-Stocksessel. Chaise canne pour dame. Lady's Walking-Stick-chair. Sedia a bastone per Signore. 4 -

Tabourets pliants - Camp Stools

m i t Stoff.

garnis toile

Stocksesse] mit Rohrsitz. Chaise canne, siège canné. Walking Stick Chair, cane seat. Sedia a bastone con canna. fl. 5 . — fl.

Kinder-Möbel,

Kindersessel Chaise e n f a n t . Child's Chair Sedia d a fanciullo, fl. 2 —

con stoffa.

n

Feldsessel Nr. 4 . f f , Chaise de campagne N r . 4 garnie toile. J{ j Camp- Chai r Nr. i with can vas back and seat. //: i Sedia da campagna N r . 4 . jmh, m i t Stoff fl. 7 . 5 0 ohne fl. 4 3 5 / / / j

N r . 3. gebogen m i t Stoff fl. 4 . 5 0 ohne , fl. 8 . 2 5

N r . 2 gedrechselt m i t Stoff il. 2 7 5 ohne .. fl. 1 550

Meubles d'enfants.

Kinder-Canapé Canapé e n f a n t Child's Sofa Sofà da fanciullo

Jagd-Sessel. Chaise de Chasse. S h o o t i n g Stool. Sedia da caccia, 3.50

Tamburini da campagna

with canvas seats. àjgççs^œsi ^ r ^ / f£r W

Nr. 1 m i t Stoff fl. & . — ohne .. fl. 2 . 5 0

0 T HfiR S

Children's Furniture.

Kinder-Fauteuil m i t Robrlehn.; Fautenil enfant: dossier canne. Child's Armchair. with caned back. P o l t r o n a da fancinllo con gchienale di canna. fl. 3 . — ft. 2.50

Mobili da Fanciullo,

m i t Rohrlehne. dossier canné. with caned back, con schienale d i canna, fl. 7 5 0

mit Rohrlehne dossier canné. with caned back, con schienale di canna, fl. 3 . 5 0

P a t e n t i r t e s Kinder*Sitzpult. HohèrKinder- Fauteuil m.Rohrlehne F a u t e u i l enfant h a u t dossier canné. Child's high A r m c h a i r with canei back. Sedia alta d a fanciullo

Nr. 1 fl. 1 0 . 5 0 f a r Kinder TOH G— S J a h r e n .

cou s c h i e n a l e d i canr.a.

«. 4 . 5 0

11) Thonet Brothers, Sales catalogue of 1885, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna

14 :

F I D G E T Y

P H I L I P

Holier K i n d e r - F a u t e u i l m i t Leiste. F a u t e u i l e n f a n t h a u t avec barette. Child's high Armchair with cross b a r S e d i a a l t a da fanciullo con sbaTetta. fl. 4 . 6 0

THONET

GEBRÜDER

Kinder-Gehschule fl. 5 . 5 0

Amraensessel. Chaiee de nourrice. Nursing Chair. Sedia da balia,

fl S 60

Kinder-Fauteuii Kindertisch mit Rohrlehne und Tablette Table enfants, avec dossier canné et tablette. Child's table, with caned back and tablet Tavola da fanciullo, con schienale di canna e con tavolino fi 6 — fl. 4 . 7 5

Kinder-Speisesessel Nr. 1. Fauteuil de table Nr. 1. Ohild's high Table Chair Nr. 1. Sedia da tavola da fanciulloNr.l. fl. fi

Ammen-Fauteuil mit Rohrlehne. Fauteuil de nourrice dossier canné. Nursing Armchair with caned back. Poltrona da balia con schienale di canna fl. 5 7 5

-

Kinder-Schaukelfauteuil. Berceuse enfants. Child's Rocker. Poltrona dondolante da fanciullo, fl. 6 -

Kinder-Speifesessel Nr. 2. Kinder-Speisesessel Nr. 8. Fauteuil de table Nr. 2 . Fauteuil de tab'le Nr. 8 Child's high Table Chair Nr. 2- Child's high Table Chair Nr. 3. SediadatavoladafanciulloNr.2- Sedia da tavola da fanciullo Nr. 3 fl. I t fl. 7 -

Kinder-Rollsessel. Fauteuil de table articulé formant Fauteuil bas a roulettes. Child's Carriage-Chair. Sedia da cambiarsi in carroxiella. fl. 1 7

Kinder-Tischbank Banquette et table enfant. Child's Seat and Table Tavolino a panca per fanciullo, fl. 7 . 5 0

FRÈRES

Fuss-Schemel. Tabouret de pied. Foot Stool. Poggia piede. Nr. 5 . fl.2.50

Ammen-Fauteuil. Fauteuil de nourrice, Nursing Armchair. Poltrona da balia, fl. 4 . 7 5

Ammensessel m. geflochtener Lehne. Chaise de nourrice dossier canné. Nursing Chair with caned back. Sedia da balia con schienale di canna.

—

Doppel-Kinderschaukel. Doublé berceuse pour enfant. Child's doublé Rocker. Doppià dondolante da fanciullo. fi 10

Doppel-Kinder-Ti8chbank. Double banquette et table enfant. Child's double seats with table. Doppia panca'da fanciullo, fl. 1 0 . 5 0

l i ) Thonet Brothers, Sales catalogue of 188 5, Gebrüder Thonet Vienna

COLOUR

PLATES

15

FRATELLI

THONET

Puppen-Fauteuil „ Canapé . Tisch , Schaukel

Berceuses.

Rocking Chairs,

Schaukel-Fauteuil Nr. 1. Berceuse Nr. 1. Rocking Chair Nr. 1. Poltrona dondolante Nr. 1. mit Fusstritt fi. 2 5 — ohne „ „ 22—

Schaukel-Fauteuil Nr. 4. Berceuse Nr. 4. Socking Chair Nr. 4. Poltrona dondolante Nr. 4. fi. 1 8 . "

1.25 2.— 2 — 2 —

Pappen-Wiege. Berceau de poupées. Dolls Swing-Cott. Culla da pupi. ohr.e Stange fl. 7 — mit „ ,. 7 . 2 5

Wiegen-Sestell Nr. 1 120 Cm. Berceau. Culla. Child's Swing-Coti, fl. 8 5 —

Schaukel-Fauteuils.

fl. „ , ,

FIDGETY PHILIP

Wiege Nr. 2 Berceau. Culla. Child's Swing Cott. H. 2 4 —

Poltrona dondolante.

Schaukel-Fauteuil Nr. 3. Berceu8e Nr. 8. Rocking Chair Nr. 3. Poltrona dondolante Nr. 3. mit Stoff fl. 2 4 . — ohne „ „ 16.—

_ Schaukel-Fauteuil Nr. 4. mit verschiebbarem Fuastritt avec appuie pieda with adjustable foot-reßt con poggiapiedi mo ribile fi. 2 1 -

1 3 ) T h o n e t Brothers, Sales catalogue of 1 8 8 5 , G e b r ü d e r T h o n e t V i e n n a

l6 :

BROTHERS

Schaukel-Fauteuil Nr. 4 .mit Rohrfusslage aree appuie piedu à enlever with adjustable foot-rest con poggia-piedi movibile tl. 2 2 . 5 0

GEBRÜDER B E TT EN.

THONET L ITS.

B E D S T E A D S.

Bett Nr. 2 mit Hohboden

FRÈRES LETTÏ.

Bedstead Nr. 2 with lath bottom.

Lit Nr. 2 arec traverse« en bois.

Letto Nr. 2 eon asRÎeelle

9. 2 8

Doppelbett Nr. 8,

Bois de lit it deui personnes K t . g -

Bett Nr. 4.

Bois de lit Nr. 4.

Nr. S for tivo porsons.

Bedstead Nr. 4.

Letto a due posti Nr. 8.

Lotto Nr. 4

14) Thonet Brothers, Sales catalogue of 18 8 5, Gebriider Thonet Vienna

COLOUR

PLATES

STAATLICHES

AiiiPIMMS

W E I M A R

1 5 ) Peter Keler, Bed designs for man, woman and child, collage, 1 9 2 3 , Bauhaus Museum, Klassik Stiftung Weimar

16) Cradle Design: Peter Keler, 1 9 2 2 Manufactured by: Bauhaus Workshops Painted beech, jute H = D : 9 1 . 7 , W: 98 Bauhaus Museum, Klassik Stiftung Weimar

18 :

FIDGETY

PHILIP

AUSSTfLLUNQSHAuS |UHDEMJMME.fc» 2.

-V

i -

• •,••,,i..

.

- 4

'

^

•

|

,

s f *

17) Alma Siedhoff-Buscher, Design for the child's room at 'Haus am Horn', 1 9 2 3 , Bauhaus Museum, Klassik Stiftung Wei-

COLOUR

PLATES

19

18) Marcel Breuer, Children's chairs and table on a rug, colour print, 1924, Bauhaus Archiv, Berlin

20 :

FIDGETY

PHILIP

COLOUR

PLATES

21

CTOJt M C T Y J i M H K

AJ19 A€T9H

OT

M

H

20) Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, Design for children's furniture, watercolour, c. 1 9 3 5 , Archive at the University o f Applied A r t , V i e n n a

0

2 1 ) Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, Design for children's furniture, watercolour, c. 1 9 3 5, Archive at the University o f Applied A r t , Vienna

22 :

FIDGETY

PHILIP

22) Luigi Colani, Rappelkiste, Elbro brochure, c. 1975, Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

COLOUR

PLATES

23

23) Günter Beltzig, Plastic furniture designs, c. 1970, marketing photo for Briider Beltzig

24 :

FIDGETY

PHILIP

1. C H I L D R E N ' S FURNITURE, NURSERIES A N D AN I M P E R I A L CHILDHOOD EvaB.

Ottillinger

The French historian Philippe Aries clearly demon1.1 Living Room ofa Patrician Family with Eight Children,

strated in his seminal work on 'Centuries of Childhood' [L'enfant et la viefamiliale sous I'ancien regime]

woodcut, sixteenth century, in: kid size. The Material

that it was only in the Early Modern period that child-

World of Childhood, exhibition catalogue, Vitra Design

hood as a distinct time of life progressively developed.

Museum (Weil am Rhein, 1997)

1

This was encouraged by the emergence of the nuclear family, the state institutionalization of schooling and

which provided a safe seat and meant they could par-

the gradual separation of home and work. Before that

take in family meals. This new item of furniture can

the infant was catapulted into the adult world as soon

be found in several of the family portraits of Maria

as he or she could walk and talk.

2

Theresa's children. The monarch regularly commissioned such portraits of her children who were married abroad. A vivid example is a gouache after a por-

FURNITURE FOR

trait by Johann Zoffany showing the family of Grand

CHILDREN

Duke Leopold of Tuscany in Florence. The picture inAriès's thesis is confirmed by the development of fur-

cludes the second youngest of the then eight children

niture designed specially for children. Initially the only

of the future Emperor Leopold II. The child is sitting

children's furniture in European homes was for the in-

on a white and gold highchair with rococo ornamen-

fant: the cradle as a bed, the baby walker and small

tation (colour plate 3).4 A portrait after Zoffany show-

commodes. A sixteenth-century woodcut shows these

ing four of the children of Archduchess Maria Amalia

items of furniture in the living room of a German pa-

of Parma depicts the youngest child holding a doll

trician family (fig. I.I). This form of wooden cradle

and sitting on a highchair, which is covered with fab-

was used up until the nineteenth and early twentieth

ric and upholstered (colour plate 4).5 For the walls of

centuries (cat. no. 8). In addition there were wicker

her 'Widow's Apartment' at Schlosshof, Maria Theresa

bassinets, such as the one that can be seen in Pieter de

commissioned group portraits of the families of all her

Hooch's painting of a woman with a child and maid

children. In Josef Hauzinger's painting of 1 7 7 6 de-

of 1670/75 (colour plate 1). This type of furniture is

picting the family of Archduke Leopold, the youngest

also represented in a gouache by Archduchess Maria

child is shown on a carved and gilded highchair in the

Christine of 1762, depicting the lying in of Isabella of

current style of early Neoclassicism. 6 In Peter Fendi's

Parma, which is based on a Netherlandish engraving

watercolour of Prince Johann II of Liechtenstein as an

(colour plate 2).

infant, we can detect a highchair rendered in the sim-

3

During the course of the eighteenth century in noble households highchairs were developed for infants

ple forms of Viennese Biedermeier and an upholstered playpen (colour plate 5).

CHILDREN'S FURNITURE, NURSERIES AND AN IMPERIAL CHILDHOOD

: 25

THE

NURSERY

IN FACT A N D

he described his childhood at the family's home in

FICTION

the Hirschgraben as follows: 'We ordinarily spent In aristocratic and wealthy bourgeois families, infants

our free hours with Grandmother, whose spacious

were not breast-fed by their mother but by a wet-nurse

quarters afforded us plenty of room for our games.

and were cared for by nannies and governesses. These

She always knew how to keep us occupied with this

people became the first parental figures for the child

and that, and treated us to all sorts of tidbits. One

and they lived together at close quarters.

Christmas Eve, however, she crowned her good

Jean-Jacques Rousseau may have lamented this

deeds by arranging a puppet show for us, creating,

state of affairs in his handbook Emile or On Educa-

as it were, a new world inside the old house.' 12 The

tion7, published in 1762. However, he devoted the

rooms where the children slept were briefly described

chapter about a child's first teacher to the nurse, ac-

by Goethe as 'rooms in which we had been closely

8

knowledging the reality of his day. In this chapter he

confined and plagued with disagreeable lessons and

made no mention of the infant s physical environment

studies'.13 He also added: 'Unfortunately, the theory

and its furnishings. It is not until he turns his atten-

of child rearing then current required the young to

tion to older children that Rousseau notes the follow-

be weaned without delay from all fear of the invisible

ing about their surroundings: 'When you leave free

and ominous, and to be inured to horror. Therefore

scope to a child's heedlessness, you must put every-

we children had to sleep by ourselves, and if, not be-

thing he could spoil out of his way, and leave noth-

ing able to bear it, we crept out of bed to seek the

ing fragile or costly within his reach. Let the room be

servant's company, then our father — sufficiently dis-

furnished with plain and solid furniture; no mirrors,

guised for us by having turned his dressing gown in-

china or useless ornaments. My pupil Emile, who is

side out — would block our path and frighten us back

being brought up in the country, shall have a room

into our beds.' 14

just like a peasant's. Why take such pains to adorn 9

Franz Grillparzer (1791-1872) grew up in Vienna's

it when he will be so little in it?' On the subject of

city centre and was the oldest son of a lawyer. The old

sleeping he adds: 'In the next place he must be ac-

house at Brandstätte, not far from St Stephen's Ca-

customed to sleep in an uncomfortable bed, which is

thedral, and the room which he shared with his three

the best way to find no bed uncomfortable. Speak-

younger brothers, was described by the playwright

ing generally, a hard life, when once we have become

and civil servant in his Autobiography as follows: 'I was

used to it, increases our pleasant experiences; an easy

born in this house and spent my first years of boyhood

life prepares the way for innumerable unpleasant ex-

here. The huge rooms were dark and gloomy. It was

periences. (...) I shall sometimes rouse Emile, not so

only on the longest days of summer that a few rays of

much to prevent his sleeping too much, as to accus-

sunshine shone into our father's study and we children

tom him to anything - even to waking with a start.'

10

stood and enjoyed the shafts of light on the floor. In-

When referring to toys, Rousseau made the follow-

deed, there was even something miraculous about the

ing comment: 'We can do nothing simply, not even

planning of the flat. It had been built with maximum

for our children. Toys of silver, gold, coral, cut crystal,

wastage of space in the manner of very old houses.

rattles of every price and kind; what vain and useless

The children's room, which was so vast that four beds

appliances. Away with them all!'

11

and several cupboards barely seemed to make it more

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) was

confined, was lit only by a series of glass windows and

brought up by his father in the spirit of the Enlight-

a glass door leading to a small courtyard on the same

enment in the 1750s in Frankfurt. In From My Life

level as the room on the first floor. This courtyard was

26 : FIDGETY

PHILIP

strictly out of bounds for us, probably owing to a rul-

Caroline — the court garden rooms at the Residence

ing of the sullen owner who disdained the noise of

in Munich and at Schloss Nymphenburg — housed

children.'

15

sets of furniture for children. These comprised a small

Franz Grillparzer described the different roles of his

table, chairs and armchairs for the princesses. Water-

working father and his mother, who was a housewife,

colours dated 1820 depicting both rooms reveal that

in their children's upbringing as follows: 'My father

these were elaborately crafted smaller versions of Bie-

was a lawyer, an unwaveringly upright and withdrawn

dermeier furniture that was in fashion at the time.18

man. As his work and his natural reserve prevented

In his watercolour of 1842 showing the Study at Palais

him from paying much attention to his children (...),

Rasumovsky on the Landstraße in Vienna (colour plate

I can provide no account about his inner character to

9), Rudolf von Alt depicted a child's double seat with

myself or others. (...) My mother was a kind-hearted

a table and an array of toys. The family of Prince von

woman, and struggled with her children, tried to cre-

Liechtenstein was living at Palais Rasumovsky while

ate order, which she, in all honesty, did not adhere to

their town mansion was being renovated.19 This sug-

herself, and she lived for music which she played and

gests that the child was a welcome guest in the adult

loved with a passion.'

16

world and was lavished with attention and affection.

Fictional literature paints a similar picture but ig-

Confirmation of this can be found in the emerging

nores the more unpleasant sides of life. In Adalbert

variety of children's toys in the Biedermeier period in

Stifter's novel Indian Summer, which was published in

Vienna and the fondly arranged family festivals, like

18 57, he wrote about the living conditions of the chil-

Christmas with the Christmas tree.20

dren of a Viennese merchant's family: 'My father was a merchant. He lived on a portion of the first floor of a rather large rented house. He had his salesrooms in

THE

the same building, (...) My father had two children:

JOSEPH

CHILDHOOD

OF E M P E R O R

FRANCIS

me the first born son and then a daughter who was two years younger. We each had our own rooms where

On 21 October 1834, the family of Emperor Fran-

we slept as well as performing assigned tasks which we

cis I of Austria congregated after dinner in the dining

received even in early childhood. Mother supervised

room at the Emperor's private apartments on the third

us and occasionally permitted us to play in her sitting

floor of the Schweizerhof in Vienna's Hofburg palace.

room.'

17

The 'family reunion' was captured by the Biedermeier

Descriptions dating from the eighteenth and early

painter Peter Fendi in a watercolour depicting thirty-

nineteenth centuries all agree that children from

seven people (colour plate 7). Emperor Francis I and

wealthy households had their own bedrooms but

his wife Caroline Auguste of Bavaria are surrounded

these were of secondary importance in the household's

by three generations. In the foreground the imperial

hierarchy. The rooms were often in a poor location

family's sixteen children can be seen. Some of the chil-

and furnishings tended to be sparse. Children would

dren are playing on the floor; the group in the centre

play in the adults' living room or their bedrooms. In

is sitting on children's chairs around a low child's ta-

aristocratic or wealthy bourgeois families these rooms

ble. One of these chairs has been preserved in Vienna's

sometimes housed furniture that had been specially

Imperial Furniture Collection (colour plate 8). The

crafted for children. The court at Munich and the

older children on the right of the picture are using

nobility in Vienna provide us with two good exam-

adults' furniture. Children's toys and furniture were

ples. The two bedchambers of the Bavarian Queen

not a permanent fixture in the imperial apartments

CHILDREN'S FURNITURE, NURSERIES AND AN IMPERIAL CHILDHOOD

: 27

but were brought into the dining room especially for

other room (with a small hearth) where the wet-nurse,

the children.

chambermaid and the skivvy live and another room

O n e of the children is the future Emperor Fran-

where the junior nanny sleeps, and where people eat,

cis Joseph. Archduke Francis Joseph I was born on 18

get dressed and withdraw w h e n there are too many

August 1830 as the oldest son o f Archduke Francis

people visiting the little one. Between my bed and the

Charles, the second-born son of Emperor Francis I

stove there's a concealed door which is always open

(II) and Sophie o f Bavaria. The parents of the future

and leads into a half empty yellow room. The other

monarch lived in apartments on the third floor of the

half is also divided by a screen and a rectangular glass

Leopoldine W i n g at the Hofburg, which adjoined the

partition. Behind the screen there is a wash-stand and

apartments of the imperial couple. 21

another piece of furniture [author's note-, commode]

The lady in charge of his upbringing at court was

and in the rectangular glass compartment there's a

known as his Aja and this role was taken on by Bar-

sofa, my desk, a rectangular table, a toilet, an armchair

oness Louise von Sturmfeder. In her letters she wrote

and two chairs.' 24 Just two months after his birth the

a detailed description of the first months o f Francis

little Archduke left his mother and lived with the Aja,

Joseph's life. In August 1830 she wrote: 'I'm now here

wet-nurse, chambermaid and nanny in his own cham-

day and night (...) His room is just beside the Arch-

bers, which had been swiftly furnished in the style of

duchess's and then there's a long room. Using two

the day using items from the court's furniture stores.

screens I have made a bedroom, drawing room and

In his first months the future monarch did not sleep

antechamber for myself. The Emperor and Empress

in a magnificent cradle but in a basic bassinet.

usually visit the child twice a day.' 22

The Aja described the daily routine in her letter

In October 1830, a nursery was furnished for the

o f 1 November as follows: ' H e often wakes up again

little Archduke between the imperial apartments o f

before I've said m y m o r n i n g prayers. W h e n he has

the Emperor and Empress and those of his parents.

woken, I sit beside his bassinet with m y w o r k and

His Aja recounted: 'I went into town to Kinsky, w h o

when he isn't playing with his legs and hands I look

was expecting me, to furnish the nursery. Upholster-

for something else to distract him, but leave him ly-

ers, seamstresses, an official in charge o f heating at

ing d o w n the w h o l e time and if possible in peace.

court, the furniture custodian etc. all came. W e went

A t 11 o' clock his soup is brought in an earthenware

f r o m one room to the next (...).' 2 3 Baroness von

bowl. I feed him and sometimes the Archduchess

Sturmfeder also gave a vivid account of the rooms af-

helps and we almost always have an audience. After

ter they had been completely furnished. ' O u r quarters

he's eaten, he is put back in his bassinet and people

are in between the apartments o f the Emperor and

play with him until I say that it is time for him to

Empress and of the Archduke and Archduchess. A

go to sleep, and then everybody leaves and I'm left

large room separates us from this side and then there's

alone with him. W h e n he has fallen asleep I read or

a small room with a w i n d o w where there is a sofa,

go into my room. A t one o'clock the nannies eat and

some red chairs and brown tables; then comes a very

I return. A t half past one the Archduchess arrives and

attractive large blue drawing room, a room with two

informs me that I should bring him to the Empress,

windows. The furniture is brown with very attractive

because he's often asleep after the Emperor's dinner

blue calico and consists of a chaise longue, a centre ta-

and he would very m u c h like to see him. I then stay

ble, the little one's bed (a bassinet, just like your Frit-

in the drawing room and wait for the dear Emperor

zl's bed), m y bed, a porcelain stove, the senior nanny's

w h o passes by on his way to the Empress. W h e n he

bed and two chests of drawers. This is followed by an-

sees me, he always greets me very politely and talks to

28 : F I D G E T Y

PHILIP

1.2 Peter Fendi, Archduchess Sophie and her Children Saying their Prayers, watercolour, 1839, Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna

me kindly by expressing his delight about the child

(...) to make two rooms. The division of the former

(...) in the afternoon I play with the little one and as

guardroom adjoining this (...) to create one room for

the Archduchess held numerous audiences, she was

the tutor and for the night footmen (...) the Arch-

always appearing with another lady.'

25

duke's bedroom (will be) dark green, the study is to be

Francis Joseph spent his first five years in the care

spanned with pale green to hang maps. (Furthermore)

of Aja Sturmfeder. In 1836 Count Heinrich Bom-

a divan-style bed will be brought in for the valet, who

belles became his tutor and he moved into rooms ad-

will sleep in the study, and this piece of furniture will

joining the apartments of the Dowager Empress in the

be fittingly disguised (...) The furnishings are to be

part of the Hofburg called Schweizerhof. These rooms

functional.' 26 Work was carried out over the sum-

had become vacant when Emperor Francis died in

mer months. In 1837 a screen made of cherry wood,

1835. For the Archdukes new chambers in addition

a washstand and six chairs were purchased from the

to the 'manufacture of earthenware stoves' and 'install-

wicker chair manufacturers Lamanche.27

ing new winter windows', the following changes were planned: "The division of the large Audience Room

A watercolour dated 1839 by Peter Fendi

Arch-

duchess Sophie and her Children Saying their Prayers

CHILDREN'S F U R N I T U R E , N U R S E R I E S A N D AN IMPERIAL C H I L D H O O D

: 29

possibly shows one of the new rooms (fig. 1.2). It

small to accommodate the couple, their three children

could, however, also be the old nursery, where Francis

and their staff, an apartment was rented for them in

Joseph's younger siblings were now living. The pic-

'Gudenus'sches Haus' at nearby Michaelerplatz.31 The

ture shows toys but there is no furniture designed for

apartment on the second and third floors consisted of

children. However, examples of this type of furniture

twenty-five rooms and there are archival records of the

in the Imperial Furniture Collection prove that there

furnishings. These also provide a valuable source of in-

must have been children's furniture at the Viennese

formation about how nurseries were furnished.32 The

court (cat. nos. 2, 6).

following seven rooms were needed for the children:

In 1846 Francis Josephs rooms in the Schweizerhof were adapted because his younger brothers Ferdinand Maximilian, Charles Ludwig and Ludwig Victor were now to enter the care of the tutor Bombelles, who immediately called for five rooms to be renovated.

28

The

adjoining rooms that had once been Francis's apartments were not, however, redesigned but were just redecorated.29

— The young count's room furnished with a divan, six chairs, a table and two chests of drawers. — His court tutor's [Hofmeister s] room furnished with a bed, a bedside table, a desk, four chairs and a sofa. — Children's playroom furnished with a sofa, a round oak table, six chairs and two chests of drawers.

A major influence behind the unpretentious decoration of the nursery was Francis Joseph himself. At

— Children's bedroom furnished with two beds, two chairs, a table and a chest of drawers.

the age of eighteen, during the Revolution of 1848,

— Bedroom of the senior nanny and wet-nurse fur-

he had succeeded his uncle Ferdinand I as Emperor

nished with two beds, two bedside tables, an oak

of Austria. All through his life Francis Joseph's tastes

table and six chairs.

were very humble. To this day the monarch's bedroom and study in the imperial apartments at the Hofburg and Schonbrunn palaces bear witness to this.

30

— Junior nanny's room furnished with a bed, a bedside table, two chairs and a chest of drawers. — Governess's room furnished with a bed, a bedside

When Crown Prince Rudolf was born, Vienna, capital of the empire and residence of the imperial

table, a dressing table, a chest of drawers, a sofa, two chairs and a table.

court, presented the monarch in 1858 with a magnificent cradle. This was crafted by the Viennese cabinet-

In the same way as at court, the children of Viennese

maker Franz Matthias Podany and was elaborately

nobility lived together with their tutors, governesses

adorned with carvings and exquisite inlays (cat. no.

and nannies. New furniture was not provided for their

3). However, the rest of the furniture for the children

rooms but, as at Francis Joseph's nursery, they used

of Francis Joseph and Elisabeth echoed the typical

the previous tenant's furniture.33 The inventory does

bourgeois furnishings of the day (cat. no. 7).

not indicate that there was any difference between the types of furniture in the rooms used by the children and in the rooms used by the staff. Yet, as no details

THE

N U R S E R Y AT C O U N T

BOMBELLEs's

HOME

are provided, it is not clear if, for example, the beds in the nanny's bedroom differed from the children's.

When Count Bombelles took on his duties as the

However, as there is no mention of a bedside table in

tutor of Archduke Francis Joseph in 1836, an apart-

the children's bedroom, we can assume that these were

ment befitting of his household' had to be found for

cots. The round oak table with six chairs in the play-

him. As the official quarters at the Hofburg were too

room may also have been children's furniture.

30 : F I D G E T Y

PHILIP

1-3) Gustav von Seidern, Nursery, pencil drawing, c. 1849/ 51, Wien Museum Karlsplatz

We can see how children's bedrooms for the ar-

longer lay just above the floor but a supporting frame-

istocracy and wealthy bourgeoisie were furnished in

work kept them out of harm's way and hazards like

a drawing dated 1850 by Gustav von Seldern (fig.

vermin and other animals. A prominent example of

1.3). In addition to a wardrobe and several chests of

this new form of cradle is the magnificent cradle of

drawers there were two cots, a set of children's chairs

the Duke of Reichstadt. This was made in 1 8 1 1 from

and a table and toys like a rocking horse and a toy

designs by the painter Pierre-Paul Prud'hon and was

34

theatre. This illustration of a real children's bedroom

executed by the goldsmith Jean-Baptiste-Claude

from the mid-nineteenth century has similar furni-

Odiot and the bronze chaser Pierre-Philippe Thomire.

ture to an idealized image of a 'children's bedcham-

It was presented to Napoleon's son and Archduchess

ber' by Michael Voltz dating from around 1820 (fig.

Marie Louise by the city of Paris and today it is in

1.4). These pictorial sources illustrate how a special

the Treasury in Vienna.35 This form of cradle was used

child's bed emerged with a drawer for bedclothes and

for Biedermeier and historicist furniture, and contin-

bars or rails to prevent children from falling out. A

ued in the style ofJugendstil [Art Nouveau] (cat. nos.

Biedermeier and an early historicist example of this

2-5).

new type of furniture have survived from the imperial

While for centuries there had only been traditional

household (cat. nos. 6, 7). The form of the cradle also

cradles made of wood or wicker, the typology of chil-

changed in the early nineteenth century. Children no

dren's furniture expanded in the late eighteenth and

CHILDREN'S FURNITURE, NURSERIES AND AN IMPERIAL CHILDHOOD

: 31

•4 M i c h a e l Voltz, Children's Bedchamber,

colour print, c. 1 8 2 0 , in:

size. The Material

World of Childhood,

exhibition

catalogue, V i t r a D e s i g n M u s e u m (Weil a m R h e i n , 1 9 9 7 )

Philippe Aries and Georges Duby, the child does not feature in

early nineteenth centuries to encompass a new form

a chapter heading until the fourth volume covering the Revolu-

of cradle, cots and children's chairs. All of these pieces

tion to the Great War. See Michelle P E R R O T (ed.), vol. 4, Von

of furniture were crafted individually and it was only

der Revolution zum Großen Krieg (Frankfurt, 1992): chapter

wealthy families who could afford to buy them for

'Eltern und Kinder', 1 5 4 - 8 0 . 3

their children.

Ilsebill B A R T A , Familienporträts

der Habsburger,

Repräsentation im Zeitalter der Aufklärung,

Dynastische

Publikationsreihe

der Museen des Mobiliendepots, vol. 1 1 (Vienna - Cologne -Weimar, 2001), figs. 1 1 4 and 1 1 5 . 4 NOTES 1

B A R T A (see note 3), fig. 93.

6

B A R T A (see note 3), fig. 98; Lieselotte H A N Z L - W A C H T E R

Philippe A R I E S , L'enfant et la vie familiale sous l'ancien régime

(ed.), Schloss Hof Prinz Eugens tuscidum rurale und Sommersitz

(Paris, i960); English: Centuries of Childhood

der kaiserlichen Familie {Si. Pölten - Vienna, 2005), fig. 93.

(Harmonds7

worth, i960). 2

B A R T A (see note 3), fig. 9 1 .

5

In the German edition of A History of Private Life edited by

32 : FIDGETY

PHILIP

Jean Jacques R O U S S E A U , Emile, tr. Babara Foxley (London: Dent, 1974).

8 9 Io II 12

ROUSSEAU (see note 7). ROUSSEAU (see note 7), 57. ROUSSEAU (see note 7), 94-9 5. ROUSSEAU (see note 7), 36. Johann Wolfgang von GOETHE, From My Life: Poetry and Truth, ed. Thomas P. Saine and Jeffrey L. Sammons, tr. Robert R. Heitner (New York: Suhrkamp Publishers, 1994), 24.

exhibition catalogue (Munich, 1987), 184-93; Ingeborg WEBER-KELLERMANN, Kinderstube (Frankfurt, 1991). 35 Kunsthistorisches Museum (ed.), Weltliche und Geistliche Schatzkammer, guide (Salzburg - Vienna, 2000), cat. no. 86, 77-80.

13 GOETHE (see note 12), 25. 14 GOETHE (see note 12), 23. 15 Franz GRILLPARZER, Selbstbiographie, ed. Arno Dusini (Salzburg-Vienna, 1994), 9f. 16 GRILLPARZER (see note 15), 7E 17 Adalbert STIFTER, Indian Summer, tr. Wendell Frye (Bern: Peter Lang, 2006), 10. 18 Hans OTTOMEYER (ed.), Wittelsbacher Album, Interieurs königlicher Wohn- und Festräume 1799 -1848 (Munich, 1979), colour plates 4 and 17; Hans OTTOMEYER (ed.), Biedermeiers Glück und Ende .. die gestörte Idylle 1815 —1848, exhibition catalogue (Munich, 1987), 331-33. 19 Klaus Albrecht SCHRÖDER / Maria Louise STERNATH, Rudolf von Alt (1812-190$), exhibition catalogue (Vienna, 2005), 193-97. 20 Bürgersinn und Aufbegehren, Biedermeier und Vormärz in Wien 181$ -1848, exhibition catalogue (Vienna 1987), 585-92. 21 Maria Ludovica d'Este, the third wife of Emperor Francis I, lived in the apartment: Eva B. OTTILLINGER / Lieselotte HANZL, Kaiserliche Interieurs, Die Wohnkultur des Wiener Hofes im ip. Jahrhundert und die Wiener Kunstgewerbereform, Publikationsreihe der Museen des Mobiliendepots, vol. 3 (Vienna - Cologne - Weimar, 1997), 75-102. 22 Anton WEIMAR (ed.), Die Kindheit unseres Kaisers, Briefe der Baronin Louise von Sturmfeder aus den Jahren 1850-1840 (Vienna, 1910), 32. 23 WEIMAR (see note 22), 39. 24 WEIMAR (see note 22), 4if. 25 WEIMAR (see note 22), 5 3 f. 26 OTTILLINGER / HANZL (see note 21), 126. 27 OTTILLINGER / HANZL (see note 21), 126. 28 OTTILLINGER / HANZL (see note 21), 127. 29 A Lesson ofFrancis Joseph in the Presence ofhis Mother, Cardinal Rauscher, Count Bombelles and Baron von Gorizutti captured by Ferdinand Laufberger in 1846 shows the original furnishings from the late eighteenth century. See: OTTILLINGER / HANZL (see note 21), fig. 55, 107. 30 OTTILLINGER / HANZL (see note 21), colour plates 42 and 43-

31 32 33 34

OTTILLINGER / HANZL (see note 21), 167. OTTILLINGER / HANZL (see note 21), 168. OTTILLINGER / HANZL (see note 21), 168. On the development of the nursery in the German-speaking region see: Hans OTTOMEYER, 'Wer hat Kinderstube?', Vater Mutter Kind — Bilder und Zeugnisse aus zwei Jahrhunderten,

CHILDREN'S FURNITURE, NURSERIES AND AN IMPERIAL CHILDHOOD

: 33

2. P I O N E E R S I N T H E D E S I G N OF C H I L D R E N ' S FURNITURE

The upshot of this was that the company's second catalogue sheet of 1866 included several pieces of bentwood furniture designed especially for children.2 These comprised a 'child's high table chair' (cat. no. 11) in the style of high chairs used by the court and nobility in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth

EvaB. Ottillinger

century (colour plate 5), a 'child's rocker' (cat. no. 12) in the style of'rocking chair no. 1', which was preLet me see if Philip can I Be a little gentleman; / Let me

sented at the International Exhibition in London in

see, if he is able / To sit stillfor once at table: / Thus Papa

1862, and a suite of furniture for children based on

bade Phil behave'. This is how "The Story of Fidgety

the form of chair number 14, comprising a chair (cat.

Philip' begins in Heinrich Hoffmann's well-known

no. 1), armchair, sofa and table. The round table and

children's book Der Struwwelpeter [Shock-Headed

the back of the sofa were designed in a style simpler

Peter]. In this story Philip rocks on the chair which

than the standard model for adults.

is too high for him and this causes an accident (fig.

O n the catalogue sheet published for the Vienna

2.1). In the middle of the nineteenth century this

International Exhibition in 1873, the same mod-

story raised a warning finger to children who couldn't

els could be found for children3 and this means that

sit still. Today we no longer see Fidgety Philip as an

we can compare prices. Chair no. 14, which was the

undisciplined child but as a boy who is uncomfortable

cheapest of all models, cost three guilders at the time;

sitting on a chair made for adults and as a result starts

the version for children cost two guilders. The match-

squirming around. Up to the second half of the nine-

ing armchair cost six guilders and fifty kreutzer for the

teenth century, children's chairs were individual pieces

normal size and three guilders for the children's ver-

made by craftsmen and consequently were prohibi-

sion. The 'rocking chair no. 1' cost 25 guilders, and

tively expensive for the majority of the population.

the 'child's rocker' cost ten guilders. The sofa, table and highchair for children could be purchased for six guilders each. All of these articles of children's furni-

GEBRÜDER THONET AND THE OF SERIAL P R O D U C T I O N

OF

BEGINNINGS

CHILDREN'S

FURNITURE

ture were intended as supplements to the furnishings designed for adults. In 1885 Gebriider Thonet published a much larger, thirty-page catalogue4, which contained many

Around 1830, Michael Thonet had started attempting

other pieces of children's furniture (colour plates 11—

to make furniture from bent wood in Boppard on the

14). There were two magnificent cradles (cat. no. 4),

Rhine. 1 In Vienna he was able to significantly improve

four children's beds, two with moveable 'side-pieces'

the process and in 18 5 6 he set up the first bentwood

to prevent children from falling out rather like a cot

furniture factory in Kortischan in the wooded land-

(cf. cat. no. 9), two sets of seats for children and sev-

scape of Moravia. At the same time Michael Thonet

eral rocking-chairs and highchairs (cat. nos. 11, col-

developed new marketing and sales strategies together

our plate 6). These included a 'child's carriage chair',

with his five sons, the Thonet brothers. Furthermore,

which was a highchair that could be converted into

he was always working on expanding his range of

a pram. A 'patented child's writing desk' for children

products and realized that children were a new clien-

to do their homework, a 'child's seat and table', and a

tele for the bentwood furniture industry.

'child's double seat with table', in the style depicted by

P I O N E E R S IN T H E D E S I G N OF C H I L D R E N ' S F U R N I T U R E

: 35

Kinderrollsessel

Fauteuils roulants d'enfants -

Children's carriage*chairs — Sillones coche de niños — Cadeiras carruagem para meninos Kinderrollstoelen

N r . 12 1 S3

Nr. 12.151 . H

33 • 34 cm . . K 34.

Nr. 12.153 . ®

33 34 cm . . K 28.

*

+

Nr. 12.154

H= 33 34 -9" MecaneB)

ijwiceu 080KV

Ucraina M CC TT lOflibSO O We MIÍ PO TMH 7S-Sic«. (JPK&JWSUTéJtbHOOT >17« - 24» M6Co!dKto®ago '«as automatically on llic Ifont which in horizontal position is lovsi wim the awe top. A noofc-in

minh*rnx«cbichir',e SchicwnottpvP ten (Oboplac). deren teetmctoguche Werte weit ober junan de» out traflIjh.gen Paneeipiallen Hegefl. Ein für dieso Modelle onMdwtter Beschlag ZIII ScmagsteHung der Watte acMMt lOflllche Vertetiungsgofsh» aus Bei Schragsteliung d®' Platte eihaM sich Anschlagieiste, ae bei waagrechte» StelUi-19 der Tischplatte mit díase» eben 151 O01 o.nhüngbaie ba» Seitlich montwte Abtagotassen tu» Sch»*ibuteooilion. ' Kunstjtotfglelter

Schülertisch MENSA

LWetat as t075

5.13 Sonett company catalogue, 1975, archive of Prof. Arch. Wolfgang Haipl, Vienna

Schülertisch 9 3MA

Entwurf: WoHganj J. Innenarchitekt. Paten! angemeldet Musterschutz angem listeiba» ab 1975 Design: Wolfgang J Halpl. Inleriof Design Architect. Patenl applied tcf. Copyright applied int.

5.14 Sonett company catalogue, 1975, archive of Prof. Arch. "Wolfgang Haipl, Vienna

eluded these items in their Sonett programme, but it

form o f the seat, freedom o f movement and back were

also retained other school models that did not comply

all clearly defined. The r e c o m m e n d e d sixteen-degree

with the O N O R M (fig. cat. no. 82).

angle for the tabletop was to make reading and writ-

O N O R M A 1650 was finally introduced in 1 9 7 7 . It applied to 'chairs and tables for general instruction

ing easier; the tables could be produced for one or two pupils and the slanted tabletop was optional.

at schools'. This Austrian standard 'serves primarily as

N o t only were labelling and indication o f dimen-

a measure for safeguarding the health o f school chil-

sions mandatory, but technical requirements were also

dren. Moreover, this standard will smoothen the proc-

clearly defined. Durability, hygiene and injury preven-

ess o f designing and producing chairs and tables and

tion were a m o n g the i m p o r t a n t points. A p a r t f r o m

simplify ordering and maintenance procedures for the

this, each item had to be clearly labelled as scratch re-

school administration.' 1 5

sistant and the stability o f the chairs was also tested.

This standard, w h i c h is valid to this day, set the

The six available sizes - like the Rettig bench and

standards for chairs and tables in schools a n d pre-

desk unit around 1900 — did not become popular in

scribed six sizes that can be adapted to the needs o f

the long run as they proved to be impracticable. It was

each individual student. The height o f the seat, the

too complicated to adjust them in the schools.

78 : F I D G E T Y

PHILIP

The Ö N O R M is still an important basis for tendering school furnishings. School furniture that has met O N O R M standards is registered at the Austrian Institute of Standardization where it receives a seal of

1 1 Carl L Ä M E L , Schulneubauten und schulärztlicher Dienst der Stadt Berndorf, Niederösterreich, (Berndorf, 1 9 1 0 ) , 102; the school's interior was designed by the architects Max Hegele and Hans Peschl. 1 2 1 8 7 4 - 1 9 3 5 educationalist und social democratic politician, 1 9 1 9 - 1 9 2 0 Undersecretary of Education, 1 9 2 2 - 1 9 3 4 second

approval. The O N O R M is being currently revised in conformity with E U directives. These renewals will subsequently also apply to Austrian school furniture. Functionality, health, aesthetics, durability, stability and price play a crucial role when designing and manufacturing school furniture. In the ideal situation educationalists, designers and manufacturers work together as we know that the 'mobile child' still makes very high demands on furniture.

Acting President of the Vienna School Board. 13 Otto G L O C K E L , inaugural speech by the president of the Vienna School Board (March 1922). In: Achs (ed.), Reden und Schriften, 1985, 224-26. 14 G L O C K E L , Drillschule (see note 1), 16. 15 Otto G L Ö C K E L , Selbstbiographie [autobiography], continuation by J. Birner (Zurich, 1939), 103 16 G L Ö C K E L (see note 15), 103. The school in Naptorgasse received guests from all over the world (see the guestbook in the Municipal and Provincial Archives of Vienna). 1 7 Viktor F A D R U S , 'Die Volks- und Hauptschule in der Freihofsiedlung', Schulreform (Vienna, 1930), 5 5 1 . From 1928 onwards, model school buildings in Austria and abroad were introduced in the magazine Schulreform published since 1922. Josef Pazelt reports in it about a school excursion 'undertaken by

NOTES

us to several German cities with the purpose of viewing modern school buildings'.

1 Otto G L Ö C K E L , Drillschule, Lemschule, Arbeitsschule (Vienna, 1928), 16.

18 Office Journal of the Vienna School Board, 1929. The Sembustowerk Holzindustrie- und Handels AG., located at Salva-

2 Austrian Imperial and Royal Ministery for Culture and Educatio, decree of 9 June 1873, Z. 4816.

torianerplatz 3-4, 1 1 0 0 Vienna had existed since 1929 and was part of a factory for wheels and rims. This furniture was also

3 Vincenz PRAUSEK, retired Federal Inspector of Schools, Über

used in a new school building in Lower Austria, namely, the

Schulbänke oder Schultische und Sessel, Vienna 1886 (ist edition

elementary and secondary school in Pottendorf. Otto Glöckel

1881,) 4; on this subject also see W. B R U C K N E R , Zur Schul-

and Viktor Fadrus and others played an advisory role in the

bankfrage (Berlin, 1869); Adolph L O R E N Z , Die heutige Schul-

construction of this school in 1929 as well as for one in Linz in

bankfrage. Vorschläge zur Reform des hygienischen Schulsitzens (Vienna, 1888).

1931. 19 Decree No. 7243 of 6 March 1 9 3 1 by the Federal Ministry of

4 P R A U S E K (see note 3), 12; after the Reichsvolksschulgesetz [Re-

Education, Verordnungsblatte des Bundesministerium fur Unter-

ichs Primary School Law] was passed, up to eighty pupils could

richt [Patent Office Journal of the Federal Ministry of Educa-

be accommodated in a single classroom!

tion] of 15 April 1 9 3 1 , no. 20.

5 I would like to thank Eva B. Ottillinger for telling me about this early draft for a piece of school furniture by an architect. 6 School furniture manufacturer Hieber in Trattendorf in the 1990s.

20 Outside Vienna, the seat and desk unit was in use up until the 1960s! 21 Schools of the City of Vienna. 22 Company brochure, around 1900.

7 P R A U S E K (see note 3), 15 and 16.

23 See the contribution on kindergartens in PAG-SB-Kufen

8 Anton Walter, 'Das Schulhaus und seine Einrichtung' [The School Building and its Furnishings], a lecture held in 1907; Vierteljahrsschrififur körperliche Erziehung, Vienna IV. June 1908, 65-75-

(SB

stands for 'Sitzbremse' or seat-brake made by coarsening the seat board). 24 Wilhelm H U B A T S C H , Der Schulbau in Österreich (Vienna, 1962), 29.

9 W. Rettig, who provided clients and licensees with drawings so that local carpenters could manufacture the products, criticized

25 Ö N O R M A 1650, 1 October 1977, 1. Minimally adapted versions appeared in 1979 and 1987.

Walter's autonomous copies. See W. R E T T I G , Leo Burgerstein und die Schulbankfrage (Charlottenburg, 1909). 10 Leo B U R G E R S T E I N , Handbuch der Schulhygiene (Vienna, 1895); second edition 1902; Zur Schulbankfrage

(Vienna,

1908).

T H E H I S T O R Y OF S C H O O L F U R N I T U R E I N A U S T R I A

: 79

6. C H I L D R E N ' S F U R N I T U R E IN INTERNATIONAL DESIGN FROM 1 900 TO 1970

for men and a semicircular one for women but also a cradle for the baby, using geometric shapes for ageold furniture forms like the triangle and circle (colour plates nos. 15 and 16). When the model house 'Am Horn' in Weimar was being planned in 1922, Marcel Breuer was asked to design the dining room, Erich Dieckmann the living room and Alma Siedhoff-

EvaB. Ottillinger

Buscher the child's room. She did not merely conceive it as a hygienic bedroom but also as a stimulating and V I E N N E S E M O D E R N I S M , DE S T I J L

AND

adventurous space with colourfully painted built-in furniture (colour plate 17, fig. 3.4).

BAUHAUS

Even the more influential of the furniture designIn her book Barnets Arhundrade, published in 1901

ers at the Bauhaus designed children's furniture, even

and later reprinted several times, the Swedish social

if they only dabbled in this field. Marcel Breuer's

reformer Ellen Key presented the twentieth century

child's chair of 1924 (colour plate 18, cat. no. 28),

under the motto: The Century of the Child. 1 Her vi-

which was serial-produced in the Bauhaus workshops,

sion did however become a reality in the field of fur-

displayed the same interest in tectonics as his Lattice

niture design.

Chair of 1923/24. 3 Erich Dieckmann, who continued

After 1900, Vienna's modernist artists and archi-

to work at the school of architecture in Weimar af-

tects discovered children's room furniture as a new and

ter the Bauhaus had moved to Dessau, also analysed

interesting designing task. Living in rooms designed

the difference between the load-bearing frame and the

by artists was no longer the prerogative of the off-

passive seat or back in his chairs for children (fig. 3.2,

spring of affluent patrons of art such as the Wittgen-

cat. no. 26, 27). In the eleventh volume of the Bau-

steins in Vienna (fig. 2.3, cat. no. 17) or the Stoclets

haus Books called Mobelbau in Holz, Stahl und Rohr

in Brussels (fig. 2.4). The bentwood furniture manu-

that was published in 1 9 3 1 , he analysed his chairs for

facturers Gebriider Thonet and J. & J. Kohn also of-

children in the context of his wooden furniture types

fered serially produced children's furniture designed

and introduced them as 'playroom furnishing for a

by architects (cat. nos. 18—21).

children's home'.44

Following the traumatic experiences of the First World War, reform movements in art like De Stijl in

At the same time, furniture for the kindergartens was redesigned of'Red Vienna' and 'New Frankfurt'.

the Netherlands strove to radically change painting, architecture and furniture design.2 Colour and form were now to be the basic elements of design. Furni-

TUBULAR STEEL

FURNITURE

ture for children also became a field of experimentation when around 1919 Gerrit Rietveld analysed the

In 1925, Breuer discovered tubular steel in Dessau as a

tectonics of sitting on the basis of the highchair (cat.

new material for furniture design and created his arm-

no. 23).

chair called Wassily, which was initially manufactured

The design reform at the Bauhaus art school,

by Standard.

founded by the architect Walter Gropius in 1919, also

The Dutchman Mart Stam also developed a com-

focused on children's furniture and toys. In 1922 Pe-

pletely new version of tubular steel furniture for his

ter Keler not only designed a rectangular-shaped bed

model house at the Stuttgart-Weissenhof Housing EX-

CHILDREN'S F U R N I T U R E IN I N T E R N A T I O N A L D E S I G N FROM I9OO TO I 9 7 O

: 8L

chair for the child's room (fig. 6.1, cat. no. 53) and French architects furnished entire children's rooms

MON BEGUIN U T D'ENFANT

KINDERBED

with tubular steel furniture. 7 Metal at this time had gained immense importance in classroom and kindergarten furniture. Thonet Mundus A G introduced an entire school furniture programme8 in tubular steel and the architects Robert Mallet Stevens9 and Jean Prouvé even designed school desks in metal (cat. no. 75). From 1936 to 1937, 'New Frankfurt' (cat. no.

5 MEUBLES EN UN

5 MEUBELEN IN EEN

33) and Guiseppe Terragini s Asilo Sant'Elia in Como also produced tubular steel chairs for children.10

PLYWOOD B E R C E A U - WIEG

FURNITURE

BALANÇOIRE - SCHOMMEL

Finnish architect Alvar Aalto's plywood and laminated wood furniture gave a new turn to modern furniture design in the 1930s. Aalto became deeply interested in the concepts of Neues Bauen [New Building] in T A B L E DE J E U - S P E E L T A F E L

T A B L E DE S A L O N - S A L O N T A F E L

6.1 Mon Beguin brochure, c. 1935, Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

the 1920s and participated in the C I A M Congress in Frankfurt titled Die Wohnungfor das Existenzminimum [Housing for Low-income Earners], where he saw new tubular steel furniture from Germany for the first time. Impressed by Breuer's designs, he bought

hibition in 1927. It was a prototype for his Kragstuhl,

several items for his home in Finland. 11

a chair without rear legs, namely the cantilever chair.5

Aalto also began to design furniture and to explore

Marcel Breuer and Mies van der Rohe, chief architect

the formal vocabulary of this new material. His Hy-

of the exhibition and later Bauhaus Director, saw the

brid Chair (1929/30) was a new category of the can-

potential in Stam's idea and also designed a tubular

tilever chair whose bent plywood seat and back rested

steel cantilever chair in 1928, which led to years of

on a tubular steel frame. 12 This model was produced

litigation over copyright. The internationally active

for children as well. 13

bentwood holding Thonet Mundus A G subsequently

A commission to build and furnish a sanatorium

took over the tubular steel furniture manufacturers

for lung disease patients in Paimio led to profound

Standard and Desta and serially produced the canti-

changes in Aalto's ideas about design. From now on,

lever chairs by Breuer and Mies van der Rohe as B 33,

the user took centre stage in his work and he began to

B 34, MR 10 and MR 20. In keeping with the Ge-

use indigenous birch and experiment with plywood

briider Thonet company tradition, these models were

and laminated wood instead of tubular steel, which he

also produced for children (fig. 3.3, cat. no. 29, 30).

now regarded as a 'cold' material.14 The load-bearing

In the 1930s the German company Mauser even sold

frame of Aalto's now famous chair Paimio was made

6

cantilever chairs in special sizes (cat. no 31). A Bel-

of bent laminated birch but the seat and back were

gian manufacturer produced a tubular steel rocking

composed of a single piece of birch plywood. The

8 2 : FIDGETY

PHILIP

architect subsequently tried to translate the concept

Bertoia's chair model no. 420c was manufactured by

of cantilevering into wood, but although his version

Knoll Associates and also produced for children (cat.

of the child's chair was a success (cat. no. 34), he was

no. 38).

confronted with structural problems in the version for

At the same time, the Danish architect and de-

adults. This made him alter the distribution of weight

signer Arne Jacobsen returned to Europe with con-

in many successive models by hanging the seat in the

cepts of American design. His chairs model no. 3100

load-bearing frame rather than placing it directly on

Myren [Ant] of 1952 and model no. 3107 of 1955

top of the frame.

15

were produced by Fritz Hansen and are reminiscent

Around 1933 Aalto worked intensively on the tran-

of Eames's 1946 DCM chair with a bent plywood

sition between the constructive and the load-bearing

seat and tubular steel legs.22 When Jacobsen built

elements of furniture and invented the so-called Aalto

the Munkegard School, he furnished it with his own

bent knee', an element for connecting the legs with the

models using the same materials for pupils' and teach-

16

seat. A group of chairs, stools and tables including a

ers' chairs (cat. nos. 43 and 76). This combination of

child's chair (cat. no. 34) with this knee followed. In

metal frame and plywood seat can also be found in

1934 Alvar Aalto and his wife and architect Aino Aalto

children's furniture designed by Jean Prouvé (cat. no.

founded the furniture company Artek for the sale and

39) and Friso Kramer (cat. no. 40).

distribution of his furniture designs. His models caused a furore at the 1937 International Exhibition in Paris; subsequently an exhibition was dedicated to Aalto in

INFLUENCES

FROM

SCANDINAVIA

1938 at the MOMA in New York and in 1939 the Finnish pavilion he designed for the New York International Exhibition drew great interest in the USA.

17

After the Second World War, the main inspiration for children's furniture design came from Scandina-

The centre of design had now shifted to New York

vian designers.23 Jens Rimson had already designed a

because many European artists and architects had

child's chair for Knoll in 1942 (cat. no. 3 5) and Dan-

to flee from the Second World War and the political

ish designer Hans J. Wegner designed a lounge suite

persecutions in Hitler's Germany. A new source of

in 1943 in which the table and chairs could be at-

inspiration was also an architectural competition for

tached to each other (cat. no. 36). Nanna Ditzel, also

Organic Design for Home Furnishings organized by

from Denmark, designed the stool called Trisserne for

the M O M A in 1940, which Charles Eames and Eero 18

Kolds Sawasrk in Keterminde with a matching ta-

Saarinen won with their bent plywood furniture. In

ble (cat. no. 45). This suite is still produced by Trip

1945 Charles Eames and his wife Ray also designed a

Trap.24 Yet another suite for children was developed

suite of bent plywood children's furniture, which was

in 1963, by Karin Mobring for IKEA. Both the chair's

manufactured by Evans Products Company in Venice,

back and front can be adjusted for sitting at two dif-

19

California (cat. no. 37). The concept of the moulded

ferent levels (cat. no. 46). Danish furniture designer

seat, however, remained the trailblazing innovation of

Kristian Vedel's plywood child's chair could also be

the day in furniture design for adults. In the following

varied in height; it was produced by Torben Orskove

years Charles and Ray Eames developed the moulded

& Co. (cat. no. 44).25 Similarly, Norwegian designer

polyester reinforced fibreglass and bent metal seat20

Peter Opsvik's child's chair Tripp Trapp is also height-

and Harry Bertoia, an employee in the Eames of-

adjustable.26 This chair that grew with the child was

fice, designed the Diamond Chair in 1950/52, which

produced by Stokke and was a great commercial suc-

ultimately became the 'classical' wire shell chair.

21

cess in Europe.27

C H I L D R E N ' S F U R N I T U R E I N I N T E R N A T I O N A L D E S I G N FROM 1 9 0 0 TO 1 9 7 0

: 83

In addition to new children's furniture, toys were

board as a material for furniture began in 1963 when

also a major field of interest for designers and manu-

British designer Peter Murdoch created Spotty, a

facturers from the USA (cat. no. 55), Germany, Aus-

folded polyethylene-coated cardboard chair for chil-

tria and Scandinavia (cat. no. 54). In addition to the

dren. International Papers produced various models

variety of rockers, modifiability and self-assemblage

of it later. Yet another cardboard seating object was

became important aspects in toy production (cat.

devised by David Bartlett in 1966 (cat. no. 47). The

no. 58). The Danish toy factory L E G O , founded in

German designer Peter Raacke also experimented with

1932, deserves special mention here for developing

cardboard as a material for children's furniture. His

the world famous plastic building blocks in 1952. The

1967 invention called Sieben Sachen [Seven Things]

Company patented the invention in 19 58.

28

was produced by Ellen Raacke in Hanau. These toys function not only as novel chairs for children but were also creative playthings (fig. 6.2, cat. no. 62). Wolf-

PLASTIC AND

gang Schefcik designed the coloured cardboard set of

CARDBOARD

chairs called Mobo for his daughters in 1994 with simIn the 1960s plastic became an important material in

ilar intentions. Children can carry these chairs around

children's furniture production. In 1962/63, inspired

easily and also paint on them (cat. no. 63).

29

by the plastic shell seats by the Eameses , the Brit-

In 1967, the Italian designers Gianatan de Pas, Do-

ish designer Robin Day created a stackable chair for

nato D'Urbino, Paolo Lomazzi and Carla Solari devel-

children called Polyprop. This chair has a die cast pro-

oped an inflatable PVC (polyvinylchloride) chair aptly

pylene [PP] seat and bent tubular steel legs and was

called Blow. It became a pop icon later. This piece

mass-produced by S. Hille & Co., London (cat. no.

echoes the experiments in pneumatic architecture that

49). Children's garden chairs with shell seats made of

have become so popular today, our case in point be-

pagholz (cat. no. 81) were equally successful on the

ing the Balconyfor Two by Haus-Rucker-Co and Hans

Austrian furniture market. They were manufactured

Hollein's Im Kofferzu transportierendes Atelier [a studio

by the Vienna-based company called Sonett. In 1961

to be transported in a briefcase] of 1967. 30

the designer team Marco Zanuso and Richard Sap-

Similarly, the team Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini and

per developed a propylene stacking chair for children

Franco Teodore designed the chair Sacco for Zanotta

which Cartel, Noviglio / Milan have been producing

of Milan. This 'bean bag' which conforms to the shape

serially since 1964 (cat. no. 51). Children can stack

of the body was a large, sealed plastic bag filled with

these chairs without help, making them not just seat-

tiny Styrofoam balls. It offered various alternatives

ing objects but also toys. Gianatan De Pas, Donato

to the 'well-mannered' and the upper-class' ways of

D'Urbino, Paolo Lomazzi and Clara Scolari further

sitting and therefore found its way into the rooms of

developed this idea in 1972 (cat. no. 51).

adolescents or into students' apartments (cat. no. 48).

In the 1960s German designers and producers

Luigi Colani's 1971/72 creation Zocker, produced

made significant contributions to children's plastic fur-

from 1973 to 1982 by Top System Burkhard Liibke,

niture, notably Walter Papst for Wikham (cat. nos. 56,

found new and playful uses (cat. no. 68). Specially

65) and Giinther Beltzig whose designs were produced

produced for children this chair became so popular

by his own company Briider Beltzig (cat. no. 66).

that a version for adults was also produced and was

In addition to wood, metal and plastics, experi-

simply called The Colani. This was the first time that a

ments with alternative materials for children's furni-

piece of children's furniture became a model for adult

ture were also made in the 1960s. The use of card-

furniture.

84 : FIDGETY

PHILIP

für kinder siebensachen 2 2 2 1

grosse schachteln kleine schachteln sesselchen würfelhocker

6.2 Sieben Sachen brochure, c. 1967, Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia This 'feedback reaction' is symptomatic for the de-

NOTES

sign visions o f the late 1 9 6 0 s and early 1 9 7 0 s w h e n the l i v i n g r o o m w a s n o l o n g e r a ' s h o w r o o m ' b u t rather a s t i m u l a t i n g field f o r the i m a g i n a t i o n . T h e cases in p o i n t here are the living r o o m landscapes by J o e C o l o m b o and Verner Panton w h i c h were s h o w n at the Visiona exhibition held at the furniture fair in C o l o g n e in 1 9 6 9 and 1 9 7 0 . 3 1 W i t h these imaginative 'playgrounds' f o r y o u n g a n d old, The Century

of the

1 Ellen KEY, Jahrhundert des Kindes (Weinheim / Basel, 1992). 2 Carsten-Peter WARNCKE, Das Ideal als Kunst, De Stijl 1917 -ipßi (Cologne, 1990). 3 Bauhaus Furniture, A Legend Reviewed, exhibition catalogue (Berlin, 2002), 96Î 4 Erich DIECKMANN, Möbelbau, Holz - Stahl-Rohr, Die Bauhausbücher, vol. 1 1 (Stuttgart, 1931), 43, 45 and 81. Also see Erich Dieckmann, Praktiker der Avantgarde, exhibition catalogue (Vitra Design Museum, 1990), 53 and cat. nos. 5 and 10.

Child became a reality in furniture design.

C H I L D R E N ' S F U R N I T U R E IN I N T E R N A T I O N A L D E S I G N F R O M 1 9 0 0 TO 1 9 7 0

: 85

5 Werner M Ö L L E R / Otakar M A R C E L , Ein Stuhl macht Geschichte (Munich, 1992). 6 Alexander von V E G E S A C K , Deutsche Stahlrohrmöbel (Munich, 1986), 140-143 7 Charles R A H N FRY, Art Deco Interiors in Colour ( N e w York, 1977), plates 14 and 16 8 V E G E S A C K (see note 6), ioof. 9 Robert Mallet-Stevens, L'oeuvre complète, exhibition catalogue, Centre Pompidou (Paris, 2005), i86f. 10 Maria Paola M A I N O , A misura di bambino, Cent'anni di mobili per infanzia in Italia (1870 -1970), 11 Eva B . O T T I L L I N G E R Sammlung

(Rome / Bari, 2003), i 2 o f .

(ed.), Alvar

Aalto:

Möbel,

Die

Kossdotff, Publikationsreihe der Museen des M o -

biliendepot, vol. 12 (Vienna, 2002), 12, fig. 7. 12 Alvar Aalto Furniture,

exhibition catalogue (Helsinki, 1984),

7 1 ; Thomas K E L L E I N , Alvar &Aino

Aalto: Design:

Collection

Bischofberger, exhibition catalogue (Bielefeld, 2004), 22f. 13 Aalto (see note 12), 76; K E L L E I N (see note 12), 1 1 . 14 O T T I L L I N G E R (see note 1 1 ) , 14. 15 O T T I L L I N G E R (see note 11), cat. nos. 12 and 17-20. 16 O T T I L L I N G E R (see note 11), 18. 17 O T T I L L I N G E R (see note n ) , figs. 18 to 20. 18 Pat K I R K H A M , Charles and Ray Eames, Designers of the Twentieth Century (Cambridge - London, 199 5), 209. 19 K I R K H A M (see note 18), 2 i 6 f . 20 K I R K H A M (see note 18), 2 3 1 - 2 4 3 ; Eva B. O T T I L L I N G E R (ed.), Möbeldesign der 50er Jahre, Wien im internationalen

Kon-

text, Publikationsreihe der Museen des Mobiliendepots, vol. 20 ( V i e n n a - C o l o g n e - W e i m a r , 2005), cat. nos. 12, I 3 a n d 2 i . 21 O T T I L L I N G E R (see note 20), cat. no. 22. 22 O T T I L L I N G E R (see note 20), cat. nos. 16 and 17. 23 Charlotte und Peter FIELL, Skandinavisches Design (Cologne, 2002). 24 F I E L L (see note 23), 1 5 6 - 1 5 9 . 25 F I E L L (see note 23), 632^ 26 F I E L L (see note 23), 49of. 27 F I E L L (see note 23), 4o6f. 28 F I E L L (see note 23), 4o6f. 29 K I R K H A M (see note 18), 231-239. 30 W i e l a n d S C H M I E D , Geschichte der bildenden Kunst in Österreich, Das 20. Jahrhundert,

vol. V I (Munich - L o n d o n - N e w

York, 2002), 460 and 509. 31 Klaus-Jürgen S E M B A C H et al, Möbeldesign des 20, Jahrhunderts (Cologne, no date), i g é f .

86 : F I D G E T Y

PHILIP

7.1 C H I L D R E N ' S F U R N I T U R E IN VIENNA DURING THE RECONSTRUCTION AFTER THE SECOND W O R L D WAR

as well as running water in the kitchen. After the war, bathrooms were standard requirements, although the child's room was about 8 to 10 m 2 in size, with very little space for the bed. Traditional middle-class livingroom and bedroom furniture, provided it had survived the war, was simply too large to fit into the new flats. The need thus arose to produce furniture for the new living conditions.6

EvaB. Ottillinger

THE

SITUATION

AFTER

THE

WAR

'If you are to understand this strange, rather sad story you must have an impression at least of the background — the smashed dreary city of Vienna divided up among the Four Powers; the Russian, the British, the American, the French zones, ...' is how Graham Greene began his novel The Third Man in 19 50.1 At that time, Vienna was suffering from a dire lack of foodstuffs, there was a housing shortage and illicit trade was rampant. Harry Lime, whom Graham Greene had hunted through the sewage system, was a penicillin pusher. The bomb attacks during the Second World War

7 . 1 Child's room from Sweden shown at the exhibition

The Woman and Her Home in 1950 in Vienna, in: Der Aufbau 1/1951

caused enormous destruction in Austria. Approximately 187,000 apartments had been damaged in

THE EXHIBITION

The Woman and Her Home, 1 9 5 0

Vienna itself and 87,000 of them were completely destroyed, so that about seven million cubic metres of

The feminist movement of the Vienna branch of

2

Austria's Socialist Party organized the exhibition Die

debris had to be removed. After 1945, the inter-war social housing programme rapidly recommenced.

3

Frau und ihre Wohnung [The Woman and Her Home]

Building work began as early as 1947, with the Per

in the Messepalast (now M Q - MuseumsQuartier)

Albin Hansson-Siedlung West, a housing estate with

along with an information centre. This presentation,

small units comprising one to three rooms, financed

which was on view from 2 December to 26 December

by Swedish aid.

4

1950, 7 was seen by 117,256 people.8

Vienna's council housing blocks built immediately 2

Furnishings for the children's room were also on

after the war provided small 25 m units for single

view at this exhibition. Visitors were shown dio-

persons, comprising a living-room-cum-kitchenette,

ramas of'developments in interior design', followed

2

48m units with living-room-cum-kitchenette for 2

by examples of Scandinavian design in the form of a

couples and one bedroom and 56m units with living-

'Swedish living room' with beechwood furniture and

room-cum-kitchenette and two bedrooms for fami-

a 'child's room from Sweden'9 with furniture made of

5

lies. Council flats in the inter-war years had a WC,

natural, untreated spruce and space-saving beds that

C H I L D R E N ' S F U R N I T U R E IN V I E N N A A F T E R T H E S E C O N D W O R L D WAR : 8 7

7-2 Children's dining area assembled by Oskar Payer with chairs and stools from Sweden, in: Oskar Payer, Praktische Wohnungskunde (Vienna, 1953)

88 : F I D G E T Y

PHILIP

7.3 Children's room for two children by Erika Hotzky shown at the exhibition The Woman and Her Home in 1950 in Vienna, in: DerAufbau 1/1951 7.4 Child's bedroom with a study area at the window by Oskar Payer shown at the exhibition The "Woman and Her Home in 1950 in Vienna, in: Oskar Payer, Praktische Wohnungskunde (Vienna., 1953)

fitted into each other (fig. 7.1). The children's chairs, shown here in two sizes, as well as the stool in the foreground were regarded as exemplary pieces of furniture for children (fig. 7.2). 10 Yet another show room was a 'children's room for two children'11, in a typical Viennese Kabinett [small rectangular room] with the window at the narrow end (fig. 7.3). Meant for old flats, this room was designed by the architect Erika Hotzky and had furniture in soft wood with an oak veneer, with the inner surface painted a bluish green.

C H I L D R E N ' S F U R N I T U R E I N V I E N N A A F T E R T H E S E C O N D W O R L D WAR : 8 9

7.5 Section for the child at the exhibition The Woman and Her Home m 1950 in Vienna, in: DerAufbau 1 / 1 9 5 1

Stackable Swedish boxes lay around the room as toys.

still raged in 1950. A production and distribution

Oskar Payer, on the other hand, designed an ex-

system had become necessary so that furniture could

tremely small and narrow 'child's bedroom with desk

be accessible and affordable for broad sections of the

11

(fig. 7.4); its beechwood furniture

population. In 1952, the Vienna Municipality, in col-

was produced by Vogel & Co. The exhibition ended

laboration with the Workers Chamber, the Chamber

with a 'section for the child with practical furniture

of Commerce and the Austrian Federation of Trade

at the window'

13

and cheap but educationally valuable toys'. (fig. 7.5)

Unions (OGB) started the initiative Soziale Wohnkultur [Social Living Culture]. The architects Herma and Karl Kotal, Otto Niedermoser, Oskar Payer, Roland

THE

FURNITURE

CAMPAIGN

'SOCIAL

LIVING

Rainer, Franz Schuster, as well as Maria and Peter Tolzer supplied designs based on the criteria 'Beauty',

CULTURE'

'Functionality' and 'Rational Production'. 14 O G B However, exhibiting model furnishings alone could

members from various professions made a selection of

not resolve the actual housing problems of that time.

the submitted proposals, and the chosen designs were

A shortage of materials and the economy of scarcity

produced and exhibited from 1952 onwards in an

90 : F I D G E T Y

PHILIP

7-6 Oskar Payer, Mobile and multi-purpose children's bed, playpen and toy manufactured by Vogel & Co. in Vienna, in: Vogel & Co. catalogue, Mag. Georg Schrom collection, Vienna

exhibition entitled Soziale Wohnkultur,15 Yet another

Moreover, consumers were also offered low interest

selection procedure ensued as part of this exhibition,

loans with the option of long-term repayment in in-

whereby visitors could vote in writing for the models

stalments. SW furniture finally went into production

they deemed worthy of serial production.

at the beginning of 1954. 'Best Quality' and 'Cheapest

Then the practical implementation of this initiative

Loans' were the slogans on advertisements for it.

had to be configured. The Municipality of Vienna and

The living-room and bedroom furniture by archi-

the Construction and Timber Workers' Union set up

tect Oskar Payer and the kitchen furniture by Prof.

the Verein für soziale Wohnkultur [Association for So-

Franz Schuster received most votes at the public survey

cial Living Culture] as the contractors for the furniture

conducted during the exhibition Soziale Wohnkultur

campaign. In keeping with the agenda, this new furni-

and their models were chosen for serial production.

ture was simply called SWMöbel [SW Furniture]. The

'The prerequisites for large-scale production were

association contracted manufacturers, initially even fi-

already in place. Not only did the clear form of the

nanced the furniture production and set quality stand-

furniture correspond to the progressive taste and prac-

ards. In addition, price agreements were made with

tical needs of our new apartments, but its structural

appointed traders and product packages developed.

form also made it very suitable for serial production;

C H I L D R E N ' S F U R N I T U R E IN V I E N N A A F T E R T H E S E C O N D W O R L D WAR : 9 1

1950s, when children's rooms were a privilege rather than something that could be taken for granted. Architects did design some special children's furniture, but only for infants, although this was also not offered as part of the SW programme. An example of this is the 'mobile and multi-purpose children's bed, playpen and toy' 10 (fig. 7.6), designed by Oskar Payer and manufactured by the furniture company Vogel & Co., which the architect also presented in 1953 in his furnishing handbook Praktische Wohnungskunde [Practical Furnishing Study]. At night, the lightweight beechwood furniture could stand as a child's bed in the parents' bedroom and during the day be rolled out as a playpen into the living room. 7.7 Maria Tolzer, All-purpose play table, in: Robert Stern (ed.), Neues Wohnen, Ein Ratgeberfiir Jedermann

For children who had not yet reached school age, play furniture was developed which also fitted

(Vienna, 1956)

into small apartments (fig. 7.7). The architect Maria

furthermore it was primarily made of domestic wood.

Tolzer, who was also involved in the initiative for a

In addition, the dimensions of all the individual pieces

'social living culture' describes an example of this type

were made to match in such a way that the compulsion

of furniture in her contribution 'A small place for our

to sell them in correspondingly expensive so-called sets

child' which appeared in the furnishing handbook

disappeared. They provided, and still continue to pro-

Neues Wohnen [New Living] in 1953 as follows: 'Un-

vide, the possibility of making individual pieces of fur-

fortunately, there are relatively few people who are in

niture on demand and gradually supplementing them

the position to give their children rooms of their own.

until a whole set of furniture has been acquired.'

16

However, one should always try to make a special lit-

In June 1956 the first SW furniture sales catalogue

tle space for children, even in small apartments, (...).

was published, presenting the whole range. Two series of

Our children should be allowed to play in the living

furniture for living rooms and bedrooms were on offer as

room and not always be required to be careful with

well as a series of kitchen furniture, which were labelled

the furniture, carpet or other things to be found there,

SWi, SW3 and SW2. The living-room furniture series

the value of which they cannot begin to comprehend.

17

SWi derived from Oskar Payer, the kitchen furniture 18

If at all possible, we should give children a small piece

series SW2 was developed by Franz Schuster , while the

of furniture of their own, which in its form, material

living-room series SW3 - added in autumn 1954 - was

and colour corresponds to the child's special way of

designed by the architect Rudolf Sorgo.

19

living and needs (...) A combination of table, cup-

The SW furniture programme contained no special

board and toy box is presented by the model Kinder-

children's furniture series. The beds and cupboards for

freund [Children's Friend]: a little cupboard the height

the children's room could be selected from the stand-

of a (child's) table, with a toy box like a drawer on

ard series SWi and SW3. The SW furniture catalogue,

both sides and above it a compartment or a shallow

which was illustrated with numerous photographs of

drawer beneath a lino-covered table top. This can be

the models, presents no proposals for furnishing a

considerably enlarged by folding out one or two table

children's room. This reflects the housing reality of the

92 : FIDGETY

PHILIP

leaves, so that two or three children can play on it.' 21

In the middle of the 1950s, Austrian furniture

at the University of Applied Art in Vienna, who had

producers rather timidly discovered the child as a

been commissioned to design a children's room. In

customer and children's furniture as an expandable

the catalogue this was described as follows: "The chil-

market, although they did not even come close to the

dren's room is devoted to our little ones' world of play.

wide range of children's furniture manufactured by

In all its parts it grows with the children until they

the bentwood furniture industry in the period around

are well into school age. The table, chair, wall screen,

1900. The first example of this is a children's chair

boxes, bed ladder and even the beds themselves have

produced by Emil and Alfred Pollak in Vienna's dis-

several possible uses, and you should ask to be given

trict of Meidling, which has a back made of perforated

a demonstration. Decisive for the design was the idea

plywood and a leg construction reminiscent of the

of creating a great deal of room for the child - room

so-called Stadthallen Stuhl designed by architect Ro-

to sleep, to play, room to make things and to learn.'25

land Rainer, which was likewise manufactured by the

The furniture can be rearranged by the children them-

Pollak company.21 In the case of the children's chair it

selves and used as objects for play in a variety of ways.

was probably a company design after Rainers model

For example, the ladder for the bunk-bed can also

rather than a design by the architect himself (cat. no.

be used as a see-saw (fig. 7.8, 7.9). Wolfgang Haipl

41).

23

The Wiesner-Hager company in Altheim in

has approached the design with a variety of practical

Upper Austria, which had brought the Austro Sessel

considerations in mind, which he explains thus: '... a

onto the market as 'Stackable Chair model no. 341', a

children's room can be divided into serious and play-

variation of the Rainer chair, also sold children's chairs

ful furniture. Basic educational ideas are and must be

for schools and kindergartens.

24

In general, the main

taken for granted. Economy and subsequent utiliza-

focus of attention in redesigning children's furniture

tion are likewise decisive. Here the distinction between

in Austria in the 1950s and 1960s was on furnishing

serious and playful gradually emerges. Those pieces of

kindergartens and schools.

furniture which are intended for the child but which are not directly perceived by the child as being part of the children's room, are described as being the seri-

CHILDREN'S HAIPL AND

FURNITURE JOHANNES

BY

WOLFGANG

SPALT

ous furniture. For this reason, such furniture can also be designed from the outset with later utilization in mind. Such furniture includes the clothes and linen

New impulses for the design of children's furniture came in the early 1960s from the architecture profession. On the occasion of Austria's entry to EFTA

cupboard — children don't pick up their own clothes; that's done by Mum. As for the beds: a bed with a mattress is relatively expensive and so it might as well

in March 1962, an exhibition entitled Skandinavien

be a really big bed from the start. All the other pieces

Wohnkultur at Mariahilfer Straße 7. It presented 'fur-

i.e. playful furniture, because they can be directly used

— Alpenland [Scandinavia — Alpine Region] was held of furniture are primarily playthings and can also be used in some form or other, as a table and chair etc., in the rooms of the Vienna Carpenters' Association niture models of exemplary living culture' and contributions from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Switzerland was represented by the workers'

by children themselves.'26 These designs were awarded the Austrian State Prize for Furniture and manufactured in a small production series.27

cooperative Wohnhilfe/Zürich. The Austrian contri-

As early as the 19 50s a new generation of architects

bution was by the young architect Wolfgang Haipl

had appeared on the Viennese scene, above all arbeits-

(born 1937), a pupil of Professor Otto Niedermoser

gruppe 4, which was founded in 1950 by Clemens

CHILDREN'S FURNITURE IN VIENNA AFTER THE SECOND WORLD WAR : 93

7.8/9 Wolfgang Haipl, Children's furniture for the exhibition Scandinavia - Alpine Region, 1962, archive of Prof. Arch. Wolfgang Haipl, Vienna

94 : FIDGETY

PHILIP

Holzmeister's pupils Wilhelm Holzbauer (born 1930), Friedrich Kurrent (born 1 9 3 1 ) , Otto Leitner (born 1953) and Johannes Spalt (born 1920). Their first buildings included the parish church of SalzburgParsch (1953-1956) and the pastoral centre in SteyrEnnsleiten ( 1 9 5 8 - 1 9 6 1 ) . For Musikhaus 3/4, which they built for Universal Edition in Vienna's inner city in 1959, the team created simple furniture made of hardboard painted white. This new material, which had only come onto the market shortly beforehand, was 'folded' and glued in a mould according to a patent specially developed by Johannes Spalt. All the details of the armchairs, stools, record desks and shelves displayed a dimension of 12.5 cm as the basic module of the design.28 Even the cushions of the armchair were of this size. Johannes Spalt then took this idea further and in 1963 designed new plywood furniture.29

•ZUSAMMENBAUMOBEL" KINDERMOBEL, 1966

KINDERSESSEL AUS SPERRHOLZ ODER HARTFASER, 1964

7. io Johannes Spalt, Design for children's furniture,

After that he devoted himself to children's furniture. In 1964 Spalt, whose sons were at that time go-

1964/65, in: Johannes Spalt, Johannes Spalt (Vienna - Cologne - Weimar, 1993)

ing to kindergarten, designed a child's chair. This was followed by a matching children's table, a ladder/blackboard, a Wendy house and stackable toy boxes, made

Similar wooden joints were also used by Giinter

by the Viennese carpenter Urban Warmuth in ply-

Beltzig in his desk called Steckholzschreibtisch (1972)

wood or hardboard and painted red. With the excep-

and Luigi Colani for his Rappelkiste (1975, cat. no.

tion of the toy boxes, the designs were all examples of

70) and Tobifant (1977). 32

self-assembly furniture (fig. 7.10, cat. nos. 59, 60) and

Johannes Spalt did not want to make everyday

were exhibited in Milan in 1965 and at the Wiener

objects for children that were simply reduced in size,

Bauzentrum [Vienna Architecture Centre] in 1966.

but play furniture based on the following educational

Spalt had already experimented with the construction

intentions: 'Building is a basic human instinct and be-

of wooden joints in 1956/57, when he was an assist-

gins with playing in the sand, building sand castles and

ant to Konrad Wachsmann at the summer academy

digging holes. The further development (...) of that

in Salzburg.

30

He explained the ideas behind his chil-

would be to build one's own huts and tools. Important

dren's furniture designs in this way: "This self-assembly

in this is one's own learning process and social behav-

furniture for parents and children was made according

iour. Following on from these considerations it would

to my own designs and I believe that it does children

make sense to see how activities such as tying, sewing,

and adults good to build up a better relationship with

glueing, dowelling, wedging and screwing can be de-

their furniture by doing a bit of work on it. The princi-

liberately used in an altered form. In our mechanized

ple is new: you fit the boards together and then secure

world, preparation for later stages in life and training

them with wooden tenons. When being transported,

the coordination between head and hand is essential,

moved or cleared away, they are taken apart and the

has an influential effect and cannot be introduced too

three-dimensional object becomes a flat package.'

31

early. It is part of the attempt to avoid neglecting the

C H I L D R E N ' S F U R N I T U R E I N V I E N N A AFTER T H E S E C O N D W O R L D WAR : 9 5

creative side in favour of the logical and logically consistent technical side. In this way children begin to distinguish material, colour, weight and form.' 33 The elaborations of this architect remind one of the ideas of Maria Montessori, which at that time were being applied in kindergartens but not in children's rooms. Spalts designs were far ahead of their time but - in contrast to the later models of Günter Beltzig and Luigi Colani - did not go into serial production. However, as Professor at the University of Applied Art in Vienna, Johannes Spalt was able to pursue his design ideas and in 1982 he gave his master class the task of designing children's furniture as play furniture. From this body of students' work, Professor Spalt then presented designs by Joan Timar, Johannes Huterer,

13 DerAuflau

2/1951,68.

14 Eva H A C K , 'Soziales Wohnen - Entwicklung' einer Idee, in: Gerhard J A G D S C H I T Z / Klaus-Dieter M U L E Y (eds.), Die 'wilden' fünfziger Jahre, Gesellschaft, Formen und Gefühle eines Jahrzehnts (St. Pölten/Vienna, 1995), 138. 15 Österreichisches Produktivitätszentrum (ed.) [Austrian Productivity Centre], Soziale Wohnkultur, exhibition catalogue (Vienna, 1952). 16 DerAuflau

9/1955, 362.

1 7 DerAuflau

9/1955, 366.

18 Franz S C H U S T E R , 'Die Wiener Einbauküche',

DerAuflau

8/1954, 349-56. 19 DerAuflau

9/1955, 362.

20 PAYER (see note 10), 27. 21 Maria T O L Z E R , 'Ein eigenes Platzerl fur unser Kind', in: Robert Stern (ed.), Neues Wohnen, Ein Ratgeber fur Jedermann (Vienna, 1956), I 5 2 Î 22 O T T I L L I N G E R (see note 6), 64f. and cat. nos. 53 and 54. 23 The estate of the architect Roland Rainer (died 2004) is at present not accessible for research. On the occasion of the exhibition of

Gerhard Haumer, Stefan Herold, Ursula Paula, Wolf-

Rainer furniture presented at the design gallery Rauminhalt in

gang Exner, Aliki Palamianakis, Mie Goto and Diet-

Vienna, Prof. Rainer remarked critically that the company E.

mar Neururer in a catalogue.34

& A. Pollak had manufactured variations of his designs. Private communication by Harald Bichler, Rauminhalt, Vienna.

Professor Spalt himself developed an Auto-Schaukel [Car Swing], inspired by the model of the Schaukelwagen [Swing Car] developed around 1950 by Hans Brockhage and Erwin Andrä and manufactured by Siegfried Lenz, Berggieshübel / G D R (cat. no. 57).

24 The i960 Wiesner-Hager catalogue Schulmöbel contains this Austro Sessel as part of the classroom furniture. 2 5 Supplementary sheet on the exhibition Skandinavien — y\lpenland (Vienna, 1962). 26 Wolfgang Haipl, 'Liebe Eltern', Moderne Wohnkultur, Osterreich Institut (Vienna, 1963), 7of. 27 Private communication by Prof. Arch. Wolfgang Haipl, Vienna. 28 Friedrich K U R R E N T , Einige Häuser, Kirchen und Dergleichen (Salzburg - Munich, 2001), 38 and 66/67; Johannes SPALT,

NOTES

Johannes Spalt (Vienna/CologneAWeimar, 1993), 36-37. OTT I L L I N G E R (see note 6), 82-84 and cat. no. 80.

1 Graham G R E E N E , The Third Man, (London: Penguin Books,

29 SPALT (see note 28), 254-56; Johannes Spalt — Möbel, exhibition catalogue, Rauminhalt (Vienna, 2003), 42-43.

1977). 132 Erich B R A M H A S , Der Wiener Gemeindebau, Vom Karl MarxHof zum Hundertwasserhaus (Basel/Boston/Stuttgart, 1987), 72. 3 B R A M H A S (see note 2); see also Franz Schuster, 'Das soziale Schnellbauprogramm', DerAuflau

5/1950.

30 SPALT (see note 28), 3 1 - 3 3 ; information from the architect Luigi Blau, Vienna. 31 SPALT (see note 28), 258. 32 Gerd S I E K M A N N , 'Filius und Zocker schreiben deutsche

4 B R A M H A S (see note 2), 78.

Kindermöbelgeschichte', in: Almut G R I N W A L D and Tobias

5 B R A M H A S (see note 2), 76.

H O F F M A N N (eds.), Experiment 70, Designvisionen von Luigi

6 Eva O T T I L L I N G E R (ed.), Möbel Design der 50er Jahre, Wien im internationalen Kontext, Publikationsreihe der Museen des Mobiliendepots, vol. 20 (Vienna/Cologne/Weimar), 78. 7 Der Auflau 1 / 1 9 5 1 , 8. 8 Der Auflau 2/1951, 49. 9 Der Auflau

X/IM

7.24 Highchair Tipp Topp by Heinz Kettler, Ense-Parsit / FRG, from: company brochure 2006

applications — in this case a butterfly which of course

'romantic baby room'5 rustic forms and red tones pre-

the baby cannot see anyway.

dominate. Convincing in contrast are such details as

The above-mentioned also applies for example to

the 'washing basket compartment for nappy twists' as

the programmes Anastasia (fig. 7.22) and Frederic (fig.

an alternative to the traditional nappy bucket, which

4

7.23), manufactured by Wellemobel . The idea of a

here elegantly disappears as a built-in element.

system is certainly praiseworthy, since it has led to a

Once the child can sit, then he or she needs a

programme which, for example, allows an infant's cot

highchair, in order to be able to take part in the fam-

to be transformed into a junior bed - an appropriate

ily mealtimes at the same height. A formally attractive

solution both for financial reasons and on account of

one is offered by the long-established German com-

sustainability. However, one still wonders why, after

pany Herlag. The height of the highchair Tipp Topp

years (if not decades) of the gender discussion, Fred-

(fig. 7.24) can be adjusted (although only with a tool),

eric's room is decorated in the traditional male blue,

its natural beechwood model was the 2005 eco-test

has rather more angular forms and is described as 'co-

winner and its 'seat-size reducer' is equipped with dirt-

siness in an attractive design', whereas in Anastasia s

repellent microfibres in one colour (red, blue, white,

Anastasia A N D Frederic,

I M P R E S S I O N S OF T H E

2006

C O L O G N E F U R N I T U R E FAIR A N D T H E T I M E B E F O R E : 1 2 1

7.25 Standard play bed from the Fleximo range by Paidi Mobel, Hafenlohr / FRG, from: company brochure 5/2005

black or brown). The cotton covers, which are avail-

A very important subject, however, is beds. Thus

able separately, display child-friendly (?) patterns with

Paidi6 has 'adventures and more' to offer in the form

rabbits, mice and bears.

of its programmes Varietta and Fleximo, which are

122:

FIDGETY

PHILIP

f

fi

I

«

SEGGOJNA POP design Enzo Mari

JUUAN design Javier Mariscal

TRKXI design Eero Aamio

UTTUE FLARE design Marce) Wanders

UTTLE FLARE design Marcel Wanders

LADRILLOS design Javier Mariscal

LADRILLOS design Javier Mariscal

ELBAUL design Javier Mariscal

MY SPACE design Björn Dahlström

MY SPACE design Björn Dahlstitìm

7.26 Me too collection by MAGIS, Motta di Livenza / Italy, from: company brochure 2006

equipped for the night with lighting elements on the

through their fingers by not catering for the 'intrepid

edges and a stepladder (fig. 7.25). It is certainly a sen-

knights and cool football stars' and producing such

sible idea to make such concepts highly versatile, so

things as 'fabric accessories: play-tent and curtain set,

that a child's cot can be transformed into a couch, a

in today's trendy new colour combination of orange

play bed or even a corner bunk-bed. From my own

and green or even the 'goalwall set. A football pitch in

experience, I can say that when the family expands or

the child's room - a great highlight for little fans' 7 .

the children grow up one is glad not to have to con-

However, is all that necessary? Does it really stim-

stantly buy new furniture, but only to have to rebuild

ulate a child's imagination? Is it not in fact the case

or expand existing pieces, particularly if the living

that children reallocate the uses of existing things in

space at one's disposal is rather limited.

a subversive and creative way. Was not Lucy Bullivant

W h e n we were children in the 1 9 5 0 s we used to

right in claiming that 'Children's artefacts and envi-

build caves and tents from inverted chairs, a piece of

ronments are invariably designed to fulfil the needs,

string and a few clothes-pegs, under the dining table

and even satisfy the fantasies, of adults'?8

or even outdoors between two washing-line posts.

One might adduce several other examples of more

Looking back, one would describe this as a creative

and less sensible furniture combinations for children

achievement — albeit unconscious. At any rate, imagi-

which, given an appropriately large-sized wallet, could

nation was called for. Today, in contrast, almost any-

be developed into whole playing islands. C o m m o n to

thing can be obtained in prefabricated form. Ladders,

them all is the fact that they stipulate what the adult

curtains, tents and many other things can be added

imagines to be a suitable game for children and that

to beds. The manufacturers would of course be fool-

they frequently come in rather garish colours. The

ish to let such possibilities of additional earnings slip

names of the designers are not so easy to ascertain, so

Anastasia AND Frederic, IMPRESSIONS

OF T H E

2006

COLOGNE FURNITURE FAIR A N D T H E T I M E BEFORE :

123

— big ideas for little ones'. On ten pages, design report first of all presented young professional designers who have designed furniture for their own children', but then turned its attention to the avant-garde of the 1920s and 1930s and finally to the latest trends of recent years.10 The nappy-changing unit made by the Hamburg designer Thomas Wendtlandt for his daughter serves as a child's desk once the legs have been unscrewed (fig. 7.27). Unusual for me was the design of the child's room, which instead of the primary colours that are otherwise customary in such cases combined a dull turquoise with yellow curtains. Has the taste of the parents once again asserted itself here? The Cologne designer Wolfgang Laubersheimer had a cot built for his son, the mattress of which can be adjusted as desired. For the son of the Berlin Professor of Design Axel 7.2.7 Nappy-changing unit that can be converted into a desk by Thomas Wendtlandt, Hamburg / FRG, from: design report 1/1994

Kufus, Willy Bernklau designed a chair (or perhaps an armchair) made of thin M D F boards that can be easily assembled (fig. 7.28). Concerning his designs for his own children Kufus admits: 'We ended up with

that what we have seen and presented here as a cross-

shelves with coloured boxes, but the children like to

section will have to be described as 'factory designs'.

play with them.' 11

Walking through the halls of the Cologne exhibi-

In contrast, Ron Arad makes it just a bit too easy,

tion centre I could find only one manufacturer who

as was the case during the period of International

had understood how to get well-known designers to

Modernism in the 1920s, by simply miniaturizing

design furniture and objects for children, namely:

the adult furniture of Soft Big Easy, which he had

9

MAGIS with its me too collection (fig. 7.26). Enzo

made for the Italian manufacturer Moroso, to create

Mari has designed very pleasant children's chairs,

Soft Little Easy (fig. 7.29). The same goes for Stiletto's

Javier Mariscal a comic-like dog on which one can sit

Short Rest (cat. no. 52). On the other hand, antholo-

as well as a variable shelf system, while Eero Aarnio

gie quartett had the courage to bring onto the market

has proposed a chair which can also be used as a rock-

both the innovative children's furniture programme of

ing horse. Marcel Wanders's contribution to the col-

normal chair elements by the Frankfurt designer duo

lection is a table which comes decorated with letters

Ginbande 12 and also the system entitled Kind Size, de-

and signs from our everyday world.

signed by Daniel Weil and Gerard Taylor.

A glance at the relevant German-language design

'Puppet theatre, chest of drawers, cupboard with

journals such as design report shows that children's furni-

a separate toy box and blackboard can be combined

ture and objects for children have made the front cover

with one another.' 13 (Unfortunately, this line is no

as a subject only three times in the past ten years. In

longer available today.)

1994, it wrote: 'From the cradle to the painting table.

Perhaps the most successful piece of children's fur-

Furniture for children. Mobile, colourful and flexible

niture in our time is the Mammuts chair, sold by a

124:

FIDGETY

PHILIP

7.28 Child's chair by Willy Bernklau and shelves by Axel Kufus, Berlin / FRG, from: design report 1/1994

7.29 Soft Little Easy by Ron Arad, Moroso / Italy, from: design report 12/1995

Anastasia A N D Frederic,

I M P R E S S I O N S OF T H E

2006

C O L O G N E F U R N I T U R E FAIR A N D T H E T I M E B E F O R E

:

125

big Swedish DIY furniture store. Designed by Marten

The exhibition and publication that has so far

Kjelstrup and Allan Ostgaard, it has continued to sell

been most comprehensive and varied on the subject,

exceptionally well ever since the 1990s.

namely kid size. The Material World of Childhood,

In 1995 another issue of design report included an

dates from 1997 and is in particular distinguished by

article presenting 'What's best for children. A dis-

the fact that it also directs our gaze to cultures outside

14

sertation by Kathrin Kremser with the motto: 'one

of Europe.18

should have more confidence in children', proposed

In 1995 the Museums of the City ofVelbert exhib-

using moulded beechwood, which is certainly expen-

ited children's furniture in relation to Bauhaus, under

sive at the prototype stage, yet in mass production

the title Fur Hahnemann undandere [For Hahnemann

(which is what she was striving for) becomes quite rea-

and Other Children] 19 . Here we can once again find

sonable (figs. 7.30—7.32). One can only subscribe to

all those classical designer names which we already

Kremser's conviction that 'being child-friendly cannot

know from adult furniture. After all, 'The furniture

mean crassly ignoring the child's sensitive perceptions

which is now being designed in accordance with the

by using wild colours, forms and lifeless materials'.

needs of children forms part of modernism's grand

20 Finally, in 1998, design report took up the subject of project to design life in a sensible way.'

children's furniture once again under the title 'Steppke

An exhibition which to a certain extent returned

& Co'. Naturally this article dealt with multifunc-

to the origins of the study and collection of design

tional, variable and expandable furniture. Yet the man-

products was Kindermobel und Spielobjekte [Children's

ufacturer, wb form, offers a variation of the so-called

Furniture and Playthings], shown at the Cologne Mu-

IJlrn Hocker under the name fantasia, itself rich in asso-

seum of Applied Arts in 1973. "This exhibition (...)

ciations (fig. 7.33). One reads with astonishment that

presents above all present-day industrial serial prod-

the concept was first developed some fifty years ago.15

ucts based on designs by internationally renowned de-

Finally, before this list of designer names, com-

signers from eight European countries and the USA.

panies and product descriptions begins to become

The materials are child-friendly and at the same time

slightly tedious, we should take a look at some rel-

also appropriate for both the time and the purpose:

evant exhibition catalogues, or at least those which

plastic, cardboard, foam plastic and wood.' 21 How-

have visualized, presented and addressed our subject

ever, the objects on show range from the first high-

in the German-speaking region.

chairs and baby walkers of the Baroque period to what

Most recently, in 2004, the foundation Bauhaus

at that time was the immediate present, which was

Museum, Klassik Stiftung Weimar, devoted an exhibi-

characterized by the unhesitating use of plastics, not

tion to the 'new world for children' of the Bauhaus art-

only in the case of children's furniture.

16

ist Alma Siedhoff-Buschcr. Her furniture - for exam-

In contrast, the exhibition and publication Die

ple, the work done for the youth welfare exhibition in

Umwelt des Kindes [The Child's Environment] organ-

Weimar in 1924 - corresponds to the uncompromising

ized by Die Neue Sammlung in Munich in 1956, fol-

language of the minimalist aesthetic of Bauhaus, which

lows the moral principles that were typical for the Ger-

limits itself to primary colours.

man post-war period. In the present context, I regard

The temporary exhibition and publication Schmatz 17

this slim catalogue as being especially important be-

nicht , dating from 2001, gathered together almost

cause it calls into question the more or less inevitable

exclusively children's cutlery and tableware, yet also

colourfulness of children's furniture and playthings.

showed the cardboard furniture Sieben Sachen (cat. no. 62) by Peter Raacke, which dates from the late 1960s.

126:

FIDGETY

PHILIP

'Some well-designed toys were excluded on account of their bright colours, while toys in natural

7-30 Convertible children's furniture by Kathrin Kremser, FRG, from: design report 12/1995 7.31 Convertible children's furniture by Kathrin Kremser, FRG, from: design report 12/1995 7.32 Convertible children's furniture by Kathrin Kremser, FRG, from: design report 12/1995

colours were preferred. We regard it as an error to

colours. It may well even be that a child reacts partic-

believe that bright colours are especially suitable for

ularly easily to bright colours. However, overfeeding

the child's experience. A child is certainly attracted by

children with colour will ruin their sense of colour.' 22

Anastasia A N D Frederic,

I M P R E S S I O N S OF T H E

2006

C O L O G N E F U R N I T U R E FAIR A N D T H E T I M E B E F O R E :

127

7.33 fantasia by w b form, F R G , from: design report 9/1998

I d e l i b e r a t e l y c o n c l u d e m y o b s e r v a t i o n s o n this subject w i t h this a p o d i c t i c c l a i m that w a s already m a d e h a l f a c e n t u r y ago. W e s h o u l d reflect u p o n it anew, just as w e s h o u l d also p o n d e r the q u e s t i o n o f h o w the designers o f children's f u r n i t u r e transfer their 'adult' u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f b e i n g a c h i l d o n t o their o w n designs.

Material World of Childhood, exhibition catalogue, Vitra Design Museum (Weil am Rhein, 1997), 2of. 9 www.magisdesign.com 10 design report 1/1994, 27ff. 1 1 Ibid., 29. 12 2005 catalogue of anthologie quartett, 1 6 - 1 7 . 13 design report 1/1994, 3 5 14 design report 12/1995, 28/29. 15 design report 9/1998, 24. 16 Eine Weltfiir Kinder. Alma Siedhof-Buscher, exhibition catalogue (Weimar, 2004).

NOTES

17 Frauke von der H A A R / Heidrun O B E R L Ä N D E R (eds.), 1

It should be noted that a special trade fair entitled Kind + Jugend [Child and Youth] is held in Cologne every autumn - the most recent one from 16 to 18. 9. 2005. See also the interview with Oliver P. Kuhrt in: Mobelmarkt Bambini. Das Fachmagazin fiir Kinder undJugendsortimente, no. 3, 200 5, no page number.

2

Flyer for imm cologne, 1 6 - 2 2 January 2006.

3 www.letto.com.tr 4

www.welle-babymoebel.de

5 All quotations from flyers dated 11/200 5. 6 www.paidi.de 7 All quotations are from the brochure entitled 'Fleximo', issued by the Paidi company 05/2005, 7. 8 Lucy Bullivant, "The Currencies of Childhood', kid size. The

128 : FIDGETY

PHILIP

Schmatz nicht, exhibition catalogue, Deutsches Klingenmuseum (Solingen, 2001). 18 kid size. The Material World of Childhood, exhibition catalogue, Vitra Design Museum (Weil am Rhein, 1997). 19 Für Hahnemann und andere. Kinder-Möbel rund ums Bauhaus, exhibition catalogue, Deutsches Schloß- und Beschlägemuseum (Velbert, 1995). 20 Ibid., 6. 21 Kindermöbel und Spielobjekte, exhibition catalogue, Kunstgewerbemuseum (Cologne, 1973), 5. 22 Die Umwelt des Kindes, exhibition catalogue, Neue Sammlung (Munich, 1956), 5.

CATALOGUE

Compiled by Eva B. Ottillinger Photographed by Fritz Simak The images for numbers 5, 16, 1 7 , 18, 23, 24, 25, 27 and 28 were provided by the lenders. Measurements in cm H = height, H S = height of seat, W = width, L = length, D = depth, D M = diameter

CATALOGUE

: I 29

P I O N E E R S IN T H E D E S I G N OF C H I L D R E N ' S FURNITURE

i) Child's chair no. 1 4 Gebrüder Thonet, c. 1880 Stained, varnished and polished bent solid beech with woven cane seat H: 60.5, HS: 39, W: 32, D: 39 Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna, M D 68.603

CATALOGUE

: 131

2) Cradle Vienna, c. 1820/30 Polished walnut and ebonized pearwood, brass H: 165, W: 185, D: 80 Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna, M D 20.3 5 5

3) Cradle for Crown Prince Rudolf Franz Podany, Vienna 1858 Carved, gilded and polished mahogany with wood marguetry, replaced lining H: 1 6 3 , W: 130, D: 75 Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna, M D 43.342

132 :

FIDGETY

PHILIP

4) Cradle no. i Gebrüder Thonet, c. 1880 Polished and bene solid beech H: 197, W: 140, D: 68 Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna, M D 7 1 . 3 7 0

5) Cradle Design: Josef Hoffmann Manufactured by: J. & J. Kohn, c. 1 9 0 5 / 1 0 Stained and polished solid bent beech and plywood H: n o , W: n o , D: 52 Bel Etage, Vienna

CATALOGUE

133

6) Bed Vienna, c. 1820/30 Walnut-veneered, polished H: 1 1 0 , W: 1 3 9 , D: 74 Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna, M D 28.755 7) Bed from Schònbrunn Palace Vienna, c. i860 Walnutveneered, turned and polished, cotton netting H: 1 3 8 , W: 1 3 2 . 5 , D: 72 Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna, M D 4 7 . 3 2 1 8) Cradle Austria, c. 1880/1900 Painted softwood H: 64, W: 98, D: 74.5 Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna, M D 5 0 . 1 7 2 9) Bed J . & J. Kohn, c. 1 9 0 0 / 1 9 1 0 Stained and polished solid bent beech H: 99, W: 158, W: 86 Julius Hummel collection, Vienna

134:

FIDGETY

PHILIP

CATALOGUE

135

o) Highchair used by Crown Prince Rudolf and Archduchess Marie Valerie Vienna, c. i860 Carved and polished ebony with velvet upholstery H: 105, HS: 58, W: 43, D : 48 Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna, M D 4 2 . 6 1 3

1) Child's swivel chair with horses head and 'Child's High Armchair' Gebrüder Thonet, post 1900 and c. 1885 Stained and polished solid bent beech; seats: plywood and woven cane; carved horse's head with polychromy H: 97, HS: 67, W: 4 1 , D: 52 and H: 92, HS: 57, W: 3 5, D:83.5 Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna, M D 68.572 Julius Hummel collection, Vienna

12) Rocking chairs no. 7 and no. 1 0 Gebrüder Thonet, c. 1885 Stained and polished solid bent beech with woven cane seat H: 78.5, W: 44, D: 89.5 and H: 8 i , W: 50.5, D: 87 Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna, M D 7 1 . 4 4 7 and M D 70.724

1 3 ) Children's settee Gebrüder Thonet, post 1900 Stained and polished solid bent beech with plywood seat H: 67, HS: 32, W: 80, D: 34 Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna, M D 1 9 5 . 1 8 7 Permanent loan from the family of Mag. Pollheimer

CATALOGUE

137

iL

i38

FIDGETY

PHILIP

14) Set of dolls' furniture Gebrüder Thonet, c. 1885 Stained and polished solid bent beech with woven cane seats Table: H: 25.5, D M : 26.5 Armchairs: H: 3 1 . 5 , HS: 1 5 , W: 18, D: 23 Sofa: H: 34, HS: 1 5 , W: 36, D: 23 Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna, M D 71.296-299 15) Suite of garden furniture c. 1900

MI/A

Painted wood and iron Table: H: 5 0 ^ : 7 5 , 0 : 4 3 . 5 Armchairs: H: 60, HS: 34, W: 40.5, D: 37.5 Bench: H: 69.5, HS: 32, W: 99.5, D:43-5 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia 16) Murals for a nursery at Palais Stockt in Brussels Franz von Zülow, c. 1907 Printing technique using paper stencils H: 50, W: 47.2 Bel Etage, Vienna

CATALOGUE

: I 39

17) Armchair, chair, stool and table from the children's room in the apartment of Dr. Hermann Wittgenstein in Vienna Design: Josef Hoffmann, c. 1906 Manufactured by: Wiener Werkstatte Beech, painted white, replaced upholstery Table: H: 75, W: 1 3 9 , 0 : 6 5 Armchair: H: 90, S: 46, S: 46, W: 66, D: 46 Chair: H: 90, HS: 45, B: 44, T: 46 Stool: H: 46, W = D: 41 M A K - Austrian Museum of Applied Art, Vienna, inv. no. H.2090 a, b, c, d (photo: Georg Mayer)

140 :

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8) Settee for a nursery shown at the Kunstschau in 1908 Design: Josef Hoffmann, c. 1908 Manufactured by: J. & J. Kohn Solid bent beech, painted white and with a plywood seat H: 79, HS: 39, W: 1 1 4 , D: 46 Bel Etage, Vienna

9) Armchair for a nursery shown at the Kunstschau in 1908 Design: Josef Hoffmann, c. 1908 Manufactured by: J. & J. Kohn Stained and polished solid bent beech with a plywood seat H: 80, HS: 38, W: 5 3 , 0 : 4 4 . 5 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

20) Child's armchair Design: Robert Oerley, c. 191 o Solid bent beech and plywood, repainted green H : 50, HS: 32, W : 39, D : 30 Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna, M D 71.490

21) Chair from a set of children's furniture Design: O t t o Prutscher, 1915 Manufactured by: Gebriider Thonet Solid bent beech and plywood, repainted red H: 63.5, HS: 33, W : 30, D : 3 5 Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna, M D 68.602

22) Armchair Thonet Mundus A G , c. 1925 Solid bent beech with plywood seat, repainted red H : 53.5, HS: 32, W : 42.5, D : 39 Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna, M D 68.650

142 :

FIDGETY

PHILIP

23) Child's chair Design: Gerrit Rietveld, 1 9 1 9

H: 90, W: 3 5, D: 40 Gemeentemuseum, The Hague

Painted Wood and leather

CATALOGUE

143

24) Armchair with runners Design: Peter Keler, c. 1925 Manufactured by: Bauhaus Workshops stained walnut and alder with leather seat, H : 73, W : 65, D : 64.5 Bauhaus Museum, Klassik Stiftung Weimar

25) Child's cupboard Design: Katt Both, 1927 Manufactured by: Bauhaus Workshops Painted w o o d H : 125, W : 210, D : 60 Bauhaus Museum, Klassik Stiftung Weimar

144:

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PHILIP

26) Armchair Design: Erich Dieckmann, c. 1926 Manufactured by: Staatliche Bauhochschule Weimar Painted solid beech and plywood H: 60, HS: 33, W: 40, D: 39 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia 27) Bench Design: Erich Dieckmann, 1928 Manufactured by: Staatliche Bauhochschule Weimar Painted solid beech and plywood H: 6 1 . 5 , HS: 33, W: 77.3, D: 40 Bauhaus Museum, Klassik Stiftung Weimar

28) Table and chairs Design: Marcel Breuer, 1924 Manufactured by: Bauhaus Workshops Painted solid beech and plywood Table: H: 54, W = D: 50 Chair: H: 58, HS: 29, W: 26, D: 36.2 Bauhaus Museum, Klassik Stiftung Weimar

29) Cantilever chair B 3 3 and table BS 81 Design: Marcel Breuer, 1928 Manufactured by: chair: Thonet Mundus A G , table: Mucke Melder / C Z Chrome-plated tubular steel and painted beech, two-cord yarn Table: H: 60, W: 66, D: 40 Chair: H: 63.5, HS: 33, W: 4 1 . 5 , D: 48 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

FIDGETY

PHILIP

30) Cantilever chair B 34 and chair B 5 Design: Marcel Breuer, 1928 Manufactured by: Thonet Mundus A G Chrome-plated tubular steel, beech and two-cord yarn Cantilever chair: H: 64, HS: 3 1 , W: 4 1 , D: 53 Chair: H: 73, HS: 40, W: 45, D: 50 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

3 1 ) Cantilever chair Mauser, c. 1 9 3 0 Chrome-plated tubular steel and painted plywood H: 76, HS: 43, W: 38, D: 49 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

CATALOGUE

147

KINDERGARTEN

3 2) Chair for a kindergarten in the district of Dobling in Vienna Design: Franz Dicker, 1934 Plywood H: 50.5, HS: 30, W: 30, D: 31 Mag. Georg Schrom, Vienna 3 3) Kindergarten chairs made of bentwood and tubular steel Left: Design: Wilhelm Schiitte, c. 1925/30 Painted tubular steel and painted beech H: 55, HS: 31.5, W: 28, D: 32 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia Right: Design: Ferdinand Kramer, c. 1925/30 Manufactured by: Thonet Mundus A G Stained and polished bent solid beech with a plywood seat H: 58, HS: 34, W: 39, D: 40 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

148

FIDGETY

PHILIP

34) Chair and cantilever chair Design: Alvar Aalto, c. 1 9 3 1 / 3 3 Manufactured by: Artek / Finnland Varnished birch, plywood and laminated wood Chair: H: 53, HS: 3 1 , W: 38, D: 39 Cantilever chair: H: 59, HS: 29, W: 34, D: 48 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

3 5) Chair Design: Jens Risom, 1942 Manufactured by: Knoll Associates Inc., New York / U S A Varnished birch with webbing H: 53, HS: 3 1 , W: 38, D: 39 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

CATALOGUE

1

5°

:

FIDGETY

PHILIP

m

3 6) Table and chair Design: Hans J. Wegner, 1943 Manufactured by: FDB / Denmark Varnished beech Table: H: 45, W: 72, D: 43 Chair: H: 49, HS: 25, W: 36, D: 30 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia 37) Chair and stool Design: Charles und Ray Eames, 1945 Manufactured by: Evans Products Company, Venice / USA Varnished mahogany plywood Chair: H. 37, HS: 22, W: 35, D: 28 Stool: H: 22, W: 37, D: 26 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia 38) Chair

Table: H: 5 5, W: 4 8 , 0 : 4 0

Design: Harry Bertoia, 1952

Chair: H. 56, HS: 30, W: 3 1 , D: 37

Manufactured by: Knoll Associates Inc., New York / USA

Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

Painted metal wire H: 58, HS: 34,W:40, D: 41 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

40) Result chair Design: Friso Kramer, 1952 Manufactured by: De Cirkel, Zwanenburg / Nether-

39) Table and chair

lands

Design: Jean Prouvé, 1952

Painted steel with varnished beech and plywood

Manufactured by: Atelier Prouvé, Maxéville / France

H: 60, HS: 3 5, W: 3 1 , D: 34

Painted tubular and sheet steel with varnished plywood

Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

CATALOGUE

4 1 ) Chair Design: after Roland Rainer, c. 1 9 5 5 Manufactured by: E. & A. Pollak, Vienna / Austria Varnished solid beech and plywood H : 58.5, H S : 28, W: 37.5, D : 43 Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna, M D 7 1 . 4 8 9

42) Chair Design: Egon Eiermann, 1 9 5 3 Manufactured by: Wilde & Spieth, Esslingen / F R G Varnished beech and plywood H: 54. H S : 29, W: 39, D : 35 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

43) Chair model no. 3 1 0 7 Design: Arne Jacobsen, 1955 Manufactured by: Fritz Hansen, AJIerod / Denmark Painted plywood and painted tubular steel H: 62, HS: 34, W: 34, D: 40 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

44) Chair with adjustable seat Design: Kristian Vedel, 1 9 5 7 Manufactured by: Torben Orskov & Co. / Denmark Varnished beech plywood H: 4 1 , HS: variable, W: 42, D: 32 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

I 54 :

FIDGETY

PHILIP

45) Trisserne table and two stools

47) Cardboard chair

Design: Nanna Ditzel, 1962

Design: David Bartlett, 1966

Manufactured by: Kolds Sawserk, Kerteminde / Den-

Plastic-coated cardboard

mark

H: 63, HS: 3 5 , W : 50, D: 7 1

Varnished softwood

Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

Table: H: 39, D M : 60 Stool: H: 22, D M : 26 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

48) Sacco beanbag chair Design: Piero Gatti, Cesare Paoloni and Franco Toedoro, 1968/69

46) Table and two chairs

Cover: leatherette, filling: polystyrene

Design: Karin Mobring, 1963

H: c. 60, HS: variable, D M : c. 60

Manufactured by: I K E A / Sweden

Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

Painted solid bent beech and plywood Table: H: 44, W: 70, D: 45 Chair: H: 39, HS: 15 and 23, W: 3 1 , D: 40 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

CATALOGUE

: 155

49) Polyprop stackable chair

Injection-moulded Polypropylene

Design: R o b i n Day, 1962/63

H : 50, H S : 2 8 , W : 2 7 , D : 27

M a n u f a c t u r e d by: S. Hille & C o . , L o n d o n / G B

Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

Seat shell: PP, legs: painted tubular steel H : 58, H S : 32, W : 37, D : 36 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

5 2) Swing, Pampers and Short Rest chairs Left: Design: Herbert O h l , c. 1983

50) Cantilever chair

Manufactured by: Philip Rosenthal A G / F R G

Design: Peter H j o r t h Lorenzen, 1 9 7 0

Painted metal wire

M a n u f a c t u r e d by: Cado-France / D e n m a r k

H : 59, H S : 37, W : 27, D : 27

Polystyrene

Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

H : 40, H S : 22 or 26, W : 40, D : 40 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

Centre: Design/Manufactured by: Bär + Knell, 1 9 9 6

51) Junior chairs and model no. 4999

Recycled plastic

Left:

H : 38, H S : 2 0 , W : 2 5 , D : 27

Design: Gianatan D e Pas, D o n a t o D ' U r b i n o , Paolo Lo-

Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

mazzi and Clara Scolari, 1 9 7 2 M a n u f a c t u r e d by: b b b Bonacina / Italy

Right:

Polypropylene

Design: Stiletto (Frank Schreiner), 1990

H : 51, H S : 29, W : 30, D : 33

M a n u f a c t u r e d by: Brüder Siegel, Leipheim / F R G

Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

Painted metal wire H : 58, H S : 30, W : 4 1 , D : 45 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

Right: Design: M a r c o Z a n u s o and Richard Sapper, 1 9 6 4 M a n u f a c t u r e d by: Kartell, Noviglio, M i l a n / Italy

156

FIDGETY

PHILIP

CATALOGUE

157

TOYS

54) Rocking horse and rocker Left: Kay Bojesen, designed in 1 9 3 6 Variation: c. 1 9 5 0 Varnished beech Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia Right: Prototype, c. 1975 Varnished Multiplex (= laminated wood) H: 62, HS: 38, W: 100, D : 49 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia 53) Mon Beguin Rocker Belgium, c. 1 9 3 5 Chrome-plated tubular steel, painted plywood H: 53, HS: 30, W: 1 1 5 , D: 58 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

158

FIDGETY

PHILIP

55) Plywood rockers Left: Creative Playthings / USA, c. 1950/55 Varnished solid beech and plywood H: 46, HS: 28, W: 63, D: 30 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia Right: Design: Wolfgang Rebentisch, 1993 Manufactured by: Stokke / Norway Varnished beech and plywood H: 52, HS: 24, W: 1 1 3 , D: 30 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia 56) Rocking horse Design: Walter Papst, 1958 Manufactured by: Wilkhahn, Eimbeckhausen / F R G Fibreglass-reinforced polyester H: 55, W: 82, D: 45 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

CATALOGUE

: I 59

57) Play cars Left: Design: Hans Brockhage and Erwin Andrä, 1950 Manufactured by: Siegfried Lenz, Berggiesshübel / GDR Varnished solid beech and plywood H: 37, HS: 22, W: 100, D: 37 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia Right: Design: Johannes Spalt, 1982 Manufactured by: Urban Warmuth, Vienna / Austria Varnished solid beech and painted plywood H: 56, HS: 30, W: 1 3 5 , D: 57 Prof. Arch. Johannes Spalt, Vienna 58) Mobilix modular construction system Design: Harald Zagatta and Detlef Klein, 1 9 7 1 / 7 2

H: 49, W: 93, D: 44; section: 40 x 40

Manufactured by: Top System, Burkhard Lübke,

Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

Gütersloh / F R G

160

Plastic

FIDGETY

PHILIP

GERMANY AND AFTER 1945

AUSTRIA

59) Table, chair and ladder/blackboard Design: Johannes Spalt, 1964/65 Manufactured by: Urban Warmuth, Vienna / Austria Painted plywood Table: H: 45, W: 67.5, D: 48.5 Chair: H: 50.5, HS: 27, W: 4 1 , D: 38.5 Ladder/blackboard: H: 94, W: 55, D: 78 Prof. Arch. Johannes Spalt, Vienna 60) Wendy house and toy boxes Design: Johannes Spalt, 1964/65 Manufactured by: Urban Warmuth, Vienna / Austria

Jk

mMmm m

Painted plywood House: H: 100, W: 7 1 , D: 75 Boxes: H = B = D: 18.8, 25, 31.4, 37.6 Prof. Arch. Johannes Spalt, Vienna

CATALOGUE

: l6l

61) Therapeutic soft toys

62) Cardboard objects Sieben Sachen

Designed and manufactured by: Renate Muller,

Design: Peter Raacke, 1967

Sonneberg / G D R

Manufactured by: Ellen Raacke, Hanau / FRG

Jute, leather

Coated cardboard

Rhinoceros, c. 1964, L: 84, HS: 34

Red: H = W = D: 24.5

Pouffe, 1968, HS: 27, DM: 33

Green: H: 40, HS: 13,5, W: 27.5, D: 26.5

Dice, 1968, H: 30

Blue/small: H: i 3 , W = D : 24.5

Seal, 1971, L: 54, HS: 18

Blue/large: H: 14.5, W: 54.5, D: 29

Tortoise, 1971, D M 48, HS: 19

Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

Whale, 1972, L: 57, HS: 25 Cushions, 1970s, L: 40 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

63) Mobo set of furniture Design: Wolfgang Schefcik, 1994 Manufactured by: Say Yes, Villach / Austria Coated corrugated cardboard Pia chair: H: 50, HS: 30, W: 50, D: 40 Mona stool: H = W: 30; D: 40 Chiara bench: H: 50, HS: 30, W: 100, D: 40 Max table: H: 50, W: 70, D: 50 Mag. Wolfgang Schefcik, Villach

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65) Table and shell chairs Design: Walter Papst, i960 Manufactured by: Wilkhahn, Eimbeckhausen / F R G Fibreglass-reinforced polyester and rod iron Table: H: 4 8 , W : 8 9 , D : 62 Chairs: H: 53, HS: 27, W: 38, D: 35 Patrick Metzl collection, Hochheim and Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia 66) Table and chair Design: Günter Beltzig, 1966 Manufactured by: Brüder Beltzig, Wuppertal / F R G Fibreglass-reinforced polyester Table: H: 46, W: 59, D: 44 Chair: H: 68, HS: 26, W: 28, D: 40 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

64) Tripod chair Design: Walter Papst, 1953 Manufactured by: Wilkhahn, Eimbeckhausen / F R G

67) Small and large see-saw

Painted solid beech

Design: Günter Beltzig, 1967

H: 55, HS: 30, W: 37, D: 35

Manufactured by: Gebrüder Beltzig, Wuppertal / F R G

Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

Small: H: 43, L: 74 Large: H: 57, L: 1 8 7 Fibreglass-reinforced polyester Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

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68) Zocker chair-and-desk

71) Desk and chair

Design: Luigi Colani, 1972

Design: Luigi Colani, 1975

Manufactured by: Top System, Burkhard Lübke,

Manufactured by: Elbro, Herford / FRG

Gütersloh / FRG

Stained and varnished beech with fabric back and seat

Polyethylene

Table: H: 78, W: 105, D: 60

H: 50, HS: 28, W: 32, D: 52

Chair: H: 73, HS: 42, W: 51, D: 46

Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

Gerd Siekmann collection, Popdom / Cologne

69) Potty and stackable chair Design: Luigi Colani, 1970 and 1973 Polyethylene Potty: H: 21, W: 24, D: 31; manufactured by: Sulo, Herford / FRG Chair: H: 57, HS: 30, W: 30, D: 31; manufactured by: Ringnor, Neumünster / FRG Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia 70) "Rappelkiste" ("Crackerbox") Design: Luigi Colani, 1975 Manufactured by: Elbro, Herford / FRG Varnished and stained beech H: 162, W: 185, D: 80 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

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SCHOOL

FURNITURE

72) Writing desk Firma Carl Elsasser, Heidelberg, c. 1900 Painted cast iron, waxed oak H: 72.5, HS: 40, W: 65, D: 89.5 Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna, M D 7 1 . 4 4 6 73) Writing desk R. Jaekel's Nachfolger, Vienna, c. 1930 Stained and polished beech H: 90, HS: 47, W: 94, D: 66.5 Private collection 74) Seat and desk unit

75) Double seat and desk unit

Germany, c. 1 9 3 5

Design: Jean Prouvé, 1946

Painted metal and varnished plywood

Manufactured by: Atelier Prouvé, Maxéville / France

Chair: H: 62, HS: 35, W: 32, D: 40

Painted metal and varnished plywood

Table: H: 57, W: 75, D: 49

Table: H: 70, W: 1 1 5 , 0 = 4 6

Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

Chair: H: 70, HS: 42 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

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76) Desk and chair model no. 3 1 0 5 from the Munkegard School Design: Arne Jacobsen, 1 9 5 5 Manufactured by: Fritz Hansen, Allerod / Denmark Varnished beech and plywood, tubular steel Desk: H: 65, W: 63, D: 60.5 Chair: H: 70.5, HS: 40, W: 40, D: 52.5 Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna, M D 71.248 and M D 71.249

77) Teacher's desk from the Munkegard School Design: Arne Jacobsen, 1955 Manufactured by: Fritz Hansen, Allerod / Denmark Varnished teak plywood, tubular steel H: 70, W: 92, D: 80 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

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78) Desk and chair Design: James Leonhard, 1948 Manufactured by: Esavian ESA / G B Painted plywood and aluminium Desk: H: 74, W: 56, D: 46 Chair: H: 79, HS: 42, W: 42, D: 40 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

79) Desk with chair Hohenloher Schulmobel / FRG, c. 1970 Varnished metal, varnished and coated plywood Desk: H: 58, W: 70, D: 50 Chair: H: 59, HS: 32, W: 33, D: 34 Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

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80) Sled chairs

81) Chair and armchair for Vienna City kindergartens

Left: Karl Nothelfer for VS, 1 9 5 2

Design: Sonett, Vienna / Austria, 1968

H: 66, HS: 37, W: 33, D: 34

Coated tubular steel and PAG-wood shell seat

Right: Josef Jacobs for VS, 1974

Chair: H: 52.5, HS: 24, W: 38.8, D: 35.5

H: 62, HS: 34, W: 34, D: 33

Armchair: H: 48.5, HS: 2 1 . 5 , W: 35, D: 35.5

Varnished solid beech and plywood

Imperial Furniture Collection, Vienna, M D 71.442 and

Reinke collection, Enger / Westphalia

M D 71.443

82) Kanguru and Beta school chairs Design: Wolfgang Haipl, 1970 Manufactured by: Sonett, Vienna / Austria Painted iron rods, upholstered Kanguru-. H: 8 1 , HS: 45, W: 48, D: 50 Beta-. H: 82, HS: 44.5, W: 48, D: 54 Prof. Arch. Wolfgang Haipl, Vienna

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C H I L D R E N IN T H E I R PHOTOGRAPHED BY P E T R A R A I N E R I N A U T U M N 2005

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C H I L D R E N IN T H E I R R O O M S

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87) & 88) Merve (9) and Elif (18) in their room

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IN T H E I R ROOMS

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Hofmobiliendepot

1HHF

Möbel Museum Wien Imperial Furniture Collection

Es ist eine Rarität unter den Sehenswürdigkeiten Wiens und ein echter Geheimtipp: das weltweit einzigartige Möbel Museum gewährt Einblicke in drei Jahrhunderte Wohnkultur und Möbelkunst. Die Exponate - kunstvoll gefertigte Stücke aus edlen Hölzern, Porzellan oder Metall entführen Sie in die Vergangenheit, erzählen von den Eitelkeiten und Schrullen ihrer Besitzer und sind Zeugen der Veränderungen der Zeit und des Lebensstils.

Möbel Museum Wien

Hofmobiliendepot Möbel Museum Wien Andreasgasse 7, A-1070 Wien Öffnungszeiten Dienstag - Sonntag 10.00 - 18.00 Uhr Führungen: Dienstag - Sonntag um 15.00 Uhr Tel: +43-1-524 33 57-0 Fax: +43-1-524 33 57-666 e-mail: [email protected] www.hofmobiliendepot.at

SHORT BIOGRAPHIES THE CONTRIBUTORS

GÜNTER

OF

BELTZIG

Born in 1941 in Wuppertal, Germany, Günter Beltzig was a machine fitter's apprentice from 1959 to 1962. From 1962 to 1966 he studied industrial design at the Werkkunstschule in Wuppertal, Germany, and from 1966 to 1970 worked as draughtsman in the design department of Siemens AG in Munich. In 1966, together with his brothers Berthold and Ernst, Beltzig founded Brüder Beltzig Design, which existed until 1976. The brothers collaboratively developed the chair Floris in 1968. Beltzig is a freelance designer and has been lecturing at various design schools since 1970. Since 1994 he is designing playgrounds for children.

mar school. From 1964 to 1967, Müller attended the Polytechnic for Toy Design in Sonneberg as a student of Helene Haeusler. From 1967 to 1972, she worked as designer in her parents toy factory H. Joseph Leven KG in Sonneberg and subsequently as designer for V E B Therapeutisches Spielzeug and V E B sonni in Sonneberg. Renate Müller began freelancing as a toy designer in 1978 and established her own workshop Spielzeug + Design in Sonneberg in 1991. WALTER

PAPST

Born in 1924 in Kiel, Germany, Walter Papst studied interior design at the Werkkunstschule in Kiel. He established his own studio for industrial design and product development in 1957, but moved to Paris in i960 where he lived until 1964. He has participated in theTriennale di Milano of 1961 and 1964. PETRA

RAINER

Born in 1973 in Saalfelden, Austria, Petra Rainer grew up in Zell am See. From 1992 to 1994 she attended a course of lectures on photography at the Grafische JEANNINE FIEDLER Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt [Education and Research InBorn in 1957, Jeannine Fiedler studied drama and film studies, art history and journalism at the Freie Univer- stitution for Graphic Design] in Vienna. From 1994 to 1996, Petra Rainer studied ethnology, art history and sität Berlin. She lives and works in Berlin. sociology at Vienna University. She has been a freelancHer main topics of research are twentieth-century ing photographer since 1996 and has done projects on film and photography and the Bauhaus. Her publications include Fotografie am Bauhaus (Berlin, 1990), So- alpine farmers, factory workers, the 'rustics' in Romania cial Utopias (Wuppertal, 1995), and Bauhaus (Cologne, and the so-called Tröpfelbäder [public baths] in Vienna. 1999). Color Transparency. Fotoexperimente von Laszlo Her publications include En Detail—Alte Wiener Läden (2002), Der Wiener Brunnenmarkt (2003), GartenmenMoholy-Nagy, 1934-1946 is in preparation. schen (2005), Vielleicht bin ich ein Wunder — Portraits von 100-jährigen Menschen (2006). BURKHARD LÜBKE Born in 1940, the son of the furniture manufacturer Leo Lübke and his wife Ottilie. After completing school he did an apprenticeship in carpentry and studied interior decoration and wood technology with internships in Germany and abroad. Burkhard Lübke joined Interlübke in 1965, founded Top System in 1975 and Kinderlübke in 1977. RENATE

MÜLLER

Born in Sonneberg, Germany, Renate Müller did a masonry apprenticeship in 1964 after completing gram-

WOLFGANG

SCHEPERS

Born in 19 51 in Germany, Schepers studied art history, archaeology, sociology and philosophy in Heidelberg and London. In 1978 he acquired a PhD degree for his thesis on 'C.C.L. Hirschfeld's "Theorie der Gartenkunst" (1779-85) und die englischen Einflüsse' [C.C.L. Hirschfeld's Theory of Landscape Art and the Influences from England (1779-85)]. He was a trainee at the Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe from 1978 to 1979 where he worked as cus-

S H O R T B I O G R A P H I E S OF T H E

CONTRIBUTORS

179

todian for applied arts and design from 1980 to 1998. Schepers was guest lecturer at the Fachhochschule [Polytechnic] Düsseldorfs department of product design from 1992 to 1998, teaching in the fields of art history, history and theory of design. Since 1999 he has been Director of the Kestner Museum in Hannover.

Vienna, Museum fiir konkrete Kunst in Ingolstadt and Kunsthalle Krems. FRANZ SIMAK

Born in 1955 in Vienna, where he also lives, Franz Simak was a member of the Vienna Boy's Choir. He attended the Secondary School for Music and learned to play the trumpet from Helmut Wobisch at the Music Academy in Vienna.

His many exhibitions and publications on handicrafts and design of the twentieth century include: Gefühlskollagen — Wohnen mit Sinnen (199 5), '68 — Design In 1971 began an intensive involvement with phound Alltagskultur zwischen Konsum und Konflikt (1998), tography as recipient, his first source of inspiration beand Das Jahrhundert des Design (2000). ing the photography gallery DIE B R Ü C K E in Vienna. ULRIKE

SCHOLDA

Born in 1964 in Vienna, Austria, Ulrike Scholda studied art history at Salzburg University, where she also acquired her PhD in 1992. She works as a research assistant on various projects at the Hofmobiliendepot - Möbel Museum Wien [Imperial Furniture Collection] , the Hofsilber- & Tafelkammer [Imperial Silver and Crockery Chamber] and the MAK - Austrian Museum of Applied Arts (guest curator 2000). Her articles and essays on the arts and crafts of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have been published in several books and magazines. GERD

SIEKMANN

Born in 19 5 9 in Unna, Germany, Gerd Siekmann lives in Cologne. Since the beginning of the 1980s, he has been building up his own private collection of design and everyday culture between i960 and 1980, with a focus on German design, plastic furniture and Luigi Colani. Since 1998 creation of the "Museum fiir Design der 60er und 70er Jahre" and the Design-Gallery "POPD O M " in Cologne Gerd Siekmann has organized the exhibitions Vision 2000 (1999), and Luigi Colani — dynamic design (2000). He has contributed in an advisory capacity and loaned items from his collection to the following museums: Badisches Landesmuseum in Karlsruhe; Deutsches Architekturmuseum in Frankfurt a. M.; Deutsches Filmmuseum in Frankfurt a. M.; Haus der Geschichte in Bonn; Hofmobiliendepot — Möbel Museum in

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Inspiration as a photographer mainly came from conceptual serial photography of the 1970s and 1980s. From 1985 to 1986, during his studies in art history at Vienna University, he made several research trips to New York where he worked at Ernst Haas's studio and in 1988 as fine printer for Todd Watts/ M O T E L FINE ARTS. He acquired his PhD in 1991 for 'Der Photograph Ernst Haas 1921-1986'. Fritz Simak lives in Vienna and works as a freelance photographer. His current assignments are: Giovanni Giuliani at the Liechtenstein Museum and Franz Anton Maulbertsch at the Österreichische Galerie [Austrian Gallery],

P U B L I C A T I O N S BY T H E M U S E U M S OF T H E IMPERIAL FURNITURE COLLECTION Editorial directors: Ilsebill Barta and Peter Parenzan

Volume o:

Ilsebill BARTA-FLIEDL / Peter PARENZAN (ed.), Lust und Last des Erbens. Die Sammlungen der BundesmobilienverwaltungWien (Vienna: AG Museologie, 1993), ISBN 3-901163-03-4

Volume 1:

Hubert Chryspolitus WINKLER, Ehemalige Hofiilber- & Tafelkammer 1: Silber, Bronzen, Porzellan, Glas (Vienna: Böhlau Verlag, 1996), ISBN 3-205-98323-8

Volume 2:

Ingrid HASLINGER, Ehemalige Hofsilber- & Tafelkammer 2: Der kaiserliche Haushalt (Vienna: Verlag Schroll, 1997), ISBN 3-7031-0704-9

Volume 3:

Eva B. OTTILLINGER, Lieselotte HANZL, Kaiserliche Lnterieurs. Die Wohnkultur des Wiener Hofes im ip. Jahrhunderts und die Wiener Kunstgewerbeform (Vienna: Böhlau Verlag, 1997), ISBN 3-205-98680-6

Volume 4:

Ilsebill BARTA-FLIEDL / Andreas GUGLER (ed.), Tafeln bei Hofe. Zur Geschichte der fürstlichen Tafelkultur in Europa (Hamburg: Verlag Dölling und Galitz, 1998), ISBN 3-930802-43-0

Volume 5:

Ingrid HASLINGER, Tafelkultur Marke Berndorf Das niederösterreichische Erfolgsunternehmen Arthur Krupp (Vienna: Verlag Ketterl, 1998), ISBN 3-85134-007-8

Volume 6:

Ingrid HASLINGER, Tafeln mit Sisi. Rezepte und Eßgewohnheiten der Kaiserin Elisabeth von Österreich (Vienna: Verlag Brandstätter, 1998), ISBN 3-8 5447-811-9

Volume 7:

Ilsebill BARTA-FLIEDL / Herbert POSCH (eds.), InventArisiert. Enteignung von Möbeln aus jüdischem Besitz (Vienna: VerlagTuria+Kant, 2000), ISBN 3-85132-265-7

Volume 8:

Ingrid HASLINGER, Tafeln wie ein Kaiser. Franz Joseph und die kulinarische Welt des Wiener Hofes mit den besten Rezepten aus der Hofküche (Vienna: Verlag Pichler, 1999), ISBN 3-85431-194-X

Volume 9:

Ingrid HASLINGER, Augenschmaus und Tafelfreuden. Geschichte des gedeckten Tisches (Klosterneuburg: Verlag Norka, 2001), ISBN 3-85050-079/9

Volume 10: Ingrid HASLINGER, Hermine and Michael WEISHAPPEL, Gulasch-Kochbuch. 103 Rezepte. Kulturgeschichte eines köstlichen Gerichts (Klosterneuburg: Verlag Norka, 2001), ISBN 3-8 5050-078-0 Volume 1 1 :

Ilsebill BARTA, Familienporträts der Habsburger. Dynastische Repräsentation im Zeitalter der Aufklärung (Vienna - Cologne - Weimar: Böhlau-Verlag, 2001), ISBN 3-205-05283-8

P U B L I C A T I O N S BY T H E M U S E U M S OF T H E I M P E R I A L F U R N I T U R E C O L L E C T I O N

: l8l

Volume 12:

Eva B. OTTILLINGER, AlvarAalto: Möbel. Die Sammlung Kossdorjf (Wenna.-. Museen des Mobiliendepots, 2002), ISBN 3-9501501-0-2

Volume 13:

Ingrid HASLINGER, Geheimnisse aus der Klosterküche. Wo sich Kultur mit Genuss verbindet (Klosterneuburg: Verlag Norka, 2002), ISBN 3-85050-079-9

Volume 14: Ilsebill BARTA (ed.), Wohnen in Mies van der Rohes Villa Tugendhatfotografiert von Fritz Tugendhat 1P30-IP38 (Vienna: Museen des Mobiliendepots, 2002), ISBN 3-9501501-1-0 Volume 15:

Eva B. OTTILLINGER / August SARNITZ, Ernst Plischke, Das Neue Bauen und die Neue Welt, Das Gesamtwerk (Munich - Berlin - London - New York: Prestel Verlag, 2003), ISBN 3-7913-2741-0

Volume 16: Eva B. O T T I L L I N G E R (ed.), Gebrüder Thonet, Möbel aus gebogenem Holz (Vienna - Cologne Weimar: Böhlau Verlag, 2003), ISBN 3-205-77102-8 Volume 17: Lieselotte HANZL-WACHTER, Hoßntrgzu Innsbruck, Architektur, Möbel, Raumkunst, Repräsentatives Wohnen in den Kaiserappartements von Maria Theresia bis Kaiser Franz Joseph (Vienna — Cologne - Weimar: Böhlau Verlag, 2004), ISBN 3-205-77202-4 Volume 18: Nina WERZHBINSKAJA-RABINOWICH, K.u.K. Hofmobiliendepot Bildergeschichten (Vienna: Museen des Mobiliendepots, 2004), ISBN 3-9501501-2-9 Volume 19: Beatrix HAJOS, Schönbrunner Statuen — 1780, Ein neues Rom in Wien (Vienna - Cologne -Weimar: Böhlau Verlag, 2004), ISBN 3-205-77228-8 Volume 20: Eva B. OTTILLINGER (ed.), Möbeldesign der 50er Jahre, Wien im internationalen Kontext (Vienna - Cologne - Weimar: Böhlau Verlag, 2005), ISBN 3-205-77376-4 Volume 21:

Geza HAJOS (ed.), Der malerische Landschaftspark in Laxenburg bei Wien, Forschungen zu Laxenburg (Park und Franzens bürg), issued by the Bundesdenkmalamt, Bundesmobilienverwaltung and Österreichische Gesellschaft für historische Gärten, part 1, (Vienna - Cologne - Weimar: Böhlau Verlag, 2005), ISBN 3-205-77444-2

Volume 22: Ernst BACHER (ed.), Die Franzensburg — Ritterschloss und Dynastisches Denkmal, Forschungen zu Laxenburg (Park und Franzensburg), issued by the Bundesdenkmalamt, Bundesmobilienverwaltung and Osterreichische Gesellschaft fiir historische Gärten, part 2, (Vienna - Cologne - Weimar: Böhlau Verlag, in preparation), ISBN 3-205-77458-2 Volume 23: Ernst B A C H E R (ed.), Architektur, Ausstattung und Kunstschätze der Franzensburg, Forschungen zu Laxenburg (Park und Franzens bürg), issued by the Bundesdenkmalamt, Bundesmobilienverwaltung and Österreichische Gesellschaft für historische Gärten, part 2, (Vienna — Cologne - Weimar: Böhlau Verlag, in preparation), ISBN 3-205-77457-4

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Petra Eisele

BRDesign Deutsches Design als Experiment seit d e n 1960er Jahren 2005. 313 S. 197 s/w-Abb. Br. € 39,90/SFr 69,40 I S B N 3-412-16504-2

In BRDesign erscheint die Geschichte des deutschen Designs

A