Carved Base Antler 2

A key conceptual feature of the Eames Aluminum Group is the pair of aluminum spreaders that hold the upholstery taut between two aluminum side members. These spreaders create the necessary tension for transforming fabric into a supportive seat and backrest. Dubbed “antlers” by the Eames Office staff thanks to their distinctive shape, one spreader is located midway up the chair’s back and doubles as a handle. The other is located underneath the seat and serves both to stretch the textile and to attach the body of the chair to its base. This is an example of a wooden prototype for the lower spreader, indicated by the small hollow tube at its center that would eventually be used to connect the chair to a base column. Unlike the other experimental wooden versions of the lower spreader, this one does not have notches in the wings that extend from either end. Instead it terminates in a smooth edge, making it more similar in form to the unnotched spreaders that were eventually used on the back of the chair. Comparing these various prototypes gives a sense of the specific design problems that the Eames Office was working out at the beginning of this project. In this case, they appear to have questioned whether or not notches were necessary to secure the chair to its base; based on the final design of the chairs, it seems they concluded that indeed they were.