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the addition of the ottoman. And when they were done the right way, their
sense of style made them something akin to art.
The barcalounger was introduced to the sitting world in 1896 by Edward
Barcalo, whose business was changed from the Barcalo Manufacturing
company to the Barcalounger Company which, according to Wikipedia, was
the first American company to allow coffee breaks starting in 1902.
But the recliner has roots that go back to the mid-1800s when the
nephew of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleon III, received
what is believed to be the first recliner. Once such chairs became available
to the masses, they often included a book holder for increased
comfort rather than having to strain yourself in
order to hold the book. A unique 18th century mahogany
A unique 18th century mahogany
In the Arts & Crafts era a new model of metamorphic reading chair with
metamorphic reading chair with
recliner was created – a wooden chair with a detachable book and candle arms
detachable book and candle arms
mechanical mechanism to recline the chair. photo: 1stdibs.comphoto: 1stdibs.com
And in the 1960s Daniel Caldemeyer was
crowned the “father of the modern recliner” with his creation of the “rocket
recliner,” used by NASA, President
Mid-Century Modern/vintage La-Z-Boy
version of the barcalounger Lyndon Johnson, and then the
general population.
All anyone has to say is the name “Eames” to bring
to mind a tsunami of furniture innovation and
style that positively changed our idea of the chair.
The Eames Lounge and Ottoman has it all:
style, movement and comfort.
While often referred to as an
“executive’s chair,” this innova-
tive set not only made reading sexy but was a
status symbol for the reader. The television show
Frasier’s lead character would positively wax
poetic about his Eames lounger and ottoman, only
to see its pride of place replaced by his father’s
1970s ugly barcalounger when his father moved in. That chair, built and upholstered
by the show’s prop department, absolutely stole the show.

Seat Yourself
Today, many of the styles of reading chairs have been modernized and seem
to have every bell and whistle conceivable. The Queen Anne style armchair is a
favored style by many and has gone through a number of iterations over the years,
but this royal reading chair always tends to lend itself as a “library looking” chair. The
curved front legs, rich upholstery, often a rich leather, and hand-crafted details bring
the whole idea of a reading chair to fruition.
In 2018, the vintage Queen Anne leather recliner (the Reserve Presidential Ii) was Vintage Eames lounge with ottoman still
deemed the favorite recliner of more than one design firm and continues to be in being sold today by Herman Miller with
demand by readers everywhere. extremely few, if any, design alterations

A Chair Designed to Meet a Doctor’s Orders

This custom made chair, shown at left, was commissioned for famed
psychiatrist Sigmund Freud by his daughter, Mathilde, in 1930.
According to her notes for the designer, Freud liked to read with his legs
draped over one arm of his desk chair and held his book high up and his head
was unsupported. Seeking to conform to his habit of sitting, Viennese archi-
tect and designer Felix Augenfeld, working with his partner Karl Hofmann,
created this chair with armrests that could also be used as back rests.
When Freud fled the Nazis, this chair came with him.
“Much is made of Freud’s famous couch, but his own chair is almost as
intriguing. Despite its apparently utilitarian design, it's hard not to read more
into its shape. Some see sculptural forms, similar to Henry Moore, while oth-
ers can't help but anthropomorphise the inanimate object, picking out a dis-
tinctly human figure in its arms and backrest,” as noted at phaidon.com.
“However, rather than concentrate on its appearance, we should consider
what the chair let Freud achieve. The father of modern psychoanalysis man-
aged to do so much at his desk by not sitting up straight that his odd desk
chair serves as a reminder that while conformity has its place, sometimes a
design is at its best when it accommodates the peculiarities that enable its user
to reach greatness.”

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