First Generation Brown Jordan Sun Shade

About the Item

This Brown Jordan sun shade dates to the 1950s and is the first iteration of the design. The idea, and general aesthetic are the same, however there are details that separate it from later production. The most obvious is the frame, which is steel rather than aluminum, and the shade / stand connection which is striking for its simplicity: a basic pipe fitting that makes a 45 degree angle and allows the shade its range of motion. The piece is in good original vintage condition and everything appears original, including the paint, the solid, opaque vinyl shade and strapping. There is oxidation on the bottom of the vertical post where it fits in the stand. The only thing that seems to be missing is the threaded locking handle that would have been in the base. It could probably be easily replaced by a threaded thumbscrew. Shade is 60” in diameter.

Creator:

Brown Jordan (Maker)

Dimensions:

Height: 76 in (193.04 cm)Diameter: 60 in (152.4 cm)

Style:

Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Steel,Painted

Place of Origin:

United States

Period:

1950-1959

Date of Manufacture:

1950s

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use. Completely original and un-mollested, the sun shade is structurally sound and fit for purpose. There is oxidation to the support column where it fits into the base.

Seller Location:

Highland, IN

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU909128504592

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Brown Jordan

Pioneers of furniture designed especially for the outdoors, Brown Jordan channeled — in tables, lounge chairs and armchairs — the carefree postwar California spirit and helped create a new space in American life: the patio.

The outdoor furniture brand began to take shape in 1945, when Robert Brown, an industrial designer, and Hubert Jordan met in Pasadena, California, and began collaborating on their first design, a traditional wrought-iron breakfast set they called Morning Glory. They offered it for sale via the upscale department store Bullock’s Wilshire. The store ran an ad about the new outdoor set, and, by the end of the day, it had sold out completely.

A few years later, in 1948, the duo followed up with a new, very different design: the Leisure collection, one of the first to combine aluminum with vinyl “lace.” The materials were newly available after the war and offered a mid-century silhouette that was also lightweight and specifically designed for outdoor use. Some of Brown Jordan’s most singular pieces arose from another postwar material: Copper piping salvaged from ships that had sunk at Pearl Harbor was used to create sculptural, curvilinear outdoor furnishings as part of the Walter Lamb Bronze collection, which was first launched in the 1940s.

The Tamiami collection, by Brown Jordan in-house designer Hall Bradley, followed in the 1950s, with streamlined aluminum frames and vinyl seats and backs woven in a diagonal pattern. The line quickly became popular not only in California but across the country and on the East Coast, prompting an expansion from the original two colorways to a wider assortment of of-the-moment hues.

Brown Jordan’s offerings gained recognition as both innovations and symbols of a new kind of leisure. Tadao Inouye’s Kantan lounge chair, launched in 1956, was chosen by the Department of Commerce to be exhibited at the 1959 Industrial World’s Fair in Tokyo. In 1968, it was featured in the Cooper Hewitt’s “Please Be Seated” exhibit.

Bright colorways, metallics, pastels, powder coating and weather-ready materials became some of Brown Jordan’s hallmarks, heralding durable, design-forward furniture that helped create the modern idea of outdoor living.

Find a collection of vintage Brown Jordan furniture today on 1stDibs.