Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Few 20th-century designers had influential furniture that regularly flew at 30,000 feet, but Warren McArthur did. His work on seating for military aircraft came near the end of his career, following decades of Machine Age furniture shaped from tubular forms and made of steel, chrome and aluminum.
Warren McArthur Jr. graduated with an engineering degree from Cornell University in 1908. After moving to Los Angeles in 1929, he founded the Warren McArthur Corporation a year later. His initial output of sleek, metal designs were popular in offices and hotels.
At the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, Americans witnessed a new “Streamlined America” campaign, which included everyday furniture made from metal, opening the door for McArthur and other Machine Age designers to a residential audience. With this increase in demand for metal furniture, the Warren McArthur Corporation relocated to Rome, New York, and sold their aluminum furnishings out of a showroom on Park Avenue in New York City.
Actors Marlene Dietrich, Fredric March and Clark Gable were among his A-list clientele. McArthur also produced furniture for the dining cars on the Union Pacific Railroad and the Chrysler Headquarters. His designs were featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 1934 exhibition “Contemporary American Industrial Art.”
During World War II, McArthur pivoted production after a ban on the private use of aluminum. McArthur made an estimated three-quarters of all American military aircraft seating, including adjustable seats for the Beechcraft C-45 and revolving seats for navigators aboard the Grumman HU-16 Albatross.
Warren McArthur closed his business in 1948. He died in 1961.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Warren McArthur armchairs, tables and other seating.
Mid-20th Century American Machine Age Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Aluminum
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Aluminum
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Aluminum
1930s Australian Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Aluminum
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Aluminum
1940s Italian Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Velvet, Wood
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Aluminum
1930s Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Aluminum
1930s Vintage Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Aluminum
1960s American Regency Vintage Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Leather, Cane, Mahogany
1950s American Vintage Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Aluminum
Early 1900s Czech Vienna Secession Antique Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Rattan, Bentwood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Leather, Palisander
1940s French Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Fabric, Oak
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
20th Century Post-Modern Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Chenille
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Lambskin, Sheepskin, Wool, Beech
1930s American Machine Age Vintage Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Stainless Steel
1930s Australian Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Aluminum
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Aluminum
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Aluminum
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Upholstery
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Club Chairs
Aluminum