Pirate chair ID help  

Wood species
The texture of the grain looks like teak to me. So I'd lean scandinavian.
If you take a few more photos of the wood I can try to be more certain it is teak, if that is any help...

agreed
believe it is teak

more pics
Yes it seems teak to me. Which make them even more confusing with their american style seat / back layout, and the atypical joinery.

Just noticed
The hidden tiny "L" brackets under the front seat are marked
Lock fast
Baltimore Md
Patent pend
Whether they are original or not is a question, but they look appropriate.

Well
Well that convinces me that it is American. Surprising!

I am surprised too
These are the first chairs I have come across that strongly suggest more than one origin location. I really want to figure out these chairs.

.
Yeah, it is the platypus chair.
Could they be Canadian? What is coming to mind is that there was a Danish desk (kidney shaped, maybe Tibergaard or Kai Kristiansen) that was assembled in Canada, and then there were some teak wall units that were Canadian made.
I guess it seems like the Canadians maybe used more teak than the Americans.
If it weren't for the teak and unusual joinery I'd think it a piece by Widdicomb. (Robsjohn Gibbings or Nakashima had a really strange day and designed this platypus).
And the joinery really unusual. Usually exposed joinery emphasized the quality of the piece. But a feather spline and flush cut plugs aren't at the top of the list for emphasizing quality.
Speaking of the feather spline: why does it have plugs? Normally a feather spline would be glued in place. Is it screwed in place behind the plugs?
In fact, I'd like to know what is behind those plugs. And if it is screws as I expect, I'd like to know what head pattern they have, as that could be especially significant. But, honestly, this chair is strange enough, I don't know what to expect behind them with only photos to go on.
Finally, any chance of a better photo of the feet? I still can't tell what is going on down there, except that I don't understand it.

Thonet circa 1954
Thonet circa 1954
I don't know the designer, Thonet doesn't talk up the designers much in their original adds.
I had one of these and it took me forever to find the add in a Interiors magazine from 1954.
Don

Wow
I would not have guessed. Thanks. I may have some 1954 interiors. I will have to look now.

I am pretty sure it was...
I am pretty sure it was 1954.
I found the pics of the showroom, as that is what the article was about.
see the link for two pics
http://jpegbay.com/gallery/003024985-.html#1

Holy sh****
That is very well spotted. Because I am curious about this rather odd chair I kept looking. That photo was also printed in thonet's catalog from the 50s. It is reproduced here as well.
So this is definitely Thonet. Not the other two companies mentioned.
http://blog.modernica.net/21285/

Leif,
You just answered my next question. Don FTW with a great assist from Leif. Wow! I would have never figured that one out. Thanks To you both.

Also interesting
Is the "oyster" lounge chair from that 1958 catalog that predates the Paulin one by two years. Very interesting.