Hello all,
I humbly request the assistance of folks in this forum to assist with identifying two matching lounge chairs I recently acquired from two different sources. I purchased one at auction in Philadelphia and the other I purchased through a dealer in Los Angeles. By coincidence, they were both available at the same time! I love them, and both sellers attributed their design to Paul McCobb. While they look very McCobb, I doubt that they actually are Paul McCobb. Any assistance would be appreciated...please see the Photobucket link to the pictures of the two chairs:
Edit: Link and pictures fixed by Design Addict
http://s69.photobucket.com/albums/i60/fodorr/Mid%20Century%20Chairs/?start=0
<img class="wpforo-default-image-attac
Reminder: Adding pictures in your message
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Not McCobb
These chairs have been attributed to Paul McCobb's Predictor Group by O'Hearn furniture but there is absolutely no shred of proof to support that claim, not a single article in my database (there are 48 individual articles in my Predictor Group research folder including three very detailed multi page period editorials on the Predictor Group, one of which is in color and shot by famous fashion photographer Francesco Scavullo).
Not to mention the fact that the construction is not consistent with any of the other known chair designs from this group...
Also those antique dealers who had listed this chair as a McCobb design were unable to provide any concrete information about how they made the attribution when questioned.
http://paulmccobb.blogspot.com
Not Danish, Not McCobb
... and not T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings. Though the design reminded me more of Gibbings than McCobb when I first saw it.
We had one of these, though the back cushion was much smaller. We used the same proportions when we had it reupholstered, but subsequently seeing the larger back cushion, I believe that ours had been altered. We simply sold it as "American". It's well made, a tasteful design and surprisingly comfortable.
Not every design can (or needs be) attributed. You can enjoy the chair just for it's intrinsic merits.
If I had to guess
I'd say John Widdicomb manufactured designed by in house team.
The John Widdicomb company "knocked off" Gibbings designs for Widdicomb and sometimes sold them under the mid-century modern label. John was the son of George Widdicomb from who started Widdicomb proper.
http://cgi.ebay.com/PAIR-MID-CENTURY-MODERN-JOHN-WIDDICOMB-END-TABLES-/2...
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