Madsen and Schubell  

I hadn’t flipped through the Excellent Furniture catalog in a while, but here are MS-20 and MS-30 chairs. Excellent was pretty good at keeping the manufacturer model number as part of their numbering system.

Hm. I really wish, Excellent had started distributing their models in the late 40s with such neat catalog numbers ... but it’s nice anyway.

@herringbone. A Norwegian FB page has picked up the story of the Clam chair.

Posting an image of the Vik and Blindheim advert that has been posted on IG and on the FB page (by Mats Linder)

As you can see Sig.Hassing is mentioned, in bottom right corner, as the " representant". Some backgound information from  his son ( Ole Christian Hassing) who has posted on that page;

Quotes from his post. ( courtesy of Google translate!!)

"Agent for Vik & Blindheim was from just after the war, my father Sigurd Hassing" ( see image below) "until they sold themselves to Ekornes (when Vik and Blindheim saw a little different on how the road would be, and sold when they received a bid) . Dad was very internationally focused when it came to new models for the factories he represented. First and foremost, the factories Kleppe Møbelfabrikk AS and Vik & Blindheim AS."

 " Neither Vik nor blindheim were especially travel. Dad was at the fair in Fredericia every year. There he met Arnold Madsen, the man behind the Mussel chair and the rights. Eventually, they agreed that Vik & Blindheim would produce the chair for Norway, as well as other models from their design office. A pleasant connection for both parties, and I had the pleasure of meeting the family Arnold Madsen with wife and daughter Pia, .... (about 1955)....
This is how simple the history is in relation to Norway."

Barnebys.se have also written an article about the recent revelations re the Clam chair.

Some of  the IG posts are featured/mentioned. You and the others are leading the way ! All that hard work has certainly been worth while and the recognition,well deserved. 

https://www.barnebys.se/blogg/muslingestolen-fortsatter-att-gacka-marknaden?fbclid=IwAR0bteO2vqB9j5yonrmrYmFvPz6Atwjxs_KJnzRTqFZsextWEeXUCatTCWk

Wow, @lexi, this is awesome! I will try to contact Ole Christian Hassing. Thank you so much for this info! @leif-ericson

Fantastic, @lexi !  We need to get more information!

Posted by: Herringbone

Wow, @lexi, this is awesome! I will try to contact Ole Christian Hassing. Thank you so much for this info! @leif-ericson

@herringbone.

Ole Hassing posted again, late yesterday.  He responded to a question about dates for the licence agreement with regard to production of the "muslingstolen" AKA Clam chairs.

He is currently on holidays but will check documentation when he gets back and give an update or any new information, but is almost certain it was between 1949 and 1953...not exactly precise , but that is all we have for the moment.

Will keep an eye on that FB thread and keep you posted.

@herringbone; @leif-ericson

Some more ,possibly relevant, information.

A post from the same FB page from 2018. This features Erik Hassing another son and a LETTER from his father to Vik and Blindheim in 1948. So Elder Hoidal who is a manager at Stiftinga Sunnmøre Museum might be a person worth contacting ?

Clam chair mentioned.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10212213927278641&set=pcb.10156670973454438&type=3&theater

@lexi I haven’t yet read what Erik Hassing had to say, but from several sources I know that Elder Hoidal, who is the great expert in Norwegian furniture, has been asked about the Clam multiple times and he doesn’t remember.

I can only see a picture when I click on the link. I suppose it’s a Facebook group? Do you know what’s been said in the letter?  💐

@herringbone. Sorry about that!!! It does not say what is in the letter that Erik Hassing is holding. It was Elder Hoidal who posted the pics on the occasion of Erik visiting the museum which is why I thought Elder might be able to throw some light on the contents of said letter.

Here is the text that accompanied the photo.

"Erik with a letter that the father wrote to vik and blindheim møbelfabrikks's leadership in 1948. It was sigurd hateful who got the sykkylvsbedriften to produce the clam chair, the chair in the Norwegian Møbelproduksjon (production) that has achieved the highest price. For "hateful" read Hassing. Google translate is not great when it comes to Norwegian. 😉 

@herringbone. While I am here. If you visit the digitaltmuseum.no website, here are a few identifier numbers you can enter into the search box. I do not want to post the photos here as they are subject to copyright.

The first 2 ID numbers are  the low and high back versions of model 6; the last ID number is for the clam chair. The photos are credited to Peder P Lyshol and are part of the collection at Stiftinga Sunnmøre Museum.

NMFS.F.02047;   NMFS.F.02012;  NMFS.F.02023

The photos appear to be "pasted"against a backdrop. As you can see there are no dates,designer info or makers mentioned. It is possible to post an enquiry or comment.

Somewhere in here there is an indication that Vik & Blindheim was the maker of the Henry Schubell designs like model 6. So let me add a clarification for anyone:  Madsen and Schubell were the maker for both their designs for sale in Denmark, the USA etc, except where they licensed the designs to another maker.  So if someone got a Norwegian market chair it was made by Vik & Blindheim. Or Bovenkamp in the Netherlands. 

And if someone is wondering where their Madsen and Schubell designed chair was made it should be possible to get a general idea from where it surfaced but also it should be possible to identify the signs of the licensed makers based on commonalities in chairs that surface one place versus another so somebody can take that on if they want. People change certain done it with the clam and can identify a Norwegian Clam versus a Danish Clam very readily. 

I just inherited this chair from my father and in a search to learn its history, came upon this discussion. I remember it as a child in the 1960's and he loved it in his old age. We are in the US and he had bought other furniture directly from Denmark but I don't know how he purchased this one.  It has been recovered and possibly refinished, but it is a lovely chair. It was originally a darker blue fabric.  

   Here is the photo

Thank you, @herringbone. I was able to switch browsers and edit and upload a photo. It is a MS30 reclining chair and footstool. 

Hey @epj, it should be that hard. Just press the attach button and chose a file. But make sure it’s not larger than 2MB. Good luck! 

plus: You can edit an existing post, you don’t have to create a new one every time.