Thonet Rocker
In the 1840's Michael Thonet, an Austrian cabinetmaker, invented a process that revolutionized furniture making. His bentwood rocker, shown here, may look familiar. Ones like it are still sold in stores today. Thonet's patent consisted of bending solid wood by steaming it and then clamping a thin strip of steel along one side This process eliminated complex jointing and carving. It meant that Thonet could hire local people, not expensive artisans, for his European factories. Men did the cutting and bending; women and children the sanding, polishing, and packing.
Thus, well before the Industrial Revolution affected the rest of the furniture industry, Thonet's chairs, hat stands, and other pieces were being factory produced and marketed to the new middle class. By the end of the 1800's, Thonet's company was making 4,000 pieces of furniture a day—over one million a year—a triumph in mass production.
