
A Brief History of the Lawn Chair - prostoalex
https://www.valetmag.com/living/gear/2020/aluminum-webbed-lawn-chair-history-062220.php
======
082349872349872
Some context for the article: before widespread electrification, aluminium was
a rich people thing (eg, silverware sets out of Al instead of Ag) but
government support[1] produced almost-too-cheap-to-meter aluminium[2].

People buying lawn chairs in the 1950's were probably old enough to remember
aluminium and plastic as having been luxury goods in their childhoods.

[1] on the US side:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_Production_Act_of_1950...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_Production_Act_of_1950#Cold_War)

[2] in the USSR, I've heard they wound up even making hula hoops out of the
stuff. Ever more paper clips, comrades!

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-r9XNmqQHk&t=2720](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-r9XNmqQHk&t=2720)

~~~
thaumasiotes
> People buying lawn chairs in the 1950's were probably old enough to remember
> aluminium and plastic as having been luxury goods in their childhoods.

Perhaps, but aluminum chairs seem like a no-brainer anyway. The basic
properties of aluminum considered strictly as a material are (1) it's easy to
lift; and (2) it doesn't rust. Both of those are obviously what you want in a
portable chair.

The folding chairs that I'm familiar with seem to be mainly iron, and
definitely do rust.

------
bb123
Does anyone else think it's a bit self defeating to describe this product
affordable and ubiquitous and then have a link to shop charging $60 for them?

~~~
082349872349872
We have some that we've inherited from my wife's grandparents. That'd be about
USD 1/year until now, and they're still functional (although they have spent
most of their lives stored out of UV, YMMV).

------
beenBoutIT
Can't mention the history of the Lawn Chair without bringing up the first
recorded Lawn Chair flight. [https://medium.com/lessons-from-history/the-
strange-sad-odys...](https://medium.com/lessons-from-history/the-strange-sad-
odyssey-of-lawn-chair-larry-3b943991179c)

------
saagarjha
Funny, I don’t think I’ve ever sat on one of those webbed chairs. There’s two
of the folding camp chairs in the garage, though. In a similar vein, I
could’ve sworn there was a post a while back about those white plastic chairs,
but I can’t seem to find it right now.

~~~
rascul
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22392686](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22392686)

------
war1025
We were just discussing this past weekend how folding lawn chairs are far more
comfortable than the "bag chairs" that have become so popular in recent years.
Plus they seem to be quite a bit more durable.

~~~
kingnight
Nothing beats a plastic Adirondack though, comfort and durability!

------
dirktheman
Similarly, the foldable MacLaren baby stroller was designed by Owen Finley
MacLaren, who designed the undercarriage for the Supermarine Spitfire...

~~~
saagarjha
Not to be confused with McLaren, which does cars.

