August Thonet No. 4 Bentwood Chair by Ton

Introduced in 1850, the No. 4 Bentwood Chair (also known widely as the Cafe Daum bentwood chair) proved to be an instant success.  This bentwood chair was first ordered by the proprietor of the Cafe Daum in Vienna, a meeting place for foreign correspondents and members of the military.  The bentwood chairs were made of bent mahogany and laminated wood strips.  They later appeared in a slightly different form as "Chair A4" in the company's catalogs. Michael Thonet's new cafe bentwood chairs were lightweight, elegant, strong, and were characterized by grace and fluidity of line which made them unique in European furniture of the period.   Through the years, many variations of the A4 bentwood chair were made.  This particular model is made at one of Michael Thonet's original factories located in the Czech Republic.  The factory still exists over 150 years after its inception creating bentwood in classic as well as contemporary styles. Very few changes have been necessary over the last 150