LUprints: 6 Wishbone Chairs

A few weeks ago I was browsing craigslist in the town next to us (Whistler), and looked at the furniture heading. Not really needing anything, I just wanted to see if there was anything I could use for a show prop, or storage in our house.....Then, I saw this post for 6 danish chairs, and couldn't resist looking. I honestly thought it was a joke, because they were actually 6 wishbone chairs!! A chair designed by Hans J. Wegner, in 1949 and made in Denmark at the Carl Hansen and Son factory (still to this day). A true piece of craftsmanship.

My heart palpitated as I scrambled to email the seller that I would take them on the spot, then waited patiently for a response. In the back of my head I figured they were fakes, and when I saw them in person I would have to walk away without them. I should mention that the price was too good to be true. Or at least it seemed that way. She only wanted $100 a chair. Was she crazy? Didn't she know these are worth 10x that. Finally the phone rang and the seller agreed to meet me later that night. It turned out they were indeed real. 6 totally intact, beautiful Carl Hansen wishbone chairs. So we snapped them up on the spot. This story didn't seem to be able to get any better, until she also offered me a coffee table she needed out of the house right away as well (renovations were happening the next day), so I quickly had a look at the table. I saw before me a Noguchi table. Another piece of beauty. I looked in my wallet and felt sad that there was no way I was leaving with this table, as I only had $45 left. I jokingly told her what I had for money, and she promptly agreed that if I took it now, then $45 was fine. Driving home I still questioned if these were reproductions, it all just seemed too perfect. The next morning I took pictures of the chairs with their stamps and emailed Carl Hansen Toronto to ask. They forwarded my email on to their expert in Denmark, who replied that they were indeed authentic, and were from the 1950's, the first decade of production. I still get excited thinking about these chairs and how lucky I feel to have stumbled upon them. I like to think they were meant to be found by me so I could give them a good home for the rest of their life. They truly are beautiful, as well as comfortable and well-made. How else could they have lasted 60 years, and still be in such perfect shape. As for the Noguchi, it too passed all the tests to be authentic. But this piece is not toddler-friendly, so unlike the wishbone chairs, is being stored away for later use......Here are some pics of the chairs, and a few I nabbed from online.