Arne Jacobsen’s Ant Chair was introduced by Fritz Hansen in 1952 as model 3100. Developed for canteen use, it combined a single laminated wooden shell with three slender steel legs. The seat and back were pressed into a continuous form, and a narrow waist between them gave the chair its particularly recognizable outline.
The shape also answered a manufacturing problem. Fritz Hansen’s account describes the difficulty of bending nine layers of veneer through the transition from seat to back. Removing material at the waist helped resolve this junction. The steel legs were kept thin enough to allow some flexibility, complementing the resilience of the shell above them.
The original chair’s light structure and ability to stack addressed the everyday task of clearing a floor. Its broad upper back provides a useful support surface while the central narrowing keeps the profile visually spare. The black example illustrated here makes the insect-like outline especially clear. The Ant established an important working relationship between Jacobsen and Fritz Hansen and preceded their Series 7 chairs.
Eames Dinning Chairs
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