Cute and stylish from about the 1930s, these matching, fold-up chairs are painted Chinese Red with Chinese motifs on the seat backs.
FEATURES and CONDITION:
Solid wood, skillfully bent and paint decorated.
Steel bars and stretchers that are well attached and in solid condition.
The black vinyl upholstered seats are still in very good condition except for some paint transfer on one from being stored folded up. (see photos)
Smoothly open and close, and sit firmly with no wobble.
The chairs are easy to carry and stack together well.
Minor scratches and wear to the paint.
The front of one seat has a crack in the bent wood, as shown.
Both chairs still have their Louis Rastetter, Fort Wayne Indiana, SOLID KUMFORT labels.
DIMENSIONS:
Height from floor to top of backrest 36 1/4"
Height from floor to top of seat 17 3/4"
Folded: 17 1/2"W x 36 1/2"H x 2" thick
WEIGHT:
about 8.5 lbs each
HISTORY:
When his father died in 1898, William Rastetter took over his father's manufacturing company. After making bentwood items for early autos for a few years, William decided to switch to folding furniture. There he found his niche.
By the 1930’s, the Rastetter company made not only popular card tables and chairs, but large contracts were won with cruise ship companies to produce folding chairs for ocean liners. Rastetter's folding chairs were purchased by churches, businesses, and clubs all over the country until the company finally closed its doors in the 1960s.