The original safari chair was used by the military of UK and other countries - the 'Fenby' chair.
The Fenby or ‘Tripolina’ chair was designed in 1855 by Joseph Beverly Fenby, a British engineer and inventor, and was patented in 1877 in England. The J. B. Fenby Co. first manufactured the design, but did not last long and was bankrupt by late 1879. Apparently, Fenby was a better inventor than businessman.
His masterful design, however, succeeded. Presented by Fenby at the International Exhibition of Saint-Louis, Missouri, in 1904, the design was licensed to French and Italian manufacturers and to Gold Medal Inc. in Wisconsin, USA, a company that produced military, camping and resort furniture in the early 20th century. It was sold at retail by famed outfitting company Abercrombie and Fitch of New York.
The Fenby Chair became widely known in Europe as an officer’s chair or “Campaign Chair” but also as a safari or beach chair. Used by the U.S and British armies, the Fenby Chair was also used by the Italian army in the 30’s during its campaigns in Lybia where the chair became known as the “Tripolina Chair”.
Theodore Roosevelt in Safari camp in Tanzania.
Notable users of these chairs include Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas A. Edison and renowned wildlife biologist Aldo Leopold, and many officers, safari hunters, explorers, and adventurers worldwide.
The original Fenby chair frames were made of wood and metal with a canvas or leather seat sling. They folded quickly and stored compactly. In addition to its light weight, comfort and portability it was an elegant solution in terms of design and was regarded as an example of design excellence. On July 24, 1940, the chair was shown at the 3rd Salon de Artistas Decoradores exhibition in Paris where it was discovered by the Museum of Modern Art. At the request of MoMA design director Edgar Kaufmann Jr., three pre-production chairs were sent to New York. One is in the MoMA collection and one is at the Frank Lloyd Wright house Fallingwater, but no one knows where the third chair went.
These chairs are available from American Camp Chair Company...
"We make our Ranger chairs in the USA using modern methods and materials to produce a chair faithful to its heritage, but superior in performance. For chair frame strength and light weight we utilize clear, vertical grain Port Orford cedar harvested in Oregon under Forest Stewardship Council guidelines. The metal fittings are laser cut stainless steel, media tumbled to remove any sharp edges and produce a pleasing, non-reflective finish. Fasteners are 1/4” stainless steel rivets. Stays are 1/16” stainless steel cable. The only plastic parts in our chair frames are the nylon washers used to assure firm, smooth operation of the frame. Seat slings are sewn from proven, old school, heavy no. 8 canvas duck. All seams are reinforced with nylon webbing and double stitched.
It is provided with a heavy duty, water resistant ballistic nylon carry bag with military style clip closure and a substantial, adjustable carry sling.
www.theafricantouch.co.za
