Early industry

New materials and machines: bentwood, cast iron and objects in long series, shaped to be manufactured and shipped.

Steam engines, railways and new materials changed the way objects were made. Thonet's chairs, Opinel's knives and riveted jeans show a new kind of design: conceived for the factory.

The designer and the manufacturer were often the same person, an inventor who patented his solution.

Standardised parts that are screwed together

Bentwood, cast iron and pressed sheet metal

Patents and factory names on the objects

Simple forms that are easy to make