Ladder Rock Chair 1937

John Sullivan made this Ladder Rock Chair with watercolor and graphite on paper. Although on paper, it depicts a real, functional object. The ladder-back chair has a long history, emerging in pre-industrial Europe as a vernacular form, made with simple joinery and locally sourced wood. The woven seat would likely have been produced by an itinerant craftsperson, traveling from village to village. Note the rocker base of the chair, this combines an upright structure with a gentle arc, which is an elegant solution to create a resting position. The chair has a handmade quality, referencing a world before mass production, and a simpler way of life. These chairs were the products of skilled labor and localized economies, standing in contrast to today's globalized systems. The Ladder Rock Chair reminds us of the social and material conditions that underpin all design, encouraging us to reconsider the value of craft traditions.