2Reading Machine

Joseph Benedict Chifley

Birthplace: Bathurst, NSW

Year: 1885

Constituency:

Prime Minister:

In Office:

Party:

Macquarie, NSW

16th Prime Minster of Australia

1946-1949

Australian Labour Party

Life before politics:

New South Wales Railways Engine Driver

Loyalty: Passed chance for treasury if joined United Australian Party

During the war years, opposed conscription

Held junior portfolio of defence 1931

Curtin’s Treasurer in 1941

Led Bathurst workers in a strike in 1917, which led to his dismissal

Local Political Events:

1948 - Launch of first ‘all Australian’ car, the Holden, at Fishermans Bend, Victoria.

1949 - Arrival in Australia of 50,000th European displaced person and 100,000th British migrant since end of World War II.

International Political Events:

1947 - The Cold War begins.

1948 - The State of Israel is declared

1948 - Philippines gains independence after 48 years of U.S. rule.

1948 - Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Local Examples of Cultural Pursuits:

1946 - Arthur Boyd, Melbourne Burning.

1948 - Rose Seidler House, Harry Seidler

1948 - Emigration Poster, Joe Greenberg

International Examples of Cultural Pursuits:

1945 - V–J day in Times Square, Alfred Eisenstaedt

1948 - Number 1, Jackson Pollock

1945-51 - Farnworth House, Mies van der Rohe

International Examples of Cultural Pursuits:

1946 - Eames Lounge Chair Wood, Charles and Ray Eames

Together with Eero Saarinen, it was entered in the Museum of Modern Art’s “Organic Furniture Competition” in 1940, a contest exploring the natural evolution of furniture in response to the rapidly changing world.

Due to WW2, production never took off. Full production came to being in 1946 by Evans Molded Plywood for the Herman Miller furniture company.

The chair has evolved over time taking on new materials such as upholstered fabric and steel. But all continue to have the same design as the past.

Made of moulded plywood.

The origninal were designed with the seat and backrest joined together in a single ‘shell’.

The plywood, however, was prone to crack when bent into the sharp curves the furniture demanded.

An alternate solution of creating two separate pieces for the seat and backrest, joined by a plywood spine and supported by plywood legs.

The result was a chair with a sleek and honest appearance. All of the connections were visible and the material was not hidden beneath upholstery.

The seat was joined to the spine and legs with a series of four heavy rubber washers with nuts embedded in them. The shock mounts were glued to the underside of the seat, and screwed in through the bottom of the chair.

The backrest was also attached using shock mounts.

From the front and top the seat and back are uninterrupted by fasteners.