Wharton Esherick and the Armstrong Linoleum Company

Summary

Wharton Esherick’s iconic Three-Legged Stools, 1950 – 1970 Wharton Esherick’s Three-Legged Stools are some of his most iconic and recognizable pieces. He began producing the stools in the 1950s to supplement his income between commissions by producing affordable pieces using leftover scraps of wood which he could keep on hand for quick sales. Esherick had plenty of scraps laying around his studio; if the wood grain in a piece of scrap was too beautiful to be burned, it got tucked away in the woodshed for later use. He also used those scraps to create beautiful cutting boards, which he’d often gift to friends and family. The Three-Legged Stools are an excellent example of Esherick’s functional art. Not only are they beautiful and eye-catching, but if you’ve ever had the opportunity to sit on one, you’ll know just how comfortable they are as well. Another perk: they’re lightweight, so anyone could easily move them from place to place. In Wharton Esherick: Journey of a Creative Mind, Mansfield Bascom writes: …Wharton shaped them to whatever form the wood’s grain suggested, always keeping comfort in mind. He saved the smallest of these scraps for the high stools so that one wouldn’t be tempted to stand on them. For prospective customers, he would set out half a dozen stools, saying, ‘Try them all, dearie, and see which one fits best.’ Wharton wanted the legs to be slender, so the stools would be lightweight and delicate in appearance. He gently tapered the round legs to rise from almost a point on the floor, swell in the area of the stretcher attachments, and then taper again toward the seat. To avoid weakening the spindly legs, he offset the dowel-like stretchers at three heights. Initially, he carved the legs and stretchers with a spokeshave in the studio but, in time, he let John Schmidt turn them on his lathe; the legs would all be alike, but each of the seats, which Wharton continued to shape by hand, would be as unique as its grain. Think Colorful Thoughts – Armst...