The Colorful History of Folding Chairs

Folding chairs are sought-after conveniences nowadays. In terms of versatility, folding chairs are heaven-sent solutions to an unexpected need for more seating in any occasion. If you think they’re relatively new concepts, however, history books or a Google search will tell you otherwise.

The humble but incredibly useful folding chair has been around for a very long time, as far back as 2000-1500 B.C, actually, at the time of the Egyptian Middle Kingdom. The ancient Egyptians created a folding chair with a leather seat and two interlocking wooden frames. These portable chairs were intended to serve commanding officers in the army; and it was theorized that being the Pharaoh (and commander-in-chief), King Tut himself used a folding chair. 

The ancient Romans and Greeks also had folding chairs of their own, adorned with gilded designs, ornate carvings, and even precious materials. Fast forward a few thousand years to the Middle Ages, when folding chairs were pretty common. Early Christians, in particular, found much use for them since they made seating in their churches easier to set up. 

By the 19^th century, folding chairs were considered standard in numerous public spaces which required occasional rearrangement or removal of seating. The first “modern” chairs came to be in 1947, when the earliest aluminum model was invented by Frederic Arnold. Nowadays, folding chairs are made of different materials, and are crafted to be extremely lightweight for maximum portability.