Leg Splint

Charles Eames, Ray Eames, Leg Splint, 1942, plywood, 41 3⁄4 × 7 7⁄8 × 4 in. (106.0 × 20.0 × 10.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Harish K. Patel in memory of his father Khodabhai C. Patel, 2001.19

Artwork Details

Title
Leg Splint
Artists
Date
1942
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
41 3⁄4 × 7 7⁄8 × 4 in. (106.0 × 20.0 × 10.2 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Harish K. Patel in memory of his father Khodabhai C. Patel
Mediums
Mediums Description
plywood
Classifications
Object Number
2001.19
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2001.19

Artwork Description

Husband-and-wife team Charles and Ray Eames joined the war effort during World War II by entering into a contract with the U.S. Navy to develop a lightweight molded plywood leg splint. The object they designed, celebrated as much for its elegant biomorphic form as its utility, was true to their design philosophy of "making the best for the most for the least." Through their Navy contract, they had valuable access to military technology and manufacturing processes and gained insights that would serve as the basis for many of their later designs, especially their trademark chairs.

Connections: Contemporary Craft at the Renwick Gallery, 2019

Works by this artist (1 item)

Charles Eames, Ray Eames, Leg Splint, 1942, plywood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Harish K. Patel in memory of his father Khodabhai C. Patel, 2001.19
Leg Splint
Artist
Date1942
plywood
Not on view

Exhibitions

Media - 2016.11 - SAAM-2016.11_6 - 124929
Connections: Contemporary Craft at the Renwick Gallery
November 13, 2015–March 6, 2022
Renwick Gallery
Connections is the Renwick Gallery’s dynamic ongoing permanent collection presentation, featuring more than 80 objects celebrating craft as a discipline and an approach to living differently in the modern world.

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Peter Danko, Molded Plywood Chair, 1978, oak plywood and fabric, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Lloyd E. Herman, founding director and director emeritus of the Renwick Gallery (1971-1986), in honor of Michael W. Monroe, Curator-in-Charge, Renwick Gallery, 1986-1995, upon the occasion of his retirement, 1995.83
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Artist
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McGhee’s House
Artist
Date1988
carved and painted poplar, fir plywood, and redwood
Not on view
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Upholstered Chair
Artist
Date1996
walnut burl veneer, ash, Italian poplar plywood, leather, and milk paint
Not on view