Parchment Yellow RAR

The Rocking Armchair Rod (RAR) was born during the years 1948 - 1950 when Eames participated in MoMA's "International Competition for Low Cost Furniture." Eames created different trial models of shell chairs with the back and seat connected as one piece. Eames began to use the new materials developed by the American military during World War II, including the light weight, durable, and cost efficient Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP). The single shell chairs were a breakthrough in the commercial use of fiberglass-reinforced plastic for seating. The single sculptured chair combined thoughtful engineering with a clean, simple aesthetic. The shell chairs were available in more than twenty colors, but only six of these shades date from the early period, the elephant hide gray, sea foam green, parchment yellow, lemon yellow, salmon red and greige are rare to find colors.

Charles and Ray Eames

Charles Eames (1907-78) and Ray Eames (1912-88) gave shape to America's twentieth century. Their lives and work represented the nation's defining movements: the West Coast's coming-of-age, the economy's shift from making goods to producing information, and the global expansion of American culture. The Eameses embraced the era's visionary concept of modern design as an agent of social change, elevating it to a national agenda. Their evolution from furniture designers to cultural ambassadors demonstrated their boundless talents and the overlap of their interests with those of their country. In a rare era of shared objectives, the Eameses partnered with the federal government and the country's top businesses to lead the charge to modernize postwar America.