
In the heart of the annex of the BNCI head office, rue de Sofia in Paris around 1952: the employees in the “portfolio” service
On this photo from 1952, the employees of the central “portfolio” service are aligned on […]
That was how the FLAMBO chair, patented in 1926, was presented. The M42 model, introduced in 1929, became THE reference in office chairs until the 1970s. Even the Belgian cartoon character Gaston Lagaffe made good use of it!!
Designed for women in particular, it was entirely adjustable and adapted to the shape and mobility of the user. For more comfort, it had a lever to tilt the back without toppling over, as well as a foam and rubber cushion. The office chair, which swivelled by 360°, was meant to keep the back straight during the long hours demanded by the rhythm of office machines and the principles of Taylorism, which required discipline, precision and method: everything on the desktop was within reach to limit the amount of movement at the workstation.
The chairs could be mounted on rails to make it easier for instance for bank employees who had to move back and forth to look up and update customer transaction files.
In the aftermath of World War I, banks realised that it was in their interest to improve the working conditions of their female employees to ensure greater operational efficiency. “Reduce fatigue to improve yield” was the advertising slogan of the FLAMBO chair! An argument that seemed to convince banks, where the brand’s furniture soon became popular.
Many bank employees enjoyed the benefits of the FLAMBO chair: typists, switchboard operators, coupon payers, customer file managers, tabulating machine operators, ticket punchers… jobs that disappeared or were completely transformed with the advent of computer systems!
Today, the FLAMBO M42 chair has become an icon of industrial design and a sought-after collector’s item.
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