Description

Seat height: 17’’

31.00" X 16.50" X 14.00"

This company originated in 1855 as a foundry run by Theodore Gilson and John Maas. As best we can tell, their early products did not include anything for working wood: farm implements, cast iron pots, stoves, etc.

The Maas name disappears from the history quite early on. Theodore Gilson was succeeded by son John and grandson John E. Sometime before 1900 the company began making chair irons, which is the cast iron piece forming the base center of a swivel chair. The company became more involved in making office chairs and photography chairs; the latter had hidden headrests and handrests to allow the sitter to hold still for the long exposure times then needed. John Gilson and others received a series of patents for innovative improvements to office chairs that added various tilt and swivel features. The patent record suggests that although the Gilson company was not the first to produce these features, they did make key improvements to the mechanisms. In any event, the chairs were well received at a time when the typewriter was revolutionizing business operations.