Deep-Seated Histories: Chairs from the Collection launches at the Museum of Vancouver, June 20
From lifeguard Joe Fortes’s lounge spot to a Woodward’s “Dollar Forty-Nine Day” break-room chair, every piece of furniture tells a story

This Brooks Corning neon sign, 1965-79, will be on display as part of Deep-Seated Histories: Chairs from the Collection. Photo courtesy of the Museum of Vancouver
Featuring 150 chairs from the Museum of Vancouver collection, Deep-Seated Histories: Chairs from the Collection provides a glimpse into the city’s cultural, social, and industrial evolution.
These simple pieces of furniture unearth complex stories about notable Vancouverites. Expect to see Joe Fortes’s Morris Chair, a spot where the lifeguard rested in his English Bay home after teaching children to swim. Speculate what taking a break on a Fritz Hansen chair during a hectic “Dollar Forty-Nine Day” in the Woodward’s employee dining room was like. Imagine sitting in the director-style chairs at Theatre Under the Stars when Pearl Hendrix appeared in the 1951 version of Hit the Deck.
Explore these histories and more as part of this exhibition. The 1965 Brooks Corning Office Furniture Store neon sign will also be on display, along with a selection of miniature chairs and mid-century modern chairs made by Vancouver designers.
Deep-Seated Histories opens June 20. See the Museum of Vancouver for more details.
Post sponsored by Museum of Vancouver.
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