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Furniture Industry Archives ➔ Drawing, Decorative Chair, Designed by Frank C. Lee
Identifier:
1982.134.138Description:
Depicts the early stages of furniture design by Frank C. Lee.Date:
1962Current Location Status:
In StorageCollection Tier:
Tier 2Source:
Gift of Mrs. Frank C. LeeRelated Entities:
Frank C. Lee (creator)Furniture designer.
Frank C. Lee was educated in New York, studying one year at Columbia College and then attended Pratt Institue in Brooklyn, New York. Lee began his design training at Irving and Casson's and W&J Sloane's in New York. He worked there until joining the military during WWI. He fought in France and also married while there. In 1918, after the war he came back to the U.S. to work for a short time with W&J Sloan again. He also briefly worked at Marshall-Fields designing U.S. shipping board fleet. Struck with a desire to live in Europe, he moved to London and worked at Waring & Gillow's. He was eventually transferred to a company branch in Madrid, Spain where he was promoted to the Director of Decorating of Ducal Estates. While in Spain he also worked on the Royal Palace, designing furniture and decorating rooms for some members of the court.
Lee began studying modern design in Europe. When he moved back to United States in 1922, he started work at Berkey and Gay in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In addition to designing furniture, he was the cartoonist for the company newsletter Shop Mark.
In 1931 he was hired as a designer for Landstrom Furniture Corporation in Rockford, Illinois. Mrs. Frank C. Lee (donor) Brandt of Grand Rapids, Inc. (creator)
Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Manufacturer of upholstered furniture designed for "high-style appeal and high-value sales," including the Sturbridge Collection of Casual Colonial.
