Deckchair

A deckchair (or deck chair) is a simple folding chair, usually with a folding frame and a single strip of canvas as the seat and back(backrest).

Deckchairs are usually used on a ship deck, on the beach, or in the garden.

The term may now denote, sometimes, a portable folding chair, with a single strip of fabric or vinyl. Different versions may have an extended seat, meant to be used as a leg rest, whose height may be adjustable; and may also have arm rests.

History and usage

In Northern Europe, the remains of folding chairs have been found dating back to the Bronze Age. Foldable chairs were also used in Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. During the Middle Ages, the folding chair was widely used as a liturgical furniture piece – part of the standing of a bishop was his cathedra (official chair or throne), which was housed in his cathedral (church which housed his throne) – but, since his duties inevitably meant him travelling around his diocese from time to time, an easily transportable version of his cathedra was a standard part of his luggage. Often this took the form of a folding stool (virtually identical to those used by ancient Roman generals and administrators), but several folding or dismantle-able armchairs were devised - of which the Glastonbury chair is the most famous. Its rediscovery in the early 19th century was possibly influential in the development of many folding chairs in the 19th century (despite the fact it is actually not a folding chair as such), certainly many reproduction copies of it were made. .

In the United States, an early patent for a folding chair was by John Cham in 1855.