The Tripolina is a

folding chair A folding chair is a type of folding furniture, a light, portable chair that folds flat or to a smaller size, and can be stored in a stack, in a row, or on a cart. It can be combined with a folding table. Uses Folding chairs are generally used ...

made out of wood with metal swivel joints and

animal hide A hide or skin is an animal skin treated for human use. The word "hide" is related to the German word "Haut" which means skin. The industry defines hides as "skins" of large animals ''e.g''. cow, buffalo; while skins refer to "skins" of smaller an ...

. It was invented by Joseph B. Fenby and patented in the United States in 1881. The Tripolina chair was made from prior to World War II by the firm of Viganò in

Tripoli, Libya Tripoli (; ar, طرابلس الغرب, translit= Ṭarābulus al-Gharb , translation=Western Tripoli) is the capital and largest city of Libya, with a population of about 1.1 million people in 2019. It is located in the northwest of Libya o ...

, for the expatriate Italian market as a camping chair of great stability in the sand and made from local wood and camel or cow hide. The Italian firm of Viganò clearly stamped their products on the rear of the hides with their large "Paolo Viganò Tripoli" oval seal. The hide is nowadays often replaced by canvas or other materials.

Further inspirations

The chair has inspired other folding chairs, the famous BKF ChairVidal, M. (1998). LA CADIRA" BKF"" MODELO AUSTRAL" DE BONET, KURCHAN I FERRARI-HARDOY. Maestros, amigos, alcahuetes: los modos de educación musical doméstica en el XVII español, 425. for instance, also known as

Butterfly chair The butterfly chair, also known as a ''BKF chair'' or ''Hardoy chair'', is a style of chair featuring a metal frame and a large sling hung from the frame's highest points, creating a suspended seat. The frame of the chair is generally painted bl ...

. It uses curved metal instead of wood for the structure and the leather is made up of four separate pieces.

Manufacturers

Tripolina chairs are still produced to this day in various countries.

References

{{Reflist Chairs Individual models of furniture Portable furniture