‘Nobody Sits Like the French' Review: The Chair That Charmed Paris

Wall Street Journal

10-07-2025

One could argue that there is no better vantage point for dedicated people-watching than from a rattan bistro chair on the bustling terrace of a Parisian cafe. Maison Louis Drucker, established in 1885 by a Polish expatriate, is the oldest surviving rattan-seat manufacturer in France. Its diverse wares (a dozen of which are pictured above) are crafted from thick lengths of rattan bent around beechwood frames to create a paragon of posterior satisfaction.
The original bistro chair was developed in 1859 by the German-Austrian cabinetmaker Michael Thonet (pronounced like bonnet), who discovered how to bend strong wood into graceful shapes using hot steam. His No. 14 chair first captured the world's attention at the Paris Exposition of 1867. Its iconic status is one of the topics explored in 'Nobody Sits Like the French,' Charles Pappas's sprightly yet authoritative history of the seven universal expositions held in Paris between 1855 and 1937. The No. 14 chair is emblematic of the book's broader survey of how the expositions fostered innovations at both micro and macro levels. What began as everyday items—cafe seats, Louis Vuitton trunks and Roquefort cheese—would become enduring classics, fit to stand alongside engineering marvels like the Eiffel Tower and the Grand Palais.
The No. 14 chair cemented its reputation when it won a coveted gold medal at the 1867 fair, which drew more than 15 million visitors. 'From that moment on its fame spread with the quickness of a meme,' writes Mr. Pappas with customary éclat. Thonet's chair—considered to be the first piece of mass-produced furniture—could be shipped in parts: 36 disassembled chairs fit into an approximately 36-cubic-foot crate, making it ideal for cafes and bistros.
The chair, under the name 214, is still produced by the Thonet company in Frankenberg, Germany. It remains a masterpiece of reduction, consisting of only six wooden elements, 10 screws and two nuts. In 1925 Le Corbusier, the celebrated Swiss-French designer, even gave it his seal of approval: 'Never was a better and more elegant design and a more precisely crafted and practical item created.'