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Murphy Co Chair Table Mid Century No. 72

Profile picture for user luckysvintage
By luckysvintage, 8 February, 2013
Description

I am trying to find information on this very unique end table I have.  It is a mid-century modern design, with a flat top and a curved lower shelf.  On the bottom is a label that says 'Murphy Chair Co. No. 72 Owensboro, KY'.  I have researched this company and found this useful information:

 

"Murphy Chair Company was formed when the company C. H. Dunks of Detroit, was bought up by Michael Murphy, a Canadian, in 1872. Dunks had been a mattress manufacturer. The company relocated to Owensborough, Kentucky, in 1919.

From it's beginnings as a small shop with only five employees, it grew to employ over a thousand people, and was known as the world's largest manufacturer of chairs. By 1935 the company was making 123 types of chairs, including children's rockers.

Most of the wood used was pecan, oak, and maple. A speciality was to use "quarter-sawn" oak, a method of cutting the wood which produces a "tiger's eye" effect, known as tiger oak."

This is an interesting newspaper/magazine article referencing the shift in manufacturing location

Further from this site I found the following information: "At the present 123 types of chairs and novelty furniture are manufactured, starting with children's rockers and going through a complete line of household and office chairs. Most of the wood used in the plant is pecan, oak and maple. Although many of the chairs made by the Murphy company are upholstered, none are of the overstuffed variety. The firm stresses quality instead of price in its product, making chairs that sell as high as $84 each on the retail market ..." Jerry Long notes in his cover letter that the Murphy Chair Company went out of business in 1954"

I want to know why it is so hard to find photos or information on these 123 models of chairs/furniture and why I can't find anything with 'no.72'.  If you have any information on this table please help me out! :)

Category
American Furniture
eBay Auction Link
For Sale?
Yes
Photos
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