Earle A. Morrison/Robin Bush: No. 118 chairs
Earle A. Morrison (Vancouver, BC, b. 1923 )
Robin Bush (Vancouver, BC, 1921 – 1982)
Three chairs Morrison/Bush No. 118 chairs, one a little rarer than the others as it has arms. Find these up for auction now, click here to bid.
These chairs are a result of a modernist movement that occurred in Victoria and Vancouver in the 1950’s, marking a design heyday for the province, a celebration of many modernist designers, including Arthur Erickson, Peter Cotton and of course Earle A. Morrison and Robin Bush. Designers who managed to parlay post-war enthusiasm for modernism into a clean, crisp West Coast version for themselves.
In 1950, fresh off a stint in the Navy, Robin Bush joined Earle Morrison in Victoria, BC and the pair began to design and produce modernist furniture in the former Standard Furniture factory. Robin Bush studied art and design at the Vancouver School of Art, and Earle Morrison studied aeronautical engineering at California Institute of Technology. Together they brought a fresh approach to using industrial materials and techniques in furniture design; moulded plywood and bent steel were two techniques borrowed from advances in aeronautical engineering spurred on by innovations advanced during WWII. These two elements would create the modern aesthetic their furniture employed.
They were immediately noticed, winning several National Industrial Design Council awards. They sold their designs locally in Victoria through Standard Furniture and nationwide through Eaton’s department stores. The no: 118 chair was created and produced during this time period.
However, the Morrison-Bush partnership was very short-lived; after just three years, Bush moved to Vancouver, BC and formed his own company, Robin Bush & Associates. Under his new venture, he continued to produce some Morrison-Bush designs, along with designs by another notable Vancouver modernist designer, Peter Cotton. Bush also became a Canadian distributer of Herman Miller products under license.
Shortly after launching his company, Bush won a contract to supply metal frame furniture for the Alcan mine at Kitimat. After Kitimat, he continued working with metal and bold colours, creating the Prismasteel line for Canadian Office and School Furniture (COSF). Prismasteel seating was also used in Gander, NF, Ottawa, ON, and Edmonton, AB, among other airports.
It was with COSF that Bush created his most memorable design, the Lollipop seating system. The system was completely modular, allowing for endless seats to be added. In 1960 the Lollipop system was a perfect fit for the new Toronto international airport terminal. Bush left COSF in 1966 and was working in exhibition design before he took on the role of director at the Sheridan College School of Crafts and Design.
As for Earle Morrison, after winning awards from the National Gallery of Canada for their furniture design, the partnership dissolved when Bush moved to Vancouver. Earle A. Morrison Ltd., a company that once employed 30 people, dissolved owing to financial difficulties all within the year 1953. However, Earle. A. Morrison himself went on to have a busy career consulting and designing CPR hotels across Canada, including the Palliser in Calgary and the Chateau Champlain in Montreal, in addition to a busy industrial design business both in Canada and internationally.