T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings — born Terence Harold Robsjohn-Gibbings in London in 1905 — was one of the most influential and original furniture designers working in America during the mid-century period, and one of the most underappreciated. Where his contemporaries drew from Scandinavian modernism or the Bauhaus, Robsjohn-Gibbings looked to classical antiquity — ancient Greece in particular — and produced furniture that was simultaneously deeply historical and unmistakably modern. His long collaboration with Grand Rapids manufacturer Widdicomb Furniture Company produced some of the finest American furniture of the 1950s.
Who Was T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings?
Robsjohn-Gibbings studied architecture in England before emigrating to the United States in the 1930s, where he established himself as an interior designer of exceptional skill. He designed interiors for some of the most prominent American households and became known as much for his acerbic criticism of the design establishment as for his furniture. His 1944 book Goodbye, Mr. Chippendale was a gleefully satirical attack on American decorating conventions, and it made him famous beyond design circles.
His furniture design career accelerated with his Widdicomb collaboration, which began in the 1940s and produced pieces that translated the spare elegance of ancient Greek furniture into modern production furniture accessible to American homes.
The Widdicomb Collaboration
The Grand Rapids-based Widdicomb Furniture Company was one of the most prestigious American furniture manufacturers of the mid-century era, known for high-quality construction and its willingness to work with prominent designers. The Robsjohn-Gibbings line for Widdicomb ran through much of the 1950s and produced the pieces for which he is most remembered.
Widdicomb Robsjohn-Gibbings pieces are characterized by solid walnut or bleached walnut construction, clean tapered legs with subtle classical detailing, upholstered seating in period textiles, and an overall restraint and elegance that distinguished them from both heavier traditional furniture and more austere Scandinavian imports. The construction quality is exceptional — Widdicomb was a premium manufacturer and the Robsjohn-Gibbings line represented their work at its finest.
The Klismos Chair — His Most Famous Design
Robsjohn-Gibbings is most famous for his Klismos chair — a modern interpretation of the ancient Greek klismos, a simple chair with elegantly curved saber legs and a concave backrest depicted on Greek pottery and sculpture throughout the classical period. He first explored this form in his 1961 book Furniture of Classical Greece and later produced a limited series of Klismos chairs in collaboration with Greek craftsmen using traditional techniques. These Saridis of Athens pieces, produced in the 1960s, are extremely rare and now found in museum collections worldwide.
The Widdicomb-era Klismos-influenced chairs from the American collaboration period are more widely available and represent the most accessible entry point for most collectors.
How to Identify Genuine Robsjohn-Gibbings Furniture
Authentic Widdicomb-produced Robsjohn-Gibbings pieces carry a Widdicomb paper label, typically inside a drawer or on the underside of the piece. The label may read "John Widdicomb" or "Widdicomb Furniture Co." and often includes the Robsjohn-Gibbings name or a model number. Construction markers include solid walnut frames, exceptionally clean joinery, subtle classical proportional relationships in leg taper and backrest curvature, and the overall restraint that distinguishes his work from contemporaries.
Be cautious of pieces attributed to Robsjohn-Gibbings without documentation. The classical style he worked in was widely imitated, and many vaguely "Greek revival" mid-century pieces circulate under his name incorrectly. Comparison to auction records and known catalog examples is the most reliable verification method.
Collecting Robsjohn-Gibbings: Market and Value
Robsjohn-Gibbings furniture is genuinely undervalued relative to its historical importance and quality. While his contemporaries — Paul McCobb, Edward Wormley, Harvey Probber — have seen substantial market appreciation, Robsjohn-Gibbings has remained somewhat under the mainstream collector's radar, meaning quality examples can still be found at reasonable prices. His work is particularly respected among designers and serious collectors, and prices have been trending upward as his reputation is properly reassessed.
The rarest and most valuable pieces are the Saridis Klismos chairs from the Athens production — these appear rarely at auction and command significant prices. Widdicomb production pieces are more accessible; complete matched sets of dining or living room furniture are especially sought after.
Further Reading
For more on the broader context of mid-century designer furniture, see our guides to Edward Wormley / Dunbar, Harvey Probber, and Paul McCobb. Our guide to authenticating vintage MCM furniture covers the verification process in depth. Browse our vintage lounge chairs and full mid-century modern collection.