Iconic Furniture Cameos on Charles Schultz's Peanuts

Published as:  Peanuts Gallery In a comic strip that appeared March 1, 1953, a Knoll Hardoy butterfly chair and an Eames LCW occupy a living room—the first appearance of mid-century modern furniture in Peanuts. Though author and illustrator Charles Schulz did not own these classics, the drapes are based on a pattern from his own home.

Detail of March 1, 1953 strip. Photo copyright 1953 Peanuts Worldwide LLC.

Charles Schulz’s Peanuts comic strip won the hearts of countless readers during the almost 50 years it appeared in newspapers. Through his cast of plucky children, a dog named Snoopy, and a bird, Schulz commented on current events and social mores. And though Schulz never explicitly addressed the influence of the mid-century aesthetic, he found ways to weave a handful of now-iconic furniture pieces by Le Corbusier, Harry Bertoia, and Charles and Ray Eames into his cartoons. Mid-Century Modern, a new exhibition on view until October 27 at the Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California, examines these furniture cameos. The show reinforces “how adept Schulz was at identifying cultural trends,” says curator Jane O’Cain. For that, we say, “You’re a good man, Charles Schulz.”