Rowac (Robert Wagner Chimitz) machine stool in riveted plate steel with a wooden seat. The design dates from the early 20th century, this stool is probably from the 1930s. The stool is unmarked, but it is clearly a Rowac. Rowac marked some of their stools excessively, some modestly and some were not marked at all. 'ROWAC' was founded in 1888 by Robert Wagner as an iron factory, it is an acronym for the first letters of the first and second name of the founder, combined with the first letter of the city, Chemnitz in Saxony. Even though Rowac produced a wide range of industrial furniture, including chairs, tables, tool boxes and cupboards, the cabinet was mostly known for their industrial stool, which have become vintage classics. The first Rowac stool was released in 1905, with three iron legs and a round wooden seat. Many varieties were launched in the following years, some with three or four legs, the last redesign was in the 1920s, even though it was still produced for many years afterwards. Rowac patented many of their product designs. Many factories and studios in Germany featured Rowac stools, including the classrooms of Walter Gropius' 'Bauhaus' in Dessau. The Rowac Stool is exhibited in the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna and the Institute of Art History at the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands.