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- Edward Knabusch and Edwin Shoemaker, circa 1970 - Cousins and business partners Edwin Shoemaker and Edward Knabusch established a successful furniture company through a combination of invention and marketing. The "La-Z-Boy" reclining chair technology they developed--and the creative ways they advertised it to customers--came to define the cousins' business.

- circa 1970
- Collections - Artifact
Edward Knabusch and Edwin Shoemaker, circa 1970
Cousins and business partners Edwin Shoemaker and Edward Knabusch established a successful furniture company through a combination of invention and marketing. The "La-Z-Boy" reclining chair technology they developed--and the creative ways they advertised it to customers--came to define the cousins' business.
- La-Z-Boy Founders Edwin Shoemaker and Edward Knabusch, 1927-1928 - Cousins and business partners Edwin Shoemaker and Edward Knabusch established a successful furniture company through a combination of invention and marketing. The "La-Z-Boy" reclining chair technology they developed--and the creative ways they advertised it to customers--came to define the cousins' business. This photograph was taken in the early years of their collaboration.

- 1927-1928
- Collections - Artifact
La-Z-Boy Founders Edwin Shoemaker and Edward Knabusch, 1927-1928
Cousins and business partners Edwin Shoemaker and Edward Knabusch established a successful furniture company through a combination of invention and marketing. The "La-Z-Boy" reclining chair technology they developed--and the creative ways they advertised it to customers--came to define the cousins' business. This photograph was taken in the early years of their collaboration.
- Anniversary Timeline of "La-Z-Boy Celebrating 75 Years of Comfort," 2002 - In 1927, cousins and business partners Edwin Shoemaker and Edward Knabusch established a successful furniture company through a combination of invention and marketing savvy. This poster -- commemorating the company's "75 years of comfort" and innovation -- depicts the innovative products that made La-Z-Boy a household name.

- 1927-2002
- Collections - Artifact
Anniversary Timeline of "La-Z-Boy Celebrating 75 Years of Comfort," 2002
In 1927, cousins and business partners Edwin Shoemaker and Edward Knabusch established a successful furniture company through a combination of invention and marketing savvy. This poster -- commemorating the company's "75 years of comfort" and innovation -- depicts the innovative products that made La-Z-Boy a household name.
- La-Z-Boy Founders Edward Knabusch and Edwin Shoemaker, 1984-1988 - Cousins and business partners Edwin Shoemaker and Edward Knabusch established a successful furniture company through a combination of invention and marketing. The "La-Z-Boy" reclining chair technology they developed--and the creative ways they advertised it to customers--came to define the cousins' business.

- 1984-1988
- Collections - Artifact
La-Z-Boy Founders Edward Knabusch and Edwin Shoemaker, 1984-1988
Cousins and business partners Edwin Shoemaker and Edward Knabusch established a successful furniture company through a combination of invention and marketing. The "La-Z-Boy" reclining chair technology they developed--and the creative ways they advertised it to customers--came to define the cousins' business.
- Patent for the First La-Z-Boy Reclining Chair, January 24, 1929 - In 1927, cousins Edwin Shoemaker and Edward Knabusch established a successful furniture company through a combination of invention and marketing savvy. The "La-Z-Boy" reclining chair technology they developed--and the creative ways they advertised it to customers--came to define the cousins' business. This copy of their patent shows the mechanism that made their upholstered chair recline -- a step toward the iconic La-Z-Boy recliner.

- January 20, 1931
- Collections - Artifact
Patent for the First La-Z-Boy Reclining Chair, January 24, 1929
In 1927, cousins Edwin Shoemaker and Edward Knabusch established a successful furniture company through a combination of invention and marketing savvy. The "La-Z-Boy" reclining chair technology they developed--and the creative ways they advertised it to customers--came to define the cousins' business. This copy of their patent shows the mechanism that made their upholstered chair recline -- a step toward the iconic La-Z-Boy recliner.
- Intercom Used by Edwin Shoemaker at His Floral City Furniture Company Office, circa 1935 - Office intercom systems allowed people to communicate while located in different rooms or different areas of a large building. The term itself is an amalgam of "internal communication." Intercoms can be permanently wired into a building, replacing rudimentary "speaking tubes." The most common form is a desktop "two station system," used between a supervisor and assistant in office environments.

- circa 1935
- Collections - Artifact
Intercom Used by Edwin Shoemaker at His Floral City Furniture Company Office, circa 1935
Office intercom systems allowed people to communicate while located in different rooms or different areas of a large building. The term itself is an amalgam of "internal communication." Intercoms can be permanently wired into a building, replacing rudimentary "speaking tubes." The most common form is a desktop "two station system," used between a supervisor and assistant in office environments.