Charles Eames was born in St. Louis (1907), and Ray Eames in Sacramento (1912). After studying at the Washington University in St. Louis for two years, Charles was thrown out for his advocacy of Frank Lloyd Wright. There after he began working in an architectural office, and in 1930 founded his own studio. Meanwhile, Ray studied painting with Hans Hofmann in New York before moving to Cranbrook Academy where she assisted Charles and Eero Saarinen to prepare designs for the Museum of Modern Art’s Organic Furniture Competition. During WW2, the US Navy commissioned them to produce plywood splints, stretchers, and glider shells.