Not currently on display at the V&A

Cumfifolda

Folding Pushchair
1950-1955 (manufactured)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Folding pushchair with cast aluminium frame (painted light blue), steel suspension, white rubber tyres and handle grip, a black leathercloth seat and a brown leather seatbelt. The wheels are also aluminium, and are unpainted. For storage, the pushchair can be folded and stood upright on an integrated stand. In its folded configuration, it can be carried by a handle integrated into the footrest.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleCumfifolda (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Cast aluminium, painted; steel; rubber; leathercloth and leather
Brief description
Folding pushchair, 'Cumfifolda', made by Shuresta (A. Mirecki) Ltd., Coventry, 1950
Physical description
Folding pushchair with cast aluminium frame (painted light blue), steel suspension, white rubber tyres and handle grip, a black leathercloth seat and a brown leather seatbelt. The wheels are also aluminium, and are unpainted. For storage, the pushchair can be folded and stood upright on an integrated stand. In its folded configuration, it can be carried by a handle integrated into the footrest.
Dimensions
  • Height: 880mm (unfolded)
  • Width: 450mm
  • Depth: 570mm (unfolded)
Production typeMass produced
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'Cumfifolda' (On top side of footrest)
  • 'MADE IN ENGLAND / PAT APPLIED FOR' (On underside of footrest)
  • 'CUMFIFOLDA' (On wheel rims)
Credit line
Given by Mr Neil Price
Object history
Given to the Museum by Neil Price [2016/953]
Historical context
The increased number of babies born following the end of the Second World War created a demand for baby carriages. Manufacturers responded to this with new designs, and by the 1960s the push chair, with its lighter and more compact form, had superseded the pram as the preferred mode of transport for infants.

Cumfifolda pushchairs were made by Coventry-based manufacturer Shuresta (A. Mirecki) Ltd. The company was acquired by Lines Brothers in 1963. This object is an example of the first model of Cumfifolda and it was updated several times. The second version was safer as it was 'fitted with an efficient brake'. By 1957, Cumfifolda pushchairs were successful enough to have expanded their range to include two other folding pushchairs (marketed as 'Selflox' to indicate their self-locking assembly), a folding pram which was also a carry-cot, a toy version of their standard folding pushchair, and a folding car seat.
Bibliographic reference
Further information may be found in the MoC's archive: MOC/LINE/4/140
Collection
Accession number
B.146-2017

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Record createdFebruary 21, 2018
Record URL
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