Armchair from the Director's office, with partly upholstered back and open arms, made by Johnstone & Jeanes, London, 1860-80.

Armchair with upholstered seat, lower back and arm-pads. The open arms scroll downwards at the ends. The back is curved with two incised lines aroun the edge, and curves over into a small scroll at the top. The back legs are outward-curving below the seat; the front legs are turned. On four brass casters. The upholstery at accessioning dates from the 1990s.

This armchair may have been used by Henry Cole, first Director of the South Kensington Museum, and his successors. It was supplied by Johnstone and Jeanes, a London furniture-making firm, one of four firms which tendered for supplying the Museum with show cases in 1865. Originally upholstered in green leather, the armchair was reputed to have been used by all the Directors up to Sir John Pope-Hennessy (Director 1966-1974), but was moved elsewhere when the Director's office was redecorated in 1974 for Sir Roy Strong. After use in various other offices it was reupholstered in the 1990s and used once again in the Directorate offices. Two other chairs of the same type, but upholstered in green leather, are visible in record shots taken of the Directorate offices in 1998. The armchair was taken into the Furniture Collection in 2008 as an example of the furniture of Johnstone and Jeanes and as an early example of Museum office furnishing. It was put in store from 2009 to March 2014 when it was once again used in Directorate offices.

Johnstone and Jeanes traded at 67 New Bond Street, London, from 1839. They were successors to Johnstone and Jupe who had traded from the same address. Johnstone & Jeanes specialised in expanding dining tables like their predecessors but also produced a wide range of other domestic furniture, which is often identifiable by the firm's stamp into the wood underneath. The firm exhibited their furniture at the Great Exhibition of 1851 and at the International Exhibitions held in London in 1862 and in Paris in 1878. In 1885 the firm became Johnstone and Norman.

Stamped with the maker's name.

This chair was supplied by the 19th century furniture making firm Johnstone and Jeanes for the Director's office and may have been used by Henry Cole, the first Director of the Museum, who retired in 1873. By repute it was used by all subsequent Directors until Sir Roy Strong who took over in 1974. By then it was being used by security staff at the gate, but was repaired and brought back into office use. The original green leather upholstery was redone in woven white horse-hair, and the chair was recovered again in the present fabric in the 1990s. It has been formally accessioned into the Furniture collection as an example of early Museum office furniture and as an example of the furniture made by Johnstone and Jeanes.

W.1-2008