Chair, carved and chamfered oak, upholstered in green leather with brass nailing; designed 1850 by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, made in Britain ca. 1850 by Gillow & Co

Chair of carved and chamfered oak, upholstered in green leather with brass nailing

W. 22-1974 is from a set of six, previously in the Museum Boardroom, which are stamped by Gillow and bear an inventory stamp for King Edward VII, suggesting that they were part of the Museum's office furniture by 1901 and possibly earlier. Chairs of the same design are shown in an illustration of prize-giving in the Lecture Theatre in the South Kensington Museum in 1870 - see A Grand Design, edited by Malcolm Baker and Brenda Richardson, 1997, page 111, fig. 70.

A.W.N. Pugin originally designed chairs of this type for the lobbies of the House of Commons in the Palace of Westminster in about November 1850. It was made in large numbers for other parts of the House of Commons including the refreshment rooms, libraries and offices. A lighter, more elaborate version was made as the standard chair for the House of Lords. Both Gillows and Holland & Sons provided furniture for the Palace, the former from 1851 and the latter from 1856.

W.22-1974