Chair
ca. 1860 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
A.W.N. Pugin designed this form of chair for the House of Commons in 1850. His sketch specified a light but strong chair, to be covered in green leather, with brass nails. Green was the colour of the House of Commons. The chair became the standard pattern for lobbies, refreshment rooms, libraries and offices. A different version was produced for the House of Lords, upholstered in red. By 1870 the chair was also used in other public buildings, including the South Kensington Museum, now the Victoria and Albert, where the Boardroom was furnished with a large set, including this example, which was recovered to Pugin's original specification in 1974.
Gillow & Co. were commissioned to make furniture for the House of Commons from 1851. Their stamp is on the underside of the seat frame of this chair, suggesting that they made examples of Pugin's design for other commissions.
Gillow & Co. were commissioned to make furniture for the House of Commons from 1851. Their stamp is on the underside of the seat frame of this chair, suggesting that they made examples of Pugin's design for other commissions.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Oak, chamfered, with modern green leather cover and brass nails |
| Brief description | Chair, of chamfered oak, upholstered in green leather, with nailing; designed by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, made by Gillow & Co., Britain, ca. 1860 |
| Physical description | Chair in the style of the Gothic Revival, of chamfered oak, upholstered in green leather, with brass nailing. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Object history | W. 26-1974 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 possilby 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. This chair was recovered in modern green leather by Carole Thomerson in 1984, using leather from Bridge of Wier and brass studs supplied by R.J. Sharman Ltd of Croydon. |
| Historical context | 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 subsequently 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. |
| Summary | A.W.N. Pugin designed this form of chair for the House of Commons in 1850. His sketch specified a light but strong chair, to be covered in green leather, with brass nails. Green was the colour of the House of Commons. The chair became the standard pattern for lobbies, refreshment rooms, libraries and offices. A different version was produced for the House of Lords, upholstered in red. By 1870 the chair was also used in other public buildings, including the South Kensington Museum, now the Victoria and Albert, where the Boardroom was furnished with a large set, including this example, which was recovered to Pugin's original specification in 1974. Gillow & Co. were commissioned to make furniture for the House of Commons from 1851. Their stamp is on the underside of the seat frame of this chair, suggesting that they made examples of Pugin's design for other commissions. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.26-1974 |
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| Record created | September 28, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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